Nov 21 2010
Seven Weeks
I am FWB until my leg tells me "no more" which happened last week. I’ve been shopping, driving, etc. and when I do too much, the back of my leg hurts. I can’t tell if it’s because the boot is the problem, or my level of activity. I still have the wedge in and I wonder if that should now come out even before my next doctor’s appointment on 11/30. I’ve been sleeping without the boot for 2 weeks now and the leg feels better out of the boot, but it’s still tender at times along the back of my lower calf area–the heel feels just fine. I’ve also noticed an indentation on the back of my leg which I think is caused by the boot pressing against it–it only is apparent when my leg is down and not elevated. I haven’t started PT yet, which is making me anxious and I think my OS will clear me for it at my next appt (which is what he told me…) so I will start interviewing PTs this week. I’m realizing how long this journey is and some days I feel like my leg hasn’t come that far in feeling closer to normal…But, I know it must have. Does the soreness last on and off for months?
16 responses so far
“some days I feel like my leg hasn’t come that far”
I think this is a common feeling , well i have felt it many times.
the indentations in your leg are also something that i had /noticed .
the nature of this injury make you worry about EVERYTHING in my experience .
Your PT will put your mind at rest .
Take care
Phil
Hi Northrancher, it sounds to me like you’ve come a long way. I think we all worry constantly about our AT at this stage in the recovery, is it hurting too much, is it not hurting at all, is it too stiff, too thick all sorts of stuff, but we all get there in the end. Talk to you PT and listen to your body. It is a long journey but there are friends on here to restore your spirits when they are sagging. Keep up the healing
Hi Norm !
I have been struggling for 3 weeks to get to neutral and was 2 % under 2 days ago checked by my PT .i am worried with stretching i am 2 days later at about 6 - 10 % over neutral and have a burning sensation at Achilles…. is that normal
Grace,
IME it is normal for pain to come and go for a long time. The more you do, the more likely it is that you’ll feel pain. When it hurts, you just need to back off on your activity level. It sounds to me like you’re doing well though.
I’m new here and I’m grateful for all the information I find… After reading this blog entry I’m beginning to see I need to start thinking longer term and preparing myself for ups and downs…
Now, I hate to go off topic, but for the life of me I can’t figure out how to start my own blog… I’m able to comment on other blogs, obviously… but how dow I make my own blog?
Any advice?
Hi icky you need to go to the main page and e mail dennis he’ll sort it all out for you, he’s a marvel. Look forward to hearing about your experiences.
http://achillesblog.com/dennis
These are the instructions from the main page
“To create a new blog, please create a user account first. And then, please send me an e-mail (achillesblog@gmail.com) from the e-mail address that you registered with, and I’ll create a blog for you. Please tell me what your username is, and mention briefly how your injury was caused. (The amount of spam blogs that gets created on the site is becoming unmanageable, so I’ve decided to restrict creation of blogs to just me.) I check the site frequently and check AchillesBlog e-mails from my phone, so it’ll won’t take long for you to get your blog up and running”
hope this gets you up and running
Grace
Hang in there, it gets SO much better soon.
I had the indent from wearing socks…if its the same thing that is nothing to worry about.
I wouldn’t hold off any longer on the PT. There is LOTS they can do without putting any pressure on the tendon, and its good to get started on that. Actually I big part of it is the mental feeling like you are working towards progress (instead of waiting), and also having someone good to ‘guide’ you along the way and ask q’s of on a regular basis.
Thanks everyone for the encouraging words–I really needed it. Liverpoollass, it’s so helpful to know I can come here to get help and support from this ATR “family.” I would be a deer in the headlights otherwise…Bronny, you’ve pinpointed exactly where I’m at mentally–”waiting” instead of moving forward. You say I shouldn’t holdoff any longer on the PT, but I’m waiting on my OS to give me the OK. I thought he had to clear me first? Will a PT just start working with me w/o the OS being involved? I don’t have another OS appointment until 11/30 and I’ll be a little over 8 weeks then… I have been doing the exercises you gave me, but nothing for the foot and I think that would feel good to loosen it up because of the tightness I’m feeling at times. I was planning to call PTs tomorrow to start that process…I want very much to start PT and I know I’m slipping behind on the protocol now:(
Thanks all again–Phil, Gerry, liverpoollass and Bronny:)
Icky, when you get your blog set up, add the NYC marathon timeline, which tracks your progress–it will help to put your recovery in perspective.
Good healing everyone and take good care:)
Hey Northrancher,
When i started PT the first couple weeks we did things like:
- the towel stretch (dorsiflex)
- the leg strengthening exercises
- an isometric (rehab) calf exercise pressing the ball of your foot into the wall but not lengthening the muscle at all
- getting comfortable shifting weight from one foot to the other (as much confidence as anything)
- standing on one foot - start from a few seconds and build up.
there may have been others too but none of those put any significant stress on the achilles. I’m not suggesting you should start without talking to a PT first, but he was happy to do all that stuff before I was cleared by the hospital, following which we progressed to ‘proper’ calf and other exercises, gait training, etc. Get in there I say. My mate just started at 6 weeks or so and I bet it will help him in that he hasn’t had a chance to learn bad walking habits…
Hi Northrancher,
I only started physio once cleared by my consultant but that was about week 6. I have to admit all I did was for the first 2 were ROM flexing exercises - pointing my toes and then pulling them back towards and now beyond neutral. Then right and left movement. I did that 10x 3x per day all just to loosen up the joint and achilles. I have to say now I feel that will really pay off when I come to walking properly. There are no short cuts in this game, and personally I wouldn’t do anything without the guidance of a professional - consultant or physio. I know several people on here have sought the help of private physio but that decision is down to the individual. Why don’y you ring to see if you can make an earlier appointment with your OS. As for protocols, I too was behind Norms but I am pleased with how well my achilles is progressing don’t view this as a race look at the small improvements as mile stones. Good luck with your future healing x
Rancher, the exercises are probably roughly as helpful as the PT, and you could start gently with those, following my fave protocol, if you can decode the language. PTs generally do a mix of moral support, massage, prescribing exercises, and applying high-tech gizmos (that may or may not help). You can get the moral support and the exercises here, anyway!
Access to PTs is different in different places. Around here (Toronto), if insurance is going to cover it, you need a reference from an MD, though that doesn’t HAVE to be your OS. And the reference is often easy to get, done by fax, so a phone call to your OS (or your GP/PCP) might get them to fax an OK straight to a PT. Hard to know for sure, but if you don’t ask, it definitely won’t happen!
The key to the various indentations on your leg is usually inflammation, aka swelling. Puffy legs show signs of every little bit of pressure, from boot, socks, you name it. Sometimes, those contours can seem too “solid” to be the result of fluid pressure, but I think you’d be surprised.
“Control That Swelling!” (Repeat over and over, to the tune of “Block That Kick!”)
SouthAfrican, I see my name in your post, but I don’t think I have any special info or wisdom for you. A burning sensation in the AT doesn’t sound great. And as you may recall, I’m a real wimp (and a “wimp-advocate”) when it comes to aggressive dorsi-stretching. Give it a rest, control your swelling, and we all hope it’s fine.
Norm, my “indentation” is completely gone–must have been swelling, as you suggested. Thank you for easing my mind.
Double YAY, Rancher! Once because your “indentation” is completely gone, and once because I guessed right and it helped!!
Hi Northrancher. You must be coming up to your OS appointment next week - I hope it all goes well and you get the licence to go into full PT? I have to say the one excercise I found most “free-ing” was gently rolling a tennis ball backwards and forwards under my foot. For some reason this really connected and seemed to unleash a lot of tension stored up in my leg. Hope all goes well on Tuesday.
Parisski, thank you for the good wishes. I’m just chomping at the bit to get into PT and hopefully I’ll get the go-ahead tomorrow. I don’t look forward to seeing my doc because he is not very supportive and always finds a way to say something to send me into a tailspin. Last time, it was the “limping” comment. So, I’m mentally prepared this time. Were it not for this forum, I would feel so alone and uninformed.
BTW, I did try rolling a tennis ball and it really loosened up my foot. I hope that’s on the list of exercises they suggest. The best thing so far has been the hot baths. My leg feels so loose and “normal” after a good soak & I feel like I could just walk around!! Although, I always do a reality check and put on the boot first:)
I’ve been racing around all weekend and my leg held up pretty well. Not until last night, did it feel tired, but no pain really.
I’ll blog something tomorrow after my doc appointment. How are you doing?
I am about 10-weeks post surgery. Doctor took away the boot a week ago and gave me the go-ahead for FWB. Started PT the day after but had to go on a business trip. Anyone having issues with swelling in their ankle? I am definitely feeling a lot of stiffness in the ankle and have a lot of swelling in that area. Could be the Transatlantic flight I was on yesterday — but am a little concerned about it. Any advice is appreciated.