Mike’s Journey

Blog buddies out there in the ATR Nation, I have shed the last cast and graduated to the boot and Partial Weight Bearing!

Today’s visit to the doctor was pretty momentous. They cut off the last cast, and I had the last of the stitches taken out. My orthopedist had me back in the boot with 2 heel lifts. The PWB protocol he wants me on is 25% increase per week, weaning off of crutches during that time, PT twice a week, and some other odds and ends. The doctor told me that the tendon takes 10-12 weeks to fully heal, but that motion and exercise actually helps it heal.

It was weird, at first, trying to use the crutches and sort of putting weight on the ankle. I kept wanting to lift the foot and not put any weight on it. It wasn’t until I had gotten back to the car that it started to be more comfortable. There wasn’t really any pain associated with putting weight on it for the first time in four weeks.

While I was on the table at the Doctor, he had me do some basic range of motion. It took a couple of tries to get what’s left of my calf muscle to fire, but ultimately, I had decent ROM. Plantarflexion wasn’t bad and I could do small circles in both directions. He gave me one critical criteria for when I do ROM exercises on my own: do NOT allow the shin to move (i.e., no rotation at the knee). I’m to make sure that the motion is focused on the ankle.

During the day, I’m pretty sure I was putting nearly half of my weight on the ankle on a regular basis and a couple of times even did the full weight. I’m pushing a little too hard - first day and all that. I really don’t want to trigger problems just because it’s feeling better than it really is. Over the course of the day, the remaining calf muscle protested a little with a cramp and I’ve got a little swelling, so elevation and ice are in order.

The psychological boost from transitioning to the boot has been enormous. First, just knowing that I can take the boot off is huge. Second, the ability to actually wash my foot. My foot felt fresh air and warm soap and water for the first time in three and a half weeks. It was great. I think it’s probably going to take a couple of washings to get all of the dead skin off. The feeling was almost as big a sense of accomplishment as the first shower after surgery. Third, there’s just the increased freedom of movement. Even though I haven’t ditched a crutch, yet, the ability to support even some weight on my foot instead of all of it on my arms is huge. I can more easily travel distance. Steps are still a bit of a challenge, but it’s still easier. Lastly, it’s an obvious symbol of the transition to the next phase of recovery.

It’s been a good day, and I’m looking forward to tomorrow and trying to string together a series of good days. Hang in there blog buddies

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 28th, 2008 at 7:26 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.