Second Post Op

Posted on April 11th, 2012 by joss1799

Leading up to my second post op, which was 5 weeks post surgery, my job was to get my injured ankle to 90 degrees.  How I was casted, which was essentially 45-50 degrees, I had my work cut out for me.  My Achilles felt so tight, I didn’t see how I could reach that goal in only 3 weeks of work.  It was slow, but I was able to reach the goal. Don’t get me wrong, there was some soreness, but I did it.  All this time, unless I was stretching or bathing, I was to be in the boot.  Always in the boot.  Ambulating, with crutches of course, sleeping, blah blah blah.  The boot, the boot, the boot.  Good news, doc said I could try to put weight on the foot 2-3 days before my exam.  If I walked into the appointment, great, if not, all is well as long as my ROM was good.  I was feeling so good however, about a week before my exam, I started some partial weight bearing.  I used my injured leg as a light anchor while on the crutches. This allowed me to get used to placing pressure on the foot.  Every time for a while there, any pressure sent tingles through my foot.  In addition, the extra work caused some ongoing swelling. My nights consisted of stretching then keeping the foot elevated to get the swelling down.  As the week went on though, the tingles decreased and my fear of full weight bearing did as well.  Thursday before my Monday exam, I was able to ditch one crutch for a full day.  By Easter Sunday, no crutches.  How liberating!  So much easier to get around. Now mind you, it is much slower than on the crutches but I did not appear to be injured, until you saw the limp or the boot.  So, I walked into my second post op with pride.  Doc says I am right where I need to be.  I will see him in another 4 weeks.  During that time, stay in the boot (it’s now a part of me), work further on the ROM (by the next exam I should be able to bring my toes to my knee, equal to my uninjured leg).  Now, that seems like a feat in itself, but that’s not all.  Doc said, bring your other shoe with you to the next exam because you’ll be walking out of here…

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2 Responses to “Second Post Op”

  1. ultrarunning316, on April 12th, 2012 at 2:25 am Said:

    How nice was that post made me smile from the moment you said you were able to ditch your crutches. It’s crazy how fast it can go from partial to full weight bearing…Thankful for you! Two shoes coming soon!!

  2. Janus, on April 18th, 2012 at 12:49 am Said:

    Sounds like great progress. The boot is indeed your friend, at least for a critical period. But getting to two shoes is the next major milestone, and it seems you’re well on time and target for it.

    All best!

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  • joss1799 | May 9th, 2012 | 10:34 am

    Kim, to answer your question, all I have been doing since I got out of my cast post op is ROM exercises. My surgeon did not have me using the calf at all. He wanted me to work on active dorsiflexion to stretch the tendon slowly. At my second post op, he wanted me at 90 degress, the most recent post op, he wanted me almost equivalent to the non-injured leg. To make sure the top part of my foot/ankle wasn’t ignored, I performed stretches passively so as not to ingage the calf. He didn’t want me pulling on that tendon too soon. As for pain, most people say listin to your body. My experience is if the pain makes you wince or twitch in response, that’s too much. There should be a difference between pain and soreness. Not sure that helps, but not really sure how else to explain it. Trust yourself to know your own limits. I am not sore today, so I know I didn’t push it too far which is a good thing at this point in recovery.

  • kimjax | May 9th, 2012 | 7:00 am

    Love the pun! Did you do range of motion exercises before you went to PT? How do folks tell the difference between good pain and bad in PT? I’m so afraid of pushing recovery too fast and it’s hard to trust the PT with my tendon when it hurts. I’m glad to hear you felt better on the way out - thanks for sharing that!

  • jimminyc | May 8th, 2012 | 2:48 am

    Great news, the 2 shoe feeling is awesome and you will find you make good progress just by walking around in shoes. Good luck at PT.

  • Janus | April 18th, 2012 | 12:49 am

    Sounds like great progress. The boot is indeed your friend, at least for a critical period. But getting to two shoes is the next major milestone, and it seems you’re well on time and target for it.

    All best!

  • ultrarunning316 | April 12th, 2012 | 2:25 am

    How nice was that post made me smile from the moment you said you were able to ditch your crutches. It’s crazy how fast it can go from partial to full weight bearing…Thankful for you! Two shoes coming soon!!

  • ultrarunning316 | April 11th, 2012 | 3:36 am

    So nice to see that first bit of progress and then every bit after…I also hate to feel like I was an invalid, crazy injury it takes the active and reduces us to the exact opposite! I too love the feeling of getting my life back with each step in the process…Welcome to the site and yep on your way! :)

  • ericbabula | April 10th, 2012 | 3:34 pm

    ryanb - You go get ‘em!!!

    I agree totally - this is not a sign to quit doing what you love. It’s a reminder that we have to take care of ourselves even more, so we can continue doing what we love, for many, many years to come!

    Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body. But rather it’s to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming, “Wow! What a ride!!!”

  • ryanb | April 10th, 2012 | 11:39 am

    I’ll take it even one step further- this injury shows you just how fragile we are. It’s a clear demonstration of how, in an instant, our mobility and ability to enjoy athletics and the outdoors can be taken away. Fortunately, for the vast majority of us, it’s a temporary setback; and with hard work, a full recovery is possible.

    There’s many other ways (disease, car wreck, death, etc..) that our physical abilities can be compromised and/or lost. Some day, for all of us, they *WILL* be lost. I am as determined as ever to enjoy - to the fullest extent possible - whatever time I’ve got left. For me- this isn’t a sign to start taking it easy: it’s a reminder to get out there and enjoy life to the fullest - while I’m still afforded the ability to do so.

  • ericbabula | April 10th, 2012 | 8:31 am

    I gotta second ultrarunning316’s comments.

    joss1799 - you are athletic. People who are athletic get hurt. There’s a popular saying among bicycle riders: “It’s not whether or not you’re gonna crash, it’s when.” Eventually, injury comes to most athletes. This happened to be our time. We got hurt. We had our surgery. Now it’s time to heal. It may take longer than we’d like, and it’s certainly an inconvenience to our lives and those around us for a while. But, it’s temporary; and, in the long run, it’s not that big of a deal. “Time heals all wounds.” It’s true! It gets better!

    Keep up the positive attitude. Listen to your doctor. Come here if you need moral support from people who know what you’re going through. The mantra from my doctor and my PT has been, “Don’t worry. We’ll get you there!” Good luck with your recovery!

  • ultrarunning316 | April 10th, 2012 | 1:00 am

    Sorry you have to go down this road, wouldn’t wish it on anyone. The bad news is that it’s limiting, depressing, can make you feel like a prisoner all the result of your pursuit of a seemingly healthy activity.

    The good news is that it get’s better and as it does you start reclaiming parts of your life! I look at someone that is wheelchair bound for the remainder of there life or have been stricken with an incurable infirmity & that helps keep things in perspective…We will and do recover. No doubt it does suck and I’ve had help staying positive which has helped the time pass.

    God bless you in your recovery, looking forward to following your progress here on the Achilliesblog!