Jan 15 2010
Recovery
I was wondering when did anyone start pt after surgery? I’m going on 8 wks and no word. Also when did u start moving ur ankle around? Unfortunately my doc will not return my calls he works at the va. Thanks for any help!
Jan 15 2010
I was wondering when did anyone start pt after surgery? I’m going on 8 wks and no word. Also when did u start moving ur ankle around? Unfortunately my doc will not return my calls he works at the va. Thanks for any help!
I just started pt and it was 9 weeks yesterday. My doctor said I can only work on range of motion and not strength building for the next few weeks.
I’m first starting PT next week (I will be 12 weeks post op at that point). Of course some of my delay was due to a slow healing scar, but I think my surgeon wasn’t very keen to giving me up to PT. I was given permission to move my ankle around lightly at 2 weeks when moved to the boot, but it wasn’t until this last appointment that I was given full permission to stretch.
Deanne (aka DREAMS)
When I started PT it was at 6 weeks post-op. Started right in with 3 times per week.
“…just started pt and it was 9 weeks yesterday. My doctor said I can only work on range of motion and not strength building for the next few weeks.”
Postponing strength work until the calf is atrophied beyond recognition seems to be common practice.
Has anyone seen any actual evidence out there in the medical literature that strength work is too dangerous to do for so many weeks after surgery? I can’t find anything. I suspect it is based on tradition, not on evidence at all. IMHO, that tradition needs to be challenged with some evidence.
To answer the question in the original post, I started flexing my calf a little the day after surgery, and started moving and stretching the ankle four days after that.
Still wondering why things are the way they are,
Doug