Six weeks in…and about to start

Posted on April 30th, 2008 by jmon

I’m starting to understand why Dennis linked up an ATR recovery with the NYC marathon.

My injury was 3/18. At first I was frustrated to have to wait a week for surgery, which didn’t happen until 3/25. I felt like I was laying around the house waiting to start healing. That was lost week, because as far as I was concerned, my clock didn’t start ticking until surgery.

Now, post surgery, I’ve got the same feeling. There’s a very loud voice in my head telling me that I’m not making any progress until I can start ROM or strengthening exercises. My 6 week post op is Monday 5/5. Doc told me to bring a shoe with me, so I’m hopeful that I’m about to start something in the way of PT. I’m not a terribly patient person. This next year is gonna be TOUGH. I’m glad I stumbled across this site. Hearing more stories and warnings and encouraging progress is definitely a help. Good luck to all of you.

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4 Responses to “Six weeks in…and about to start”

  1. Doc Ross, on April 30th, 2008 at 8:10 am Said:

    Jmon..

    Don’t listen to the loud voice..You are healing. If you want something to do, start exercising the other leg, there is research that supports strengthening the uninjured leg actually decreases the strength loss of the ATR leg. Also nutrition, read the blogs, and deny the voice in your head any satisfaction….LOL.

    Good luck

    Doc Ross

  2. james, on April 30th, 2008 at 8:36 am Said:

    hey jmon
    we snapped the tendon on the same day
    i was a little luckier and had the surgery on the 20th
    i agree with doc ross…
    this is my second tear (other foot) and you will be on your feet soon
    it will be stiff for a while but it gets better every day
    i hope to be swinging a club buy june……..
    good luck
    james

  3. johnk, on April 30th, 2008 at 3:09 pm Said:

    Hey Jmon,

    Welcome to living hell, only kidding.

    Hope your recovery comes along well and as Doc Ross has said positivity is the best foot forward with this injury.

    I was riding a bike 69 days after my injury, still in a cast as i didn’t have surgery, so continue to look forward and think positive !

    :)

  4. dennis, on May 3rd, 2008 at 11:47 pm Said:

    jmon - (reposting on your blog in case you miss the main site’s comment)

    I think it’s worth asking your doctor about self-massaging. I think Ross mentioned something about it and that it helps with adhesion. My PT mentioned that I should massage my scar as well as the general area after a hot bath.

    As for the PT, I think it’s been helpful for me. Tom has some good posts and comments regarding the benefits of PT for him. You might want to read about his experiences.

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  • Recent Comments

  • Rudin Dchosta | May 15th, 2008 | 5:27 am

    Nice post.. I really like your writing skill. Thanks for sharing… :-)

  • brendan | May 7th, 2008 | 9:02 am

    Thanks Johnskier…I think it’s OK as well, but definitely sore for the past 24 hours. It still fees very strong though, so I think I’m good. My 1 year old still only has 2 teeth, hence the mashed everything!

  • johnskier | May 6th, 2008 | 11:49 pm

    Brendan - I’m sure it’s okay if it’s in the boot. I’ve heard of slipping on a banana peel, but mashed bananas??

  • brendan | May 6th, 2008 | 9:04 am

    Congrats on the two shoes milestone! I’m 9 weeks and in the boot for another 2-3 weeks…but last night I was glad I was still in it. Walking across our wood floor a went to take a step with my bad foot and the boot slipped out (on some mashed bananas that my 1 year old had dropped on the floor)….I did a full split and put a lot of pressure on the calf/tendon area through the boot. Although I’m not 100% sure (and don’t want to test the theory), I have feeling I may have done some damage if I hadn’t been protected/immobiized with the boot. As it is, the tendon is a tad bit sore this morning, but seems intact and OK. I will mention it at my first PT appt tomorrow in case it is comprimised slightly. Oh…and maybe you don’t want to show your wife this comment :)

  • Tom | May 5th, 2008 | 10:11 pm

    Jmon - Great to hear your progress! Congrats on getting back into 2 shoes and taking another “step” forward. Take it slow as you start to walk again. Try to keep a normal gait as much as possible. It may be tough for awhile, but it will get better as you start to develop more strength.

  • jenni | May 5th, 2008 | 6:56 pm

    Wow - shoes in 6 weeks - that’s fantastic. My surgeon said something about a cast for 6 weeks in the brief time I saw him prior to surgery, and said that I would be weightbearing “sometime” - I hope I am on a similar program to you. It must be weird to have a free foot. I think it will be scary to trust that the first few steps won’t feel horrible. I can’t wait to bike again! I go for my first follow-up tomorrow, so should find out more details. Congratulations on your freedom -and as I’m sure your wife is saying - take it easy :-)
    Jen

  • dennis | May 3rd, 2008 | 11:47 pm

    jmon - (reposting on your blog in case you miss the main site’s comment)

    I think it’s worth asking your doctor about self-massaging. I think Ross mentioned something about it and that it helps with adhesion. My PT mentioned that I should massage my scar as well as the general area after a hot bath.

    As for the PT, I think it’s been helpful for me. Tom has some good posts and comments regarding the benefits of PT for him. You might want to read about his experiences.

  • johnk | April 30th, 2008 | 3:09 pm

    Hey Jmon,

    Welcome to living hell, only kidding.

    Hope your recovery comes along well and as Doc Ross has said positivity is the best foot forward with this injury.

    I was riding a bike 69 days after my injury, still in a cast as i didn’t have surgery, so continue to look forward and think positive !

    :)

  • james | April 30th, 2008 | 8:36 am

    hey jmon
    we snapped the tendon on the same day
    i was a little luckier and had the surgery on the 20th
    i agree with doc ross…
    this is my second tear (other foot) and you will be on your feet soon
    it will be stiff for a while but it gets better every day
    i hope to be swinging a club buy june……..
    good luck
    james

  • Doc Ross | April 30th, 2008 | 8:10 am

    Jmon..

    Don’t listen to the loud voice..You are healing. If you want something to do, start exercising the other leg, there is research that supports strengthening the uninjured leg actually decreases the strength loss of the ATR leg. Also nutrition, read the blogs, and deny the voice in your head any satisfaction….LOL.

    Good luck

    Doc Ross