Seven Months - Emerging from the Abyss
Last Saturday marked the seven month anniversary of my surgery. I’ve been vacationing for the last week, and haven’t had a chance to publish any new posts lately, or read and comment on other’s blogs. I have to admit it’s pretty overwhelming checking out Achillesblog.com after stepping away for several days. So many new names, but it seems like the stories are pretty similar. I did have a chance to read through some of the posts from the old achilles vets and it’s good to hear that everyone seems to be progressing well.
So how am I progressing? All in all, pretty good. Here are a few photos to document the seventh month mark:
There have been a few changes since my 6 month update. I went to see a new physical therapist right before I left for vacation. I was getting a little impatient with my progress and thought a new PT might have some additional insight into my healing. My insurance is also dropping my old PT clinic from its network, so that added to the need for finding a new clinic. I’ve had only one session, but I’m glad I made the switch. My new PT seems a bit more engaged with my healing and definitely has more experience with the injury. He’s also a bit more hands on and wants to try some different techniques to thin out the pesky scar tissue. I’m not expecting any miracles as I know part of rehabbing is just patience and time, but I feel the new PT may help tip the scales and push me out of the abyss.
I believe I’ve been dealing with inflammation for the last several months which has limited my progress. It bothers me with some exercises (including heel raises) and has caused a minor amount of discomfort with just about every step I take. The new PT even commented that he could feel the heat radiating from the tendon area and that was while I was just at laying at rest. He advised I use the heat as a guide while rehabbing. If the area starts to feel warm, then back off from that exercise.
I took a short hiatus from the gym while I was on vacation and gave my tendon a bit of a break. I continued with several of the basic PT exercises while away, along with a bit of swimming and several hikes, but nothing that was too strenuous. My tendon felt really good when I returned to the gym this morning. Perhaps a bit of a layoff helped??
The limp is basically gone although it does show up briefly in the morning and when I try to walk fast. The scar tissue is thinning out a bit, although there is still a bit of a bump above the rupture location and the whole tendon is still much thicker. I can’t quite do a proper single leg heel raise. I believe Brendan talked in his last post about being able to get the heel off the ground with a bent knee, but not with the knee locked. That’s basically where I’m at as well. I’ve backed off from running for the time being, hoping that might also help with the inflammation. I still bike to keep up my cardio level.
This morning I received probably the nicest complement since the injury occurred. There is a very nice woman who works the check-in desk at the gym, greeting members and swiping IDs. Today she asked how my leg was doing. Now, we’ve had some short conversations in the past, but the injury never came up. So, a little surprised she asked, I gave her the canned answer of, “It feels pretty good.” She responded saying, “I can tell, you’re getting around so much better.” I’ve felt for several weeks now that I was getting around pretty good, but it really made my day to hear confirmation from an indepedant source. I’m sure she sees hundreds of people coming into the gym everyday, so the fact that she noticed and was impressed with my improvement over the last several months really meant a lot. It made it feel like the hard work was starting to pay off.
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Tom - Glad to hear that you’ve seen some improvements this past month. I guess a break for a week helped with your recovery. I am wondering if I should start going back to my PT as well, and I just might as the PT office is now fairly close to my work.
So do you go to the gym in the mornings? That’s something that I haven’t been able to do.
Oh, btw, It looks like you are on the Queensboro bridge, heading into Manhattan. It’s a big rush to see all those people cheering you on as you step into Manhattan.
Tom, Congrats on the progress that you are making.
I was at PT last night and was told by the PT that to the untrained eye it would be difficult to spot which leg had been injured. Like yourself Tom, I took this complimnet and went away with a big grin on my face.
I hope that the hill has been crested and I am now in a position to build on the work that has already taken place.
Keep healing and smiling.
Johnk
Tom - I love it when the “old guys” take the time to post and with pics.
At least for me it really makes a difference and something for me to cling to in terms of hope and progress tracking.
Congrats on your progress.
Ditto for me kkdub! Ilove hearing that they “layed off” on the running, or played tennis! Ah, hope!
Tom, Congrats on the progress…keep it up..my pt ended about a month ago when they released me back to work, but I’ve been thinking it may help to continue from time to time–so are you still seeing a benefit from therapy…basically I just do some heel raises(still no singles), stretch and the normal workday of UPS (walking, lifting, carrying, etc, for about 10 hrs a day)..so far have made it 3 1/2 weeks..Kevin
Thanks everyone for the comments. It’s good hearing that the posts are helpful and that they also give a little hope. This is a difficult injury, but patience and dedication can result in a full recovery.
Dennis - I usually hit the gym in the morning, before going to work. It tends to be less crowded in the morning and it also allows me to clear my mind before heading to the office.
Kev34 - I wasn’t getting a lot of benefit from the old PT which was part of the reason I decided to switch. I also still have a bit of a twinge in the tendon from time to time when I walk and it seems to be the result of the mass of scar tissue or inflammation. I’m hopeful that the continued PT will help eliminate the twinge. I just find it good to have a second set of eyes on my recovery until I feel like my mechanics are completely back to normal.
Tom..
Gald to hear things are going well. You definitely should be seeing more definition in the calf. Are you being too timid??
Matts..
Have difficulty posting a comment on your web page. sorry bro.
Was on vacation, jet skiing, diving, swimming but held off on the water skiing…
Doc Ross
Hey Tom…just catching up on some posts. Congrats on the 7 month mark. Hard to believe it’ll be winter again soon. Been keeping up with both indoor and beach v-ball at the Olympics…I can’t wait to hit the sand again next summer. Have you been doing any jumping exercises at all? I tried some little jumps a few days ago and it definitely didn’t feel ready yet. I’m still biking daily..and doing heel raises when I can. I honestly think walking has been the best PT for me during these first 3 months of FWB. I know that at some point I’ll have to get more agressive…but as for now, I’m good where I’m at. Cheers!
Brendan - Good to hear from you. Yes, the Olympics have given me the itch to get back playing v-ball along with about a dozen other activities. I did some hopping several weeks back, but I think that’s been one of the activities that causes my tendon to flare up. Inflammation has been my biggest problem/concern for the last couple of months, so my new PT has gone back to a lot of the basic exercises as well as massages to minimize the inflammation and even out some of the scar tissue. I’ve been focusing mainly on ankle stabilization for several weeks now. I haven’t run for about a month and I’m definitely getting anxious.
I’m looking forward to reading your next post and glad that you’re still healing well. Patience (which happens to be my spam word) is definitely a virtue while rebuilding the leg muscles. Keep up the good work and the positive attitude.
Tom - Congrats! It looks like you’ve made it to Manhattan!
Tom, Good to hear from you again. I have been busy and have not stopped by for some time. Sorry to see all the new names, but they are in good hands! The 3rd of September will be the 6 month mark for me (right Brendan!) I have been hiking quite a bit, I actually feel better off road than on road, something about every step being different. I bought a new mountain bike as a rehab carrot to dangle in front of my nose, my old bike is about 14 years old. I overdid it this weekend, my back is killing me. I also think that as my gait improves and strength returns to my calf, my back has to readjust. In fact, I’m lying on ice as I type. Your scar tissue issues sound all too familiar. From about week 10-18, roughly 2 months, my leg hurt with every step. It really set me back as far as PT and rehab. My scar area was always smokin’ hot, even when I didn’t use my leg for some time, like when I woke up. My Doc said that some people have a very low grade allergic reaction to the repair suture. This can cause extra swelling and scarring, that will eventually go away. Everyone elses tendons look slightly fat, mine is pretty big. My calf doesn’t want to grow either. I can almost go heel up with knee locked. As far as I am concerned, knee locked is the only true way to determine when you can heel lift. Without your knee locked it’s too easy to cheat, and it’s the most difficult position. I can easily go up stairs on the ball of my foot, just can’t push up. I no longer have any pain, just weakness. These are just a few recent gripes, all in all I am doing great. Here is something I have found that really explains when and how the gastroc works. I’m using some of the ideas here to strengthen my calf, ie hopping, jump rope, pedaling fast on the bike. Seems the gastroc likes to fire more in a shock absorber mode, not in pushing off (according to an MRI study of blood flow to the muscle after certain exercises). It’s in the comments section.
http://www.exrx.net/Muscles/Gastrocnemius.html
Well everyone, take care and keep plugging away.
Jim
Jim - Thanks for the update. I was wondering if you were still checking in. Congrats on nearing the 6 month mark. Good to hear that you’re doing relatively well. Interesting comment on the allergic reaction to the repair suture. I’m going to have to research that a bit further. The inflammation has mostly subsided, although it still flares up a bit when I push things. Like you said, no pain right now, just weakness. I still continue to be pretty active, but I postponed any running until just the other day. I’m going to try to ease back into it now that the inflammation is a bit more in check. I’ll have to talk with my PT again about doing some more hopping. It came up a few weeks back and he suggested waiting until the inflammation subsided.