Phrustrated in Philly
Filed under: Uncategorized
Today is week 14 — day 98, 3 1/2 months. Saw doctor this week. He said I could walk and swim, and do toe raises. No bikes, no elliptical, no PT and no golf until September.
I happen to like the guy and think he is a good surgeon. He tells me I am not “out of the woods” yet, so I need to be careful, and tells me what he would and would not do if he had the injury. He is extremely conservative - I am probably the only person on this blog who has not had PT by week 14. He is now saying that he does not want me running for 9 months (before it was 6 months.) He recommends no tennis for at least 6 months but says he would feel better if I stayed off tennis for more like 9 to 12 months.
So, I think I am ok with all this, but I am going to golf this August. I will wait til I hit the 4 month mark, then I am going to start with 9 holes.
The night before I had my visit, I woke at 4am with bad leg pain. It was not along the achilles, but kind of internal to the leg and and on the outside of the ankle. It lasted a few hours then subsided. Of course, I had done alot of walking during the weekend, and hit some balls on the range. Well, I also did 20 minutes of biking without the boot, which was also on the “no” list. Seems like I cheated and my foot responded.
What a quandry. Any thoughts? What would you do?
This IS a very conservative approach. Honestly, I can’t say that PT makes all the difference… feel like my leg would be getting slowly better anyway… but it does make me feel like I’m doing SOMETHING to help the situation. I think discomfort is part of the injury… don’t think there’s any avoiding it. Whenever you do more, your leg will respond with a little pain. So I’m not sure it matters whether you push it now or later. Question: how’s your walking? Feeling good? Looking good?
Comment by eriedutchgirl 08.07.08 @ 12:57 pmI am in an opposite situation: my surgeon had me in a walking cast at 15 days post-op, then 5 weeks post-op I’ve gone to two-shoes (no boot) PWB with crutches. Meanwhile, having read a lot here online, I am holding back from exercise except around the house stuff. I seem to be the only one here on the blog who’s afraid of “trying hard”. Of course, I never was sporty! I like books, DVD’s and Internet surfing!
Comment by sanfrantourguide 08.07.08 @ 5:53 pmWalking is good, sometimes a limp, sometimes close to normal. Each week it seems less pronounced. Going up stairs normally is a snap, coming down is tough.
My doctor believes that walking, driving, toe raises and normal use of the foot may be all the therapy I need, but said he would send me to PT in Sept if I wanted.
Swam a mile tonite at the pool — great workout, but a very boring way to exercise! How did I do that for years as a kid?
Comment by tennisjunkie 08.07.08 @ 6:09 pmTJ, tee it up. Ive played 7-9 times already, mostly only 9 holes. I’m only 4 days ahead of you so we’re close recovery-wise as you know…take a cart (I know, it kills me too) and play until it feels tired, then shut it down.
Comment by walshie 08.07.08 @ 6:26 pmThe 1st beer after my 1st nine holes in 4 months tasted soo good.
Hey there! You know what’s best for your body. I’m sure your tendon is strong by now. And, I also agree that doing anything will make you sore. So, as long as you take it easy…ENJOY YOUR GOLF GAME!
Comment by kristinatl 08.09.08 @ 8:12 pmI was playing golf with boot on at 7 Weeks…By now you should know your tendon. Play 9 holes. You will be surprised how good it feels. Swing easy and enjoy. You will know when enough is enough. At this point your tendon should be pretty strong. The longer you wait the slower the days. At wk 14 I had played at least 10 rounds of golf…just be careful
Comment by mbargo 08.10.08 @ 6:57 pmLeave a comment
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