Dec 09 2010
Two Shoes…and Heel Liftoff
Amid all the angst over my PT experience, I do have some good news to share. I was able to walk today, first barefoot and then in two shoes, with my heel lifting off the floor and no limp!!! I was so excited and shocked that I asked my husband to watch me walk, just to be sure I wasn’t imagining things! I walked around the house, even going up and down stairs, for a couple of hours and stopped when my heel felt a little sore. I rested it and had no discomfort afterward, which I’m taking as a good sign. I will ice my ankle tonight after doing the physio exercises. But, I now feel that I will walk again. Gerry, I’ll be back in those ski boots sooner than I thought!!
14 responses so far
Way to go Grace. You are really making excellent progress. I seem to remember you worrying about whether not having surgery was the right thing to do. You should go show your surgeon how well you’re getting around. I bet he will be astonished.
Wow, that’s great. It took me weeks in two shoes before I could get rid of the limp even for a few minutes!
I asked my PT yesterday how long it would take me to walk with my heel off the ground and he asked me if I had tried to do it, yet, and I said “no.” I thought I needed to do some exercises in advance and work up to it. So, today, I just tried it and it was smooth and effortless. I really was stunned. It’s been the most excitement I’ve felt during this whole recovery, next to my doctor saying he couldn’t feel the tear anymore.
Bronny, I never thought for a moment that I would be able to lift my heel off the floor much less do it without a limp, because I still feel so stiff. Had the PT not suggested it, I would not have even tried.
Gerry, thank you! You’re right–my doctor would be very surprised, and I think happy for me. I’ve really had a mental block about the non-surgical decision because my doctor and the PT find it so unusual (for reasons I understand). At my first appointment, after realizing I didn’t have surgery, my PT said “well, this should be interesting…” Not having total support from a caregiver is tough to overcome, and like I’ve said before, were it not for this site and all the support I’ve gotten here, I would feel so lost. But, I’m proof, like so many others here, that you can heal an ATR without surgery. Yes, we can! Fingers crossed I keep progressing to the finish line!!
Yay!!! That’s terrific, Rancher. Do make sure NOT to go nuts overdoing 1-leg calf raises and such now — that’s how I gained some pain and lost a MONTH after my first ATR, just about at your breakthrough stage.
Otherwise, just keep progressing. And DO share with your surgeon, and PT, and anybody else who has influence over the care of the next “generation”! The various memos WILL reach the corners of the Kingdom, but it sure does take a while! And “history is a series of things that almost didn’t happen,” too, so make sure the extra benefits happen here!
Northrancher: The place I went to near Sw Plaza is called Performax. The therapist/owner that I saw is Joe. He has helped me through several injuries as well as helped family members. He is really really good and definitely knows what he is doing, but you have to wait when you go in there. Grrr. The facilities are amazing including a nice warm therapy pool. I know Joe is familiar with the non-op ATR stuff.
Can you believe this weather we have been having? Love it but it doesn’t really get one in the mood for Christmas. Ha!
Hey congratulations on making it onto your own two feet! You’ll find your progress comes on leaps and bounds. Getting a decent physio should help, several times I thought I was doing the exercises properly but had to be corrected by the physio, you really do need one to one treatment, massage and ultrasound by a physio also makes a big difference.
You asked about shoes, well I was in knee biker type boots outdoors and crocs indoors to start with , as my AT was very sensitive and I couldn’t cope with shoes or trainers ( may have been because I was surgical). Now I’m back at work I have found Clarks active air shoes the best. They’re certainly not pretty, but the back is padded and they have a gel heel and arch support which makes them ideal. They also do a really good unstructured range. I think you can get them in the US , or try E Bay. I would suggest you leave it a couple of weeks just to let your foot settle down.
Good luck!
Grace, the trickiest challenge now is getting a bunch of reasonable exercise and being “normal”, while still protecting your ankle from shocks for another ~3 weeks or so, when your AT is still quite vulnerable to you-know-what. Adding winter weather or Christmas parties to the mix just makes it trickier.
One trick I liked was to carry a cane. And the word is “carry”, because I never needed it to help hold up my weight. But it helped notify people to give me more space and to be careful not to bump into me or trip me. Even jumping back into the boot for especially scary outings is a shame-free option. Hiking boots give some support, but if you fall over forward or slip or twist, they might not save you.
You know how far you’ve come, and it’s only a few more weeks that you have to worry about losing it. So love the freedom of walking barefoot and in shoes, do it wherever you’re safe, protect yourself wherever you’re not safe, and always Watch Your Step!!
Brilliant work. Walking without a limp is a real milestone. Can’t say that I’m there yet but it is slowlt improving. Developing the strech in my AT is proving the hardest battle, and as NOrm says there is a huge temptation to over do it. The choice of shoes is also vital, some boots that don’t have much support can really give me a heal pain. I think I’ll have a look for the shoes recomended by Teresa as at the moment I’m living in trainers. As a shoe lover it’s so nice to be looking lovingly at shoes again. Good luck with you walking and carry on healing x
10 weeks in .
absolutely brilliant .
theres a lot to said my the non op route , we just have to convert Norm to the idea now ;>)
Nice work Grace
Soon you will be back on the tennis court. Just don’t go all out. Leave those nasty drop shots.
I started back at about 10 weeks after surgery. Didn’t have much power off the ATR foot, but used that as an excuse to get a better racquet.
Thank you all for the words of support–I greatly appreciate it.
Norm, great to see you back–glad all went well for you. I hear your words of caution and agree–I’m still wary of going outside without my boot and I don’t overdo it walking around the house. I’m not sure how much I should be lifting my heel–sometimes I walk flat-footed to save it from over-exertion. Until I get past the 12-week mark, I’m playing it safe. Your tip about the cane is a good one. My biggest concern is our yellow lab who is my constant companion & navigating the stairs with her can be scary. I’m on high alert & watching every step.
Teresa, coincidentally, I just picked up a pair of Clarks boots on QVC & they’re very comfortable. Based on your recommendation, I may get a pair of shoes, too. I’m fast-forwarding to a time when special shoes are unnecessary. Do you have any idea when that happens? Like when do we get to wear ballet flats again? Or heels? Maybe heels higher than 2 inches are permanently out of the question? That you are back at work and doing so well is inspiring.
Liverpoollass, most of my stiffness seems to be in my foot–mostly the ball of my foot–and after “walking” around the house for awhile, my heel starts to hurt. I’ve been icing my foot/ankle every night tho & that has kept the swelling under control. I have trainers & a pair of Clarks boots that work and I look forward to a time when any shoes will work. But, I’m guessing that’s a few months away for both of us! Thanks for the good wishes & continued good healing to you, too.
Phil, thank you. I’m both shocked and elated. So far, so good. Keep the faith–were getting there!
Sullypa, thanks for the words of encouragement. Getting back to tennis seems like a distant dream for now. It’s a hurdle mentally & to be honest, I may need to muster some courage to actually do it. I’m impressed you were playing tennis at 10 weeks! I expect to be back on the slopes long before the tennis court. Maybe the lure of a new racquet will help!
Smish, I agree–we definitely need some snow for Christmas!
Another shoe lover!
I keep pulling out different shoes and boots out of my wardrobe and trying them on to see if I can wear them. I don’t have the flexibility in my ankle to get my foot into any boots which need pulling on. I’ve never been very good with high heels at the best of times, I have a formal Christmas do this week and I’m having a bit of a shoe crisis. Biker boots and a little black dress? I don’t think so.
I’ll keep you posted on how I get on shoe wise.
But it was only a few weeks ago that I couldn’t walk in anything but crocs, so I suppose I’ll just have to be patient!
Teresa, I asked my PT about the shoe issue. He said eventually heel height makes no difference–in fact, a heel is less stress on the AT. Ballet flats could be uncomfortable, but you can put a little wedge in the heel, if needed. According to him, nothing is off limits, but I remember reading a post here cautioning someone about wearing sandals/flip flops, etc…
Hi Northrancher - have been off the site for a while (crazy work schedule and the mayhem of Christmas) and was delighted to see your progress and to hear your appreciation of it. Must say I share your aprehension about getting on a tennis court again. I simply can’t imagine doing that for months ye,t as it feels like I still have a long way to go before I can push the achilles into explosive situations. However am hugely enjoying the extra mobility and have even been getting sweaty in the gym for the first time in ages! Will try to keep up on the site a bit more over the hols - especially if it stays this cold as it’s going to be difficult getting anywhere to do anything at all with all this snow! Take care and enjoy the freedom.