23 Comments so far

1. janis on February 21, 2014 3:48 pm

   Congrats, Ron!

2. normofthenorth on February 21, 2014 4:40 pm

   Lots of folks here love compression socks, though me Not So Much.

   Your Qs:
   1)

3. normofthenorth on February 21, 2014 4:46 pm

   1. Gradually.
   2. As long as nothing is open, go nuts salves, ointments, soaking, massage, whatever.
   3. Zero, to a first approximation. Other setbacks can still happen from overdoing, so stay incremental, but have fun, gradually!

4. Ron on February 21, 2014 7:10 pm

   Thanks Janis!

   Happy Healing.
   Ron

5. Ron on February 21, 2014 7:10 pm

   Thanks Norm, got it.

   Have a great weekend.
   Ron

   BTW, have you heard from Alan? (The guy that cut his cast off). Hope he is OK…
   I have not seen him post lately.

6. normofthenorth on February 21, 2014 8:13 pm

   No. But I think an earlier guy who did the same thing stayed in touch and did fine. Still not a statistically significant sample!

7. kimc on February 22, 2014 8:34 pm

   Ron,

   Glad to hear you’re off the Warfarin! It’s gotta feel great to be back to teaching golf and moving toward the return to teaching tennis. If there’s one thing I’m taking away from all these recovery stories, it’s this: The path forward is not always straight and progress is mostly incremental, but everyone gets better!

   Wishing you continued strength and healing.

8. anne on February 23, 2014 12:37 am

   Congrats on your progress. Bravo!!!!

   I started seeing a neuromuscular therapist (NMT). He does manual therapy on my entire body but spends a long time on my leg below the knee. My scar is quite long due to my vy lengthening procedure. Anyway, after a few sessions with him, my skin has completely transformed and is actually better than before injury. His work on my scar tissue improved my circulation and also restoring my muscle health, which impacts the skin also.

   I am almost 7 months, and my jumping is fair. Even though I can do a single heel raise, my jumping is rather flat footed. It’s better if I start on my tippy toes. I did try a jumping squat and it wasn’t so bad. Are you interested in tennis related jumping?

   Now I have questions…. what is your running regimen? are you running outside or on a treadmill? Distance, speed? I’m not close to leaving the secure AlterG yet. My distance and speed are decent, but just not a full body weight. (62%-78%)

   I echo Kimc’s sentiments, and will add that as you up your game, at least with me, an “adjustment period” was needed due to a leg hangover. For my swelling, I soak my feet in a hot bath. Ice really doesn’t benefit me like the warm water.

   Best of luck. Thanks for sharing your update. Take Care.

9. Ron on February 23, 2014 1:40 am

   Hi Kimc,

   I agree 100%. Thanks a million and have a great weekend.

   Ron

10. Ron on February 23, 2014 1:47 am

    Hi Anne,

    Thank you. Yes, I teach tennis as well and need to be able to plat at a 5.0 level or higher by mid summer, which should not be a problem.

    I started with the stationary bike and then starting jogging VERY slowly around the house. I can run outside, but very slowly - partially because of fear. LOL. I assume it will be just like walking, slowly getting faster each day\week, etc. UIC Hospital does not have an AlterG for some reason, so I went right to light jogging, which feels fine (but was a bit scary at first).

    I can also do a half of a single heel raise, but have not tried jumping yet. However, that part of PT is scheduled for next month.

    I will look into the NMT therapy, maybe it can help me.

    Thanks again, and have a great weekend.
    Ron

11. normofthenorth on February 24, 2014 2:10 am

    Anne, there’s no requirement to be running (at 100% body weight) at 7 months post-op, but if you’ve got a full heel raise (I assume you can do several without groaning), a normal fast-walking gait, and you’re OK jumping, I’m wondering what’s keeping you from running at 100% body weight, at least slowly and smoothly.

    You’re not getting addicted to the alter-G, are you? I bet I’d love the feeling of running with only fractional weight on my feet, too — just as I’d love high-jumping on the moon — but it’s not our natural state. If you were impaired in your other abilities, I’d certainly encourage you to wait, but it you’re not, I’m puzzled.

12. anne on February 24, 2014 8:31 pm

    Always good to hear from you Norm. I am totally addicted to the AlterG. and use it as my workout also. I’ve quit my gym membership and also bought a Waterrower. Essentially life as I knew it, has completely changed.

    My foot is not consistent. I have good days and bad days. Overall, my gait is good, and have no problems walking fast in my gravity filled life. Running at 62%-78% is not exactly high jumping, but it’s easier than full body weight.

    I’m in much better shape than before my injury and I’ve lost a good amount of weight. Since I’ve never been a runner, this could very well be an “Anne” issue I have to overcome. I’m not sure if you know this, but the AlterG zips you in and up, (no falling) so I take off and daydream I’m Usain Bolt or Rocky Balboa.

    On another note, we’ve had too much snow here for me to try running outside. When I tried running on a regular treadmill, I didn’t feel safe.

    Take Care.

13. normofthenorth on February 25, 2014 4:51 pm

    You too, Anne! I’ve been thinking about ATRs - mine and all of yours - whenever I walk on the alley beside my house, which currently has about 3″ of uneven ice on it! Little short mincing steps, as if I just got back into 2 shoes!

14. Ron on February 26, 2014 8:20 pm

    Thanks Norm,

    My running speed has picked up a bit and I can finally pound my driver and do all of my basic tennis footwork drills.

    I also started doing some light jumping off of two legs a few days ago, and while it was scary, I did not re-rupture. LOL.

    I am putting a lot of time in on my good leg doing one legged heal raises and going down really slow. Besides that, I don’t know what else I can do to prevent the to other leg from going, too.

    Have a great week,
    Ron

15. Hopalong on March 19, 2014 8:12 pm

    Good to see your update Ron. Congrats on getting off the Warfarin and sounds like life is getting back to more like normal. Second that on the compression socks, they are my go to security blanket now that the crutches have gone. Can’t help with your qus though I’m afraid, although jumping for me is way out there, physically and psychologically. And yep, paranoid about the good Achilles, with eccentric stretching the only PT ive been recommended. Now go and get that drink, although less tonic in the Gand T apparently!
    Hoppy

16. coast2coast on March 21, 2014 12:02 pm

    Rock on, Ron!! Stoked for you, man. I also started jogging (at about 3.5 mons, up to 1 mile now) and mentioned you in my last post.

    To your Q’s:
    1. How do you learn\muster up courage to jump for the first time? Jumping jacks! That’s how I started. And the “hop-scotch” agility exercise, and trampoline.

    2. How do you get your skin so soften up more (post ultrasound) More stretching? Vitamin E and lotion 2-4 times a day, and really massage it in there, don’t just spread it on.

    3. What are the odds of re-rupturing at 6 months? Dunno … not there yet.

    On Swelling:
    I swear by RICE.
    Rest - couch, bed, whatever, just getting off your feet and elevated.
    Ice - I use a CVS wrap-around ice pack, an ArticEase cold compression wrap (like a cold ACE bandage), and a ColdRoller.
    Compress - I got some good socks at CitySports. I feel like pretty much any will do.
    Elevate - hey, we all know what this means, don’t we?

    I also find massage and ROM exercises really help post-workout. It’s such a low blood flow area that moving stuff around seems to work, and my OS and PT both gave the thumbs up.

    Keep it up and thanks for your posts!!

17. Ron on March 21, 2014 1:02 pm

    Hi Hopalong,

    Thanks a lot. I actually waited a few weeks before getting drunk - felt great, but terrible the next day. LOL.

    Good luck and have a great weekend.
    Ron

18. Ron on March 21, 2014 1:04 pm

    Hi C2C,

    Thanks for the tips, very helpful. Thanks for the mention as well. Good luck and have a great weekend.

    Ron

19. craiger9er on April 1, 2014 8:05 am

    I’m in the same boat as Norm - compression socks are not for me either. I wear ankle / footie socks every chance I get.

    Ron - I was just shy of 6 months when I got the go ahead for plyometrics and jumping. Since my PT ended early, I hired an athletic trainer. Both he and my doctor gave me the green light. My program started jumping on both feet at the same time. Simple jumps, landing with weight distributed between the feet while landing mostly flat footed, using the heal quite a bit instead of just the ball of the foot. The only single leg stuff I did was a side to side “ice-skater” type thing. He did have me do a “bounding” type running in place thing that I never really go the hang of. He didn’t have me pushing off the ball of my foot too much yet either.

    My first time jumping was a HUGE mental obstacle. I trusted my trainer and doc that it was ok to do and just did it. I started off slowly and built up. When single leg jumping was introduced, I was still worried about it, and even at 10.5 months, I still think about it.

20. normofthenorth on April 1, 2014 11:59 am

    Just one bit of perspective for you folks who are struggling with the mental challenges of returning to jumping and other “scary” activities post-ATR: Just imagine you’re 1 year post-op for a heart valve replacement, full sternotomy, 8″ scar from a scalpel AND a bone saw(!) - and I’m back on the indoor beach volleyball court and it’s time for my first flat-out DIVES!!
    I’ve written before that a lot of my post-ATR-op experience was actually harder, slower, and more painful than my heart surgery experience - but this part, Not So Much!

21. gimpyjeff on April 8, 2014 4:40 pm

    Ron,

    Just wondering how your tennis is coming along. I’m just over 5 months post op and am getting the urge to start hitting some balls again. Was planning to play in a 50’s national tournament this summer, but will have to put that one off til next year (hopefully). Would appreciate any info on how you eased back into playing. Take Care.

22. Ron on April 9, 2014 3:39 am

    Thanks craiger9er, that helps. Norm, you are the man - thanks, again.

23. Ron on April 9, 2014 3:54 am

    Hi Gimpyjeff,

    Being able to jog helps a lot, but for now (at 7+ months), I am not going all out (jumping, sprinting, etc).

    I suggest taking a racquet and working on your strokes (FH, BH, Slice, Volleys, etc.), coupled with walking through the proper footwork (step 1). Try to feel as if you are playing in slow motion - i.e, at 50% speed, then 60%, etc. (go faster each week, etc.).

    The next step would be to hit off of a wall or ball machine because you won’t have to move to much. If you hit with someone, do not chase balls, and hit\move at 60, 70, 80…% over time

    Lastly, your PT has to be focused on balance and muscle building (calf, ankles bottom of feet, knees - everywhere).

    Hope that helps. I am also over 50, and expect to play at my same level by the end of summer.

    Wishing you a speedy recovery, and keep us posted.
    Ron