First physio - or was it? Advice please!
Hmmmm. What to say about my first physio session? Well, it has raised a question on which I’d appreciate some advice (although I have a pretty good idea what you will all say!)
Turned up at the NHS day hospital about 20 mins drive from home (hubby still doing taxi duty) having taken a couple of ibuprofen in preparation for a good pummelling. And I was looking forward to a good pummelling in a healthy masochistic way.
(I’ve ditched the crutches altogether now, having decided they were more of a trip hazard than a help.)
Didn’t have to wait (v. good) and was scooped up by Mandy who was very pleasant and explained to me that she’s a trainee physio (not so good, but then they have to do their training on someone I suppose) . We then spent ages going through a full case history (dull but necessary) and medical record.
Mandy assessed my leg in various different ways (push against her hand this way and that etc etc, taking copious notes throughout) and seemed happy with what I could do. She nipped out of the cubicle from time to time to check things with her supervisor. Then she gave me a printed out sheet of 3 exercises (the basic initial stretching stuff) and said that they’d normally say come back in about 3 weeks but could I come back in just over one week because her training posting is only 5 weeks and she’d like to track my progress.She advised me to get used to standing up straight barefoot which is still a bit of a challenge.
And that was it! I asked if she wasn’t going to do a bit of manipulation/massage/pummelling that day and she said (and this is the bit I want your comments on), “No. We wait until 12 weeks after the surgery before we start working on it because that is the golden healing time and we want to let everything get really well healed first.”
Now this was news to me. I’m sure I’ve read blogs from all of you in which the physios got to work on the ROM and flexibility as soon as the cast came off (or a load sooner for folk with ‘aggressive’ doctors).
I have found a private physio based at a medical centre about 30 mins away and had a good chat with him over the phone a few days ago. He has plenty of ATR experience and works out of a very snazzy centre with all the kit (with a price tag to match). His advice was to go and see how I got on with the NHS and then give him a call if need be. He certainly didn’t say anything about some magic 12 weeks.
Suggestions please!! (Although I think I know what I’m going to get!!)
Smoley
Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (8)24 hours later - Goodbye “Ironside”, Hello “House”!!
Dear all,
Thank you so much for all the messages, really encouraging, so thank you all.
Am feeling just a little bit proud of myself so at the risk of tempting fate, here’s an update 24 hours (ish) after the cast came off. Things are better than I had hoped so here’s hoping this encourages some of you still chalking off the days in cast.
I can (very slowly and carefully) walk in my trainers (with heel cushions) with no crutches and I can pretty much transfer all my weight onto the injured side. But this sort of walking is very stiff and with a very flat foot. If I use both crutches I can get more movement through the foot and ankle because, obviously, it’s not coping with weight. One crutch is somewhere between the two. So at home I’ve more or less dumped the wheely office chair I’ve been sliding around on and I am mostly using one crutch. Hence my new matrimonial nickname - House. Hopefully I won’t develop a pain killer addiction or a strange transatlantic accent .
Had a fantastic sleep last night without the cast. You could have grated parmasan on that thing, so I needed to have a pillow between my ankles and that meant reorganising myself every time I rolled over, I’m sure you all know what I mean.
And this morning I had a shower for the first time (albeit sitting down) which was lovely. Up to now I’d opted for the ‘bath with one leg hanging out’ route to cleanliness.
Job for this afternoon is to find a physio, preferably one with ATR experience and preferably one I can walk to in our little town. Not sure which criteria should take priority. I think I have learnt enough from all you guys who are further along the path than me as to what I should be looking for. I feel I know the exercises, but I could do with a bit of massage etc to boost the ROM which is still limited.
Onwards and upwards, ey chaps!
Smoley
Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (6)Out of cast!!!
Finally, after nine long weeks I’ve got my leg back and it feels….um….good! Weird, but good. Consultant had a feel and seemed happy. He gave me the golden rule for the next few weeks - keep your heel on the ground. So walking and especially stairs and kerbs, make sure there is solid ground under the heel and keep the heel inserts in my shoes for the time being (looks like I’m going to have to wait a little longer to get back in the Jimmy Choos!). Pushing too hard through the front of the foot could be potentially disastrous. It’s fixed but it is fragile, and I need to treat it as fragile up to the 4 month mark (Christmas).
As regards weight bearing, I can move towards FWB as feels okay (in theory I can FWB now), and I can move from two crutches, to one, to none as I feel capable. Cool - I think! Bit scary. The ROM in the whole ankle isn’t great after nine weeks in plaster, but I’m sure a big chunk of that is psychological. He advised me to sit and slide the foot out and back until the stretch got too tight and then to move to doing press-ups against a wall with feet together. “Your resolve will give out before the tendon does.” Fair enough! He also warned me to expect some ankle swelling and pain in the sole after weeks of non-usage.
As we were leaving, the plaster room lady reminded me to be very careful: “We’ve had people leave on the Friday and be back on the Monday re-ruptured because they overdid it!”. So with those words ringing in my ears we headed home…..
……..and straight into the obligatory bath which was gorgeous! After about 30 seconds I was sitting in a broth of my own dead skin, but I really didn’t care! It was so nice to scrub and massage and wiggle and then de-fuzz! That’s better!
Scar looks okay - a little bit reddy/purple and a couple of spots where the skin didn’t quite pull back together and some scar tissue has formed, but I doubt it’ll give me too much trouble. Although it is dead centre down the back of my leg, it ends above the point where shoes tend to rub.
I’ve been referred to the physiotherapy unit, but I don’t know how long that will take to come through, so I think in the meantime I’ll cough up the money and go private to get cracking sooner rather than later. Bad calf is 13″ at widest point compared to 14″ on good leg, but the difference in muscle tone is rather more pronounced!
But already I can stand up with both feet side by side in shoes - didn’t fancy trying it bare foot!
So generally I’m a happy bunny. I keep having to remind myself that bodies aren’t like cars - you can’t just drive them into the garage when they break and then drive them out again a few hours later, good as new.
I’m off to shuffle round the house a bit and remind my leg what it is there for!
Best wishes to all,
Smoley
Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (12)