Good Vibrations ………….
Before I get on to vibes, a quick recap. I’m 7 weeks 5 days after surgery. Been FWB after 4 weeks, 2 in a cast at 80 degrees and currently in a vaco boot locked at neutral.
I,ve tried to rest my foot but as always the itch to move got too much and so I have actually been very active. Not so much in the gym but just walking, climbing stairs and ladders etc. My PT said to walk as normal as possible with the boot on. At first I tended to throw my knee back as I would move my ATR leg. With a bit of slow motion programming I got the knack and now I walk completely normally with the boot on. Same gait as other leg. In fact I almost feel like running sometimes.
Now to the vibrations. I have also been riding my girlfriends vespa around town. Now it’s a good machine but there’s a lot of vibrations in the foot well. At first it was too much for my ATR foot and I used to hold it off the bodywork. Slowly my leg got tired and I just let it rest on the body and could feel the vibrations going through my foot. After a while I didn’t even notice the vibes.
I’d been walking a lot too and noticed my ATR calf swelling up. Almost pumped up. No definition, but just full like a balloon and probably 5% bigger than the other leg. This was a slight concern so I started regularly getting my foot out of the boot and looking at it. That’s when I started to see a link to when I’d been riding the scooter, the swelling was almost nil if I had just been scootering after i’d been walking. Uhmmm…..
Yesterday my GF and I had a romantic Easter Monday and managed to clock up 60Km on the scooter around London and Richmond park etc. Along with a lot of walking in between. At the end of the day we took a long scooter ride on a scenic route back to our home with plenty of vibes through my foot.
Got home checked my foot out of the boot and….. wow….. hardly any swelling ROM nearly as good as other foot. Walked around the flat completely normally without the boot! Now I was freaked ! It shouldn’t feel this good surely ? Quick Thompson test settled my mind and I thought ok lets try a little NWB heel rise. Just sitting there on the sofa I used the weight of my leg only and raised my heel, and there it was !!!! …… I could believe it I had definition. There was muscle bulge on the outside of my calf nearly the same as the good side. Now I really was freaked and …. went to bed!
Genetically the males in my dads family have large calf muscles . My dad is 73 and his calf muscles are a subject of conversation. A 25 yr old body builder would be seriously proud to have a set like his, in fact I would ☺
Everything is the same this morning and foot feels really good. There is definitely a positive effect from the vibrations. So I have set the vaco at +5 PF degree and tomorrow will add +5 DF and plan to scooter to Scotland and back. Anyone have any views on all this?
Wishing every one well, Jules
PS Scotland was obviously a joke, my GF needs the scooter for work 
Check Doug53’s blog for some evidence on the benefits of massage. According to Doug, it’s better documented than the benefits of massage!
I wouldn’t propose setting a boot in DF, even in jest.
Your “cast at 80 degrees” means what? I hope it’s 10 degrees BELOW a right angle — like 100 degrees from leg to foot, or 10 deg. PF — rather than above that “neutral” position.
If you don’t own a vibator BESIDES the scooter, it might be a worthwile purchase! My neck and back have always loved ‘em.
Er. . . make that “the benefits of VIBRATION”, please! There’s a setting in your dashboard somewhere that lets us posters edit our posts for the first 15 minutes. Saves a lot of this kind of “reply”. . .
Hi Norm, missed the 15 mins deadline. My angles are the base of foot relative to line of leg thru the ankle. Normal standing is 90degree. I was just coming from the other side as during the changes in cast in the early weeks the degree figure was always increasing to the final goal of 90 degrees which meant i could get into a walking boot.
I was serious about the DF in fact i gave myself 5DF today as well as 5PF when walking around. I set the boot back to fixed on my way home late this eve after some crazy driver nearly ran me over when crossing the road and i had to sprint the last couple of strides to get to safety. That was enough stress for the AT for one day. Now i’m home and out of the boot i can feel my DF ROM has improved. Please don’t tell me i have done something bad here as, after I read your response, I’m concerned ?
Jules, I was within the 15 minutes, but you don’t have that option selected. I forget exactly what it’s called, some kind of Editing, IIRC.
And “doing something bad” and making me nervous are NOT necessarily the same thing! If the DF boot works for you without harm, then who cares about my opinion?
While you’re at it, though, why not let the boot PF 60 or more degrees? At almost 8 weeks, you should be OK with that, and it should be a good and safer transition to 2-shoe walking. In fact, you should be about ready to “wean off boot”, like save it for scootering and other scary excursions out of the house.
Unfortunately, you’ll probably find that your walking speed in 2 shoes can’t match your blinding speed in a boot. Such is life, but it’ll come. . .
Here’s one path to the editing thing: Manage | Settings | Ajax Editing Comments | . . . then just enable it for a reasonable period, like 15 minutes.
Norm thks for info. I am pushing it as been walking around flat etc without boot for last 2 weeks. I did a PWB calf raise this morning and got a full muscle profile on my calf to match other side. A little smaller but better than expected.
I would and could easily handle 60PF setting on the boot but just want to protect myself from myself at least for a couple more days. Today I have same DF ROM as good foot
I read Doug53’s blog and totally agree with the massaging early on. I used to constantly push my toes against the cast almost immediately after surgery. Then scootering from 4 wks.
Like Doug53 I have never pushed into any pain.
Well another day starts in the build up to the ‘wedding’…..
Hope the weather stays good. Cheers Jules
Hey Jules, I am assuming the vibrations maybe somehow loosened up some scar tissue around your tendon?? I just read your blog and figured it’s worth a shot and went out on my scooter for a nice 20 mile ride! My leg feels great!
Hi Lindsay, good to hear you have scootered your way to a faster recovery
Seriously i do think the it shakes up the whole leg and gets the blood moving. I have read your blog and presume you are in a cast ? Hang in there it wont be long and you’ll feel so much better. I am busy on my feet all day and have been since week 4. So im sure you will be fine at 8 wks to be in your sneakers and then you are free and on to the next recovery stage. I have a feeling that working behind the bar might actually be really good for recovery as you will be working that calf but hopefully in a safe flat area. You can rest on the counter if things get too much. Perfect… You can scooter to work 