So here is the run down..
AR Day - During military training I jumped and herd that POP, went to the base hospital, was sent for an ultra sound and put in a cast

Day 3 - Back to the Dr for ultra sound results.. Not a full rupture but the extent of damage unknown as I could not flex my foot so the scan was inconclusive. Put in a removable fiberglass splint (so I could take it off to shower ) and it was still so my tows were very pointed.

Week 1 to week 8 - each week change the splint re adjusting the angle until it was almost 90* while going to PT once a week to work on ROM and have an ultra sound treatment. Around week 6? added pool physio up to 30 mins 3 times a week.

Week 9 - ween off the splints and move to 2 shoes and day by day work up to partial weight bearing still on crutches.

Week 10 - working up to full weight bearing…end of week 10 after physio while driving home major spaz in my leg I could not even stand to have my foot touch the floor. Back to the splint and non weight bearing until I could get into see the Dr again.

Week 11 - Went to the Dr (every time I go to the Dr I get someone new as we dont have an assigned Dr its just whoever is on duty) and he didnt think much of it. I insissited that something was wrong and didnt feel right and I needed to see a specialist who would know more of what might be going on and I need another ultra sound or MRI to get a better picture as the last one I was to swollen to show anything. So he signed off on the referral to the specialist, but I get a call later that week saying the specialiest he sent it to retired and I have to make another appointment to get a new referral. (next opening with ANY Dr on base is in 4 weeks)

Week 12-14 - Stopped pool physio at week 10 as it was just to painful. back to slowly working on ROM and working to partial weight bearing.

Week 15 - Finally in to see again a different Dr. I told him the history onf the injury and that I had had enough of this weight and see aproch as it was going no where and was not getting any better, I told him I wanted an MRI and a boot and a referral to a specialist!! To mu serprise he said he totally agreeded and he was astonished that none of this had been had been done before this point.

So I have had the Boot for 2 days now and WOW what a difference.. I had been wrapping my leg to try and give it some support, which was a lot better then nothing, but the boot WOW.. Im full weight bearing without crutches and by the end of the day I feel a little muscle fatigue and discomfort, but not the pain and spazzing I had been experiencing when I was slightly / partally weight bearing.

Hopefully I will get the MRI appointment in the next few days and the Specialist soon after

Military is great for some things.. But the medical system leaves MUCH to be desired :-S

I have been out of the leg splint fully for 2 weeks still NWB on crutches, wearing my running shoes and letting my bad foot roll as if I was walking but NWB on it to work on the ROM.  As well as going to pool physio 3 times a week “running” laps in the deep end.

Then this week at PT I was told to start PWB and just use 1 crutch as much as I felt no pain or discomfort then go back to 2 when needed.

Any time I have asked about when I might be going into a boot I have gotten a “wait and see” answer. And I know that “If” or when I do go into a boot the only one the Base hospital (military) will give me is a plain air boot, no hinge, as basic as they come.

Would it be better to go with this basic boot where I would have no ROM , or to continue with just in running shoes and slowly increasing the amount and duration of WB?

So on Wed, 6 weeks from ATR,  I went for my weekly physio session. Up until now other then some light stretching and ultrasound very little has been done asanytime we tried to progress with trying to put weight on my leg or stretch just a tiny bit then last time it would protest and swell soI have been about 98% NWB, (we all have little slips and put your foot down a little more then we know we should). 

But that day I was finally able to stand with my heel on the ground, first NWB then slowly put about 10% weight on the bad leg with no discomfort. As it was going so well I was then put on the bike. It went better then expected. I did about 7 mins, going very slow and at level zero. finally some ROM.

My PT then worked on a jaw issues I have and while she was working on that my leg started to throb, so put some ice on it. but it wasn’t a bad kind of throb it felt good to get my ankle moving again. She recommended I ice it later that night again as well.

With this progress, I have now been signed up for pool physio 3 days a week. I’m to start with only 20 min and I will be banned from the shallow end.

Heres to moving forward

I had to go get the stoppers at the bottom of my crutches replaced today..

 I wore rigtht through them.

Just can’t keep a good girl pinned down… LOL

This is my first blog… ever…

A Little back story about me..

Im 31 years old, Fairly active woman.

Im in the Canadian Forces, Ive been on tour to Afghanistan and made it home without a scratch. But on 23 March 2011 during a regular Physical Training session during the warm up I heard that unmistakable POP and down I went.  We had done a few laps around the gym  followed by some line sprints then we moved onto some plyometrics first with 2 feet then onto 1 foot, I pushed up with my left foot and i remember thinking .. “wow thats kinda tight” and as my foot landed there it was … POP

I made my way to the base hospital and within 2 hours i was on my way across town for an ultrasound to try and see the extent of the damage. It would be 2 days before the images were sent back to the base to I was sent home, my leg in a fiberglass splint to keep my foot pointed and was told to put it up as much as I could, Ice it and take some anti-inflammatories.

Two days later I returned to the base hospital and it was seen that yes there was a ruptur, but it was not a full tear. The ruptur was up right where the tendon attaches to the calf. They said if it were a full they would of had me in surgury that day, but with it being a partial we would go with the splint.

After the first week the splint was changed from fully pointed to about a 110* I went to Physio where they used ultrasound treatment to help with blood flow and promote healing.  She had instructed me to keep my leg elevated, ice it and from time to time I could take the splint off and very gentally move my foot back and forth and side to side but not to push my foot past the 90* point.  And if it still felt good after the weekend I could go back and move the splint to a 90*.

After the weekend, it was now 2 weeks and 5 days, my leg was feeling good, I was even able to stand in the shower with both feet flat but all my wieght on the right (good) leg.  So feeling good monday morning I went back to the base hospital to have the splint changed again, this time to a 90*. 

It was just the slightest bight tight but there was no pain. But the end of the day I noticed my toes were getting a little swollen. I loosened the tensor bandage that held the splint in place to the point where it was almost falling off and put my leg up. The swelling did go down but without any pressure at all on the tear site it would just throb like crazy. I ended up just putting the tensor on my leg and the next day was back at the base hospital to have it checked out. The Dr I saw this time had never delt with an achilles ruptur of any kind before and as I was seeing my regular physio the next day just put me back in the 110* splint and said to follow up with physio.

I told my physio what had happened with the splint at 90* and she said oviouslly my leg did not like that progression, so we will keep it at the 110* for up to 6 more weeks and take it week to week.

So it has now been 3 weeks and 4 days since ATR.  After reading a lot of the blogs I am feeling a litte down that some are in the air boot and WB by 2-3 weeks and im almost at 4 and everytime we try and go to 90* even with NWB, my leg freaks out and I am set back. This weekend anytime I tryed to have the splint off and try to get my foot anywhere close to 90* it would go all pins and needles and start to swell again.

Tomorrow starts a new work week, hears hopeing for a better week.

McKee