16 weeks
Well, it’s been 16 weeks since my surgery and I haven’t posted for a while so here’s an update. ROM is generally very good but my dorsiflexion in my bad leg has a ways to go to match the good leg. I must admit that I’ve worked very hard on strength and proprioception but have taken it easy with dorsiflexion to minimize the chance of healing too long. I’m past that point now so I’ll will be ramping up the stretching.
As I said, I’ve worked hard on strength and it’s coming along very well. I’m doing lots of exercises up on my toes now in addition to lots of heel raises and various other exercises. I’m very close to a single leg heel raise but not quite there. When I’m doing two legged heel raises, I transfer my weight as much as possible to my bad leg to make it work harder. It seems to be helping. I’ve been going on long walks as well and my gait is pretty much normal. For the past few days, I’ve also added short stints of jogging to the walks. It feels really good even though it’s slow. For those of you just starting this adventure, hang in there. The beginning is the hardest part.
That’s it for now. Keep healing.
September 29th, 2010 at 7:25 am
Hi ,
unlike most here you seem to have had a similar protocol as myself ( i think) ,
iam due back to the doctors on the 15th Oct and will have had the cast of for 5 weeks (will be 6 weeks since my op) .
At the last visit , 1 week after the op when he put the cast on, he said , I would have another cast put on when this one comes off for 2 weeks and then the boot but i am hoping he will re consider this when he removes the cast and has a look at the area .
Once you get that boot on can you put weight on it ?
If so , it could possibly be another month before i get off the cruthes ……
You say you are going to start jogging now at 16 weeks , so
At what week where you walking normally (for want of a better expression) outdoors ?
Thanks and good luck with everything.
September 29th, 2010 at 11:11 am
Hi philc, I was in a cast plantar flexed for 3 weeks, then another three weeks in a cast at about 10 degrees. (This is pretty conservative but was my surgeon’s protocol.) After that I went into a boot with two 1 centimeter heel lifts. I removed one heel lift each week. l probably could have removed them a litter faster but you need to see how you feel as you remove each one. After you’re in the boot, if you look around the site, it has taken most of us about 3 to 5 days to be FWB and get rid of the crutches. When you get to FWB, it’s a huge milestone and the freedom to move around is liberating. Once you’re in the boot and FWB, it’s really important to raise your good foot so that you have proper hip alignment. This minimizes the potential for temporary (or long term) back, hip or knee problems caused by incorrect alignment. And you will be able to walk quickly and comfortably in the boot. I had a 3/4″ sole put on the bottom of an old running shoe but if you look around the site, you’ll see other solutions. Check out normofthenorth’s solution and rsn’s solution. It doesn’t matter how you achieve proper hip alignment, just make sure you do it.
September 30th, 2010 at 11:11 am
“Once you’re in the boot and FWB, it’s really important to raise your good foot so that you have proper hip alignment.”
to raise your good foot ?
sorry for being stupid but when are you raise it ?
September 30th, 2010 at 11:22 am
Hi philc. The sole of the boot is thicker that the sole of most shoes so when you are in the boot, your hips will not be properly aligned (the same height) and it makes walking in the boot difficult and can potentially also cause hip, knee or back pain. You’ll need to raise it when you are FWB. That way you can walk normally (rolling over the toe). Once I put the lift on the bottom of the shoe for my good foot, I could walk as fast as I could before my ATR.
Hope this helps. All the best and keep healing.