2 Shoes
Yesterday was the big day….the day my surgeon had set to start going without the boot. As I had a pretty busy work day I actually did not push too much and left it more or less till today when I had a PT appointment and an easier day of it.
So as of this morning I’m in two shoes (more like slippers round the house) and doing gait training with the bad foot on the treadmill in PT. For this week I’m going to continue wearing the boot out of the house and my goal, discussed with PT therapists is to totally ditch the boot in a weeks time. For now my stride is very short and am having to really work hard on the heel-toe action, but hey it’s walking !
Obviously I have not walked any great distances, but so far am pleased with the lack of pain & swelling. The only problem I’ve had is some discomfort around the heel and incision when trying to wear shoes again, even just running shoes. That is going to be a problem, but I guess the foot will get used to it.
After some thought and discussion with the PT guys I have decided not to bother with a cane at this point. Physically I don’t need it and they confirmed my suspicion that basically it’s just another thing you can become dependent on and ultimately will need to train yourself out of. I did think there was a psychological advantage to the cane in reminding me not to go crazy, but I guess I’ll just have to remember.
So overall it’s been a great week even with the summer cold I picked up over the weekend. Looking back I can hardly believe I’ve come so far as quickly as I have. Never thought I’d be at this point so soon, I really have been fortunate compared to many ATR sufferers. A long way to go yet, but life is starting to come back together.
on August 27th, 2009 at 10:49 pm
Way to go Matt!
I’m a couple of weeks ahead of you on the same timeline, in 2 shoes for almost 2 weeks now. I also intended to gradually transition out of the boot, but just like going from NWB to PWB I skipped the ‘gradual’ part and just did it.
You’ll be amazed at how much easier it gets over the next week. I still don’t have enough calf strength to push off properly, but after only 3 or 4 days had regained enough flexibility that ROM no longer restricted my gait.
And despite my minor setback from a wound infection (which stopped me doing active rehab for most of a week), I found when I got back on the bike trainer last night I could actually pedal normally; the last time I rode it took a conscious effort on every pedal stroke to stop my foot flopping around.
As far as ditching the cane to avoid developing bad habits, I’m doing the opposite. I don’t use it for support, but I’m using a hiking pole which assists me pushing off the bad foot when walking quicker. I feel like it lets me walk with a more natural stride, which also helps keep the pace up.
on August 27th, 2009 at 11:02 pm
Thanks Dylan, I saw your recent blog and pics earlier in the week. Hope the infection continues to clear up. I had a sleepless night earlier in the week when the incision was red and warm enough for my PT to remark on it, but ultimately came to nothing.
Will have to think about the hiking pole, as you say could help with the push off.