7 weeks post-op and finally FWB
Last week, at just under six weeks post-op, I got my second cast off and was fitted for an air walker with two centimeters of heal lifts. I was PWB for about 5 days but have been FWB now for a couple of days. I was so glad to be rid of the crutches and able to walk! Thankfully, heal pain has been minimal. Mainly discomfort. I sleep with the boot off.
I removed one of the heal lifts today so I have one centimeter of lift. Even removing one lift has made it easier to walk. In one more week, I’ll remove the last heal lift.
I’ve been doing ROM exercises at home as well as seated heal raises. I begin physical therapy next week and am looking forward to it. If there are other exercises I should be doing right now before I start PT, please let me know. I’m following the UWO protocol posted by Norm. My doctor said I could take the boot off and walk in shoes at home as long as the heal lift is in but I’m not ready for that yet.
That’s it for now.
Keep Healing.
July 28th, 2010 at 2:32 am
It all sounds positive, JLA, keep going! Walking crutch-free, FWB, is surely one of the top steps — maybe THE top one — along this whole journey.
It’s funny how we all react differently to changes in ankle angle, like you removing your first heel wedge. Some people report discomfort, some people report excruciating pain, and some people (like you) report comfort and relief! I’m guessing it’s mostly in the timing, if you’re really ready it’s fine, if you’re really not it hurts like Hell?
And the size of the “jump” obviously matters, too. My protocol says 2cm wedge until 6 weeks then straight to zero. I accidentally got 3cm, then tried going straight to zero at 6 wks and it felt like too big a jump, so I smoothed it out over a few days. That felt fine.
August 1st, 2010 at 12:45 pm
Thanks Norm. Being able to walk again is a great feeling. I took that last heal lift out today and am at neutral in the boot.
As I said before, my doctor said I could walk in the house in shoes as long as I had heal lifts in the ATR’d leg shoe. Right now the boot keeps me from dorsiflexing as I walk and protects the AT. If I walk in shoes, isn’t dorsiflexion inevitable and potentially dangerous. I’ll be at eight weeks post op in three days. Anyone have any words of wisdom here?
August 3rd, 2010 at 10:30 am
Tomorrow is 7 weeks post op for me. I have been out of the boot and in 2 shoes for about a week. It has felt good. My foot has been swelling a lot and I could not spend as much time on it as I did in the boot. The boot caused my foot to hurt all of the time, Dr thinks it is the lack of support. I never had heal lifts, I went straight from cast to boot at 2 weeks.
August 3rd, 2010 at 2:34 pm
Wow! Your doctor is really progressive when it comes to early weight bearing. That’s great. I was in casts for six weeks but did as much “exercising” inside the cast as I possiblly could. How was the transition to 2 shoes? Do you have heal lifts in the shoes or are you at neutral in the shoes as well? Are you wearing the shoes in the house or all the time? Congratulations on going to 2 shoes and thanks for the words of wisdom.
August 5th, 2010 at 5:22 pm
From reading all the blogs it seems my Dr is somewhere in the middle. He works with the local college’s student athletes so I am comfortable with his approach. I am in 2 shoes all of the time with no heal lifts. I did wear the boot in the airport this past week. I had my first Physical Therapy yesterday. We didn’t do much, but she thinks I have a long way to go. My foot was very sore last night into this AM. I had to take a pain pill which I haven’t done in a few weeks. I think the pain is the combination of wearing the boot to travel and the PT yesterday. I have started wearing a pair of Berkinstocks and I haven’t had as much swelling as last week wearing running shoes. The first week in 2 shoes I spent a lot of time icing and elevating. Some pain but not enough to take any meds.
August 6th, 2010 at 10:05 am
Thanks bjehome. Sounds like you’re doing really well. Congratulations. Hopefully your pain and swelling will subside quickly with the new shoes.