This week I worked mostly on balance and on trying to achieve a normal walking gait at home.

Balancing on the ATR leg became too easy during PT exercises - so I moved to a new drill - walking toe to heel:

It was quite difficult the first few times, but progressed quickly - becoming easy in a week time.

Walking without any “bad” gait is harder, the faster I walk - the worse is my limp.
My tendon and calf are getting stronger each day and I can walk and move much faster.
This causes my limping to get more noticeable and I start dragging the bad leg behind.
I slow down - and the limp virtually goes away.

I tried walking up and down the big staircase at my parent’s home.
Up was easy. Down was scary - so I cautiously side-stepped down.

I think I did this because my mind does not yet fully trusts the bad tendon not to cause me some freak slip accident which will send me flying down the stairs.

The Good:

• Tendon is very strong, I can feel it during massage, PT and walking
• Walking slowly - without any limp
• Balance is back to normal (though I did not yet try impact/sudden balancing)
• ROM = -50°; +20° (full 70°)

The Bad:

• The lump above the tendon (near the connection to the calf) is still visible
• Picking up the walking pace causes a gradual limp, which becomes worse with speed
• I am very tempted to take the boot off, but so far win the struggle and keep it on - while outside

Finally! Full ROM of the ankle without feeling discomfort in all directions and in par with my good ankle ROM.
But with this injury its just another milestone out of many…

The new challenge is to be able to make a full eccentric stretch with the bad leg stretched backwards and the good leg knee fully bent.
Currently, I am able to go somewhere halfway - feeling the tendon and calf resisting, so I stop there as PT advised.

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Walking is still not 100%, but given the fact that I spend most of the day walking in the boot - I am not surprised.
At home, without the boot - I am pacing forward and backwards - trying to fully utilize the tendon when pushing off with it.
Can’t say that I am not “cheating” with the good tendon - but I do feel the pull each step (its not painful or anything - just lets me know its not 100% yet).

Standing; balancing; sitting and standing is almost absolutely normal - I don’t feel any signs from the tendon - no stretching; pulling or any discomfort.

The Good:

• Sleeping is back to normal - as if I never had an ATR
• Walking around the house is better, still limpy
• Right (good) knee pains are gone!
• ROM = -50°; +20° (full 70°, yay!)

The Bad:

• The calf muscles that connect to the tendon are swollen creating a small but visible lump.
Its not painful to touch and goes away with icing - revealing a very firm connection of the tendon to the calf.
I think its due to all the workouts and calf rebuilding that I am doing.

I have to say that this week felt as the best one - progress wise.

I have been walking with a small limp at home, which actually gets better when I am wearing sneakers (barefooted walking is much more limpy).

I am using my tendon each step, not stretching it fully or putting all weight on it, but I do feel it working and assisting me make the step.

Conducted a self Thompson test - my bad leg moves exactly as it should when I squeeze the calf muscles!

It moves much less than my good leg during the test, but it’s due to the much weaker calf muscles that are building up on my bad leg.

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Switched gears in PT, now being able to easily balance on the bad leg.

With my ankle ROM being almost 70° - I have started to work on strengthening my surrounding muscles and stretching the calf so that my whole knee will be able to bend further, with my entire body weight on it.

I would say that it’s half way there, compared to my good leg bending.

Also got myself a Head magnetic stationary bike, to warm up and exercise at home:

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Got the stool out of the shower, now standing up like a proud men while showering!

Swelling is no better and no worse than the last couple of weeks - it swells up a little around the ankle bones in the evening, bot there is no pain whatsoever.

The Good:

• Sleeping without the boot is epic!
• Walking around the house, getting confident
• Right (good) knee pains subdued a lot
• ROM = -50°; +16

The Bad:

• Had a scare squatting accidentally on my tendon while barefooted, but was able to shift weight fast to my good leg and avoid full stretch
• Trying to step sideways fast - stretched the ankle muscles abruptly, but since I was in the boot - no harm to the tendon, except some swelling above the tendon in the calf by the evening.
This is why wearing the boot is still important at this stage!!! - I am sure I would have damaged the AT if I was in normal shoes.

Back from my 2nd follow-op inspection this week.
Doc was extremely pleased with my results - no swelling, great ROM, solid strength and fast incision scar healing.
Noted that I am extremely advanced in my recovery compared to other ATRees my age and athletic form. (Wohoo!!!)

He even told me that I am advancing too fast and should be limited a bit, thus - prescribed the boot for another month to wear it in public places (work/outside).
I am allowed to walk without it at home; when PT allows it during seesions; and can sleep without it as well.

I am totally not bummed about it, since even if he would okay 2 boots, I would still wear the boot for 2-3 weeks anyway on my own accord.
Even without PT and the Doc I can tell that the tendon needs more time to heal and the muscles around it need progressive conditioning.

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Discussed my bad knee issues with the Doc - he assured me that its quite common with tall (I am 190cm/6′2) persons who were engaged in active sports for many years.
My knees have some bad history, so with the “good” knee now bearing twice what it got accustomed to for 6 weeks straight - I got some wear on it.
Prescribed a full knee brace for my knee (which I already own from past injuries) - I am to wear it every time I walk/get up.

My ATR heel pains are also expected and usual - according to the Doc.
Its the stitches rubbing against the skin - the ones which are stitching the lower part of the tendon (next to the heel bone) have less space than the ones right next to the calf, so there is more internal friction against the heel skin = pain.
These will go away in 4-6 weeks.

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I am walking without a boot and have a big a limp at home.
Taking it slowly and cautiously - though, since I still cannot (nor should, at this point) raise my leg using my toes - stressing my tendon while walking.
It just feels too weak.

I understand that strength of the muscles around the tendon which will allow normal push-off walking without any limp - will be achieved very shortly.
The prerequisites for it though - are: full ROM of the ankle, a completely healed incision and of course - being cleared by the Doc.

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I have been very careful not to set any goals for myself, but I sincerely hope to be walking without a limp in 5 weeks time (mid October).

Being positive like this, I decided to treat myself with AT braces for both ankles (you never know):

I realize that getting back to basketball is still 4 months away, but could not resist the urge to order a Kobe 9 shoes (with these cool stitches over the tendon area) - that he got made right after returning from his ATR:

The Good:

• Great results according to the Doc
• No pain anywhere, as I didn’t do anything stupid this week
• Scar tissue is getting less and less noticeable
• Allowed to sleep without the boot
• Allowed to walk without the boot at home
• ROM = -50°; +15°

The Bad:

• My right (good) knee is still hurting
• Minor swelling after walking a full day in the boot

4th wedge is out.
I am now stepping in my CAM boot with my whole weight bearing on my tendon.

I thought it would be a huge change - but its not.
Feels as if the wedge is still there and I am actually able to normalize my walk (as much as you can in the CAM boot).
I bet I would be limping the same if I would put the boot on my good leg.

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Tried walking without the boot and standing - feels good, easy and puts no stress on the tendon.
Of course, bending the knee/tendon in any angle beyond my current ROM does not feel comfortable, so I don’t even try.
I still put the boot on at home, while sleeping and surely when going out.
It feels so safe and sound with the boot.

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Bad news - my good leg knee is simply killing me - it was never any good, but apparently 5 weeks of solely using it - have done their damage.
It aches, clicks, pulls and cries pain almost every time I sit down or get up.
I am intentionally trying to use my ATR knee to do these motions now that I am FWB (which does not help a lot).

I ice the knee, and I started wearing my old Bauerfeind brace, which helped me nurse it a few years ago.

Oh man, I just hope that this knee won’t give up on me before I go back to 2 shoes and balance it out!

The Good:

• Walking with the boot much faster
• No pain in the heel/tendon/calf area
• Doing a lot of ROM exercises & deep scar massages - no pain
• Down to the last tiny crust bit in the scar area
• ROM = -50°; +10°

The Bad:

• My right (good) knee is getting worse every day
• I am now much more worried about my good leg, than my bad leg