I’m 12 weeks and I’m OK
At least I am much closer to normal now, the limp is getting much better, almost gone. I am out on the bike often, in 2 shoes, and sometimes now 2 clipped in bike shoes, and seem to be getting better all the time. This injury has been very trying at times with all the crawling, knee walking, one legged hopping, always fearing a fall and a rerupture, all the little physical things that make up normal life gone and very much missed. Some isolation and much of a summer’s best missed and gone. But in the bigger picture of life, we all know how that ends, so in that light, this injury is a temporary obstacle to overcome. And perhaps something valuable to be learned along the way.
I’ve already had what is probably my last pt, ten sessions total. I am certainly not yet fully recovered of course, but I’m not sure if I’ll miss it too much. Not that it was bad, or hard and painful in any way, they were kind and helpful, and reassuring in encouraging the kind of exercises I’d been at and will continue on. But they seemed to specialize in seniors, many suffering chronic endless type injuries and infirmities, needing lots of encouragement for even the slowest and weakest exertions imaginable, and minorly injured high school athletes. Each time at pt was the same, warm up on the semi-recumbant bike, move to cat board (that is the round ankle wobble platform), a small amount of stretching, finished off with 20 min. of e-stim. By the last few pt appoinments I was really wishing they’d mix it up with some work in the pool, or mini-trampoline, eliptical, treadmill, or any number of the devices that were right there in front of me and available. But most of all I wish they’d done a wee bit of massage, especially to explain what can and should be done for massage. Also would have liked to try ultrasound, which they also had around there somewhere. The head pt guy there couldn’t seem to come up with a name or anything at all when I asked if he knew any good massage people. Weird.
Anyway, I’m pretty well committed to full recovery and then some on my own. But right now here are a few things I can and cannot do.
Can Do’s–walk, better each day, bike, beginning to ride clipped in again, carry increasingly heavy objects, often pass for a normal uninjured person.
Can Not Do’s — jumping, running, bunnyhopping the bike, big vertical ladders and steep, loose terrain, the sinlgle leg calf raise, and saving the world from evil and environmental catastrophe.
Hey good progress but beware of pushing too far and too quick to soon.
Johnk
Comment by johnk — August 14, 2008 @ 8:39 am
Hi Schilled, I am 9 weeks post-op and just barely FWB (managed a 500m walk to the playground yesterday). I will be starting PT in 10 days and found your comments interesting. Did you have the option to find a different PT clinic? Did you request additional activities or did they not give you any opportunity to discuss your therapy? Since I am about to start this process I would like some feedback on the whole process. Anyway, since you are now finished your PT you will have more time to fight evil and environmental destruction. Good luck.
Comment by jenny — August 14, 2008 @ 10:41 am
Thanks for the comments. Anyway, I had my last scheduled visit with the orthopedic surgeon today, I am done w/ pt, and he said in my 4 minutes, “the tendon should be strong and healed now” and that it should be ok to now “push it hard”. That is nice to hear, especially from my surgeon, but I know it’s not really true, and from here on out recovery is all up to me. If he only knew all of what I’ve been doing, hmm. Well, I think he is a very good surgeon, not known for communication skills (neither am I) with an overflowing office. While I do feel a bit of the bum’s rush, I feel I now know enough about this and I am motivated to be happy taking full responsibility for the rest of the journey. This site is invaluable for this.
The only thing I did in pt to change anything was to ask about the various other things and get extra time on the bike. I think I was annoying the other customers and pt’s and assistants with all my sweaty exertions. I guess I kind of settled on the first pt clinic that came along, with their office in the same building as the orthopedic, but I don’t know of any other or better in the area. The roads and trails are my therapy now.
Comment by schilled — August 14, 2008 @ 9:09 pm
I had a very similar PT experience - it was very good in the beginning and then it was the same old exercises I could do at home and not pay the co pay for each visit. They too were also very familiar with treating the elderly - I was the youngest by far. I am now at 15 weeks post op and doing pretty well, all things considered. If I concentrate on my walk I do not have a limp. I am far from being able to run and jump also, but I am returning to the gym for elliptical and bike,
Comment by Laura — August 18, 2008 @ 10:21 am
Schilled:
Good for you. It also looks like your calf is coming back; mine too.
I am right behind you in time since the ATR and post - operation. I am riding my bike every morning for at least an hour. At lunchtime, I lift, and in the evening I engage in some form of cardio (swimming, elliptical, walking). I know, it sounds like I am overtraining; there’s no question about it. Since the surgery – May 29, 2008 – I have lost 25 pounds (of FAT) and have reduced my waist size by almost 5 inches (I struggled to get in a 38 and now the 34s I purchase are getting too big). I see musculature I haven’t seen in a long time.
I share with you your CANs and CANNOTs. I can walk, but cannot run (only about five minutes before the AT gets tight). I can ride my bike, but cannot do single toes raises on the bad foot. I can do leg presses, seated calf raises, and angled squats. I cannot jump or play tennis (although I shagged a few balls for my wife) or basketball. All in all, however, life is good. This injury has turned out to be the best thing that happened to me. It allowed me to refocus my life.
KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!
Comment by drkpllrd — August 18, 2008 @ 1:51 pm