Week 6: Two Shoes, and Return to the Court

I’m just past 6 weeks now and had some big milestones recently.  On Wednesday I went to the court where I tore my achilles to watch my mens league team (The Grumpy Old Men) play their first playoff game.  I drove to the gym rocking Pete Rock and CL Smooth on full blast as if it was 1994 and I was on the way to my high school game.  I got some adrenaline going which was tough to deal with once I heard the echos of basketballs as I walked up the hall to the court.  I had only played one game (3 quarters actually) before the injury, so I had just met the guys on the team (I was a free agent pickup), but had really bonded with them and it was important for me to be there now that I was off crutches.  Still, I was nervous that no one would even recognize me 6 weeks later, so it really put a smile on my face when the guys I played with instantly lit up when they saw me and came over to say hi and see how I was doing.  There were only 3 of the guys I had played with there (out of 4 - yes they had to finish my game shorthanded) so the balance of the other guys on the team seemed a bit confused as to who the heck I was, but that didn’t matter to me.  I got my two free throws in for the foul from the ghost player who kicked me in the back of the leg, then made my way to the sideline with a ball to work on my handle before the game started.  It felt good to simply have a ball in my hands, but the feeling that I could go out in play in my boot was a good reminder to be careful to keep my distance from the gym once I’m boot-free until my tendon is ready.

Once the game was to begin, I stowed the ball and took a seat in the stands to enjoy the action.  Within moments, I was recruited by the refs to be the scorekeeper for the game as their guy failed to show up.  I guess it’s nice to be useful.  Watching the game ended up being a bit stressful as I had to also keep the score, check people in, and keep track of fouls, but it did make me feel part of the game, even though it wasn’t really the way I would have preferred.  The game was very tight, and went into double overtime, which apparently in small town Colorado basketball rules is sudden death.  Yes, the refs actually made the second overtime period first score wins.  Depressingly, the other team won the tap, got a man ahead of the defense, and won the game with a layup 3 seconds into the second overtime.  Despite the tough loss, I connected with my teammates after the game, and we made plans to put a dream team together for next year and run the town.  Overall it was a really therapeutic experience for me which left me feeling extra motivation to work hard so I can get back on the court and play the game I love again. The next time I don’t play for 2-3 years I better have grand-kids.

Another major event for me this past week was moving into two shoes on Thursday!  It was admittedly rather scary, but I had been full weight bearing comfortably in the boot for about a week, so I knew my leg could handle it.  Still, I got weirdly lightheaded as I first stood up and had to sit back down and take a few deep breaths.  Luckily, my wife was there to support me in case I fell (and support me emotionally, which was strangely more important).  Anyway, I overcame my fear and was able to take some real small steps around the kitchen for a half hour or so.  There wasn’t really a lot of tension in the achilles as I walked, but then again I wasn’t really flexing my foot too much and barely if at all pushed off on the ball of my foot.  I did end up buying some new shoes for the occasion, and I’m glad I did as the next morning I tried some old shoes that were a bit easier to put on, and within minutes the bottom of my foot started cramping.  With the new shoes this isn’t an issue, though they are a little tricky (but not painful) to get on and off.  I spent a little more time yesterday walking gingerly around the hard floor kitchen and some on our carpeting living room (more difficult). 

It feels good to be at this stage, but I’m still figuring out just how much my leg is ready for.  I’ll just take it a little bit further each day, and play it conservative at least until my first PT appointment on Monday.  I definitely can feel that my calf muscle is being engaged, as it’s pretty sore in places where it hasn’t been up to this point.  In fact, my calf hasn’t felt this sore since high school when I was jumping off boxes with weird platforms strapped to my shoes in a futile attempt to transform myself into a 5′9" dunking machine.  I may have to work just as hard to get my calf back to its pre-injury size and strength.