I know it was fairly obvious to all that I was a bit jaded after my first rehab session. I just didn’t feel like I was going to get enough attention at the facility I went to. Luckily, the second rehab session went a lot better. I got a lot a of one on one time with massage and stretching and had a very good conversation about my recovery with the PT. The only problem was that it wasn’t my assigned PT, it was a different one because my PT was on vacation. I hope that I have a similar experience next week when my PT returns.
The session started off with some soft massage to warm me up a bit. I explained to the PT that my ankle was a bit stiff because i was in the car for a long period over the weekend and couldn’t elevate properly. She went to work stretching, rotating, and rubbing the hell out of the effected areas. At one point my ankle had a very satisfying “Pop” and felt as if the bones and tendons in there actually exhaled. She explained that my calcaneous was a bit out of place from being restricted in the cast /boot and that the pop was it setting itself right. This morning it still feels great and my swelling went down significantly.
After the massage, it was time to do the usual exercises. Alphabet, circles and marble picking up. She did throw in the a curve ball and started me on some theraband strengthening exercises. She said my ROM in my ankle was really good so we could add in some strengthening too. To close the session she wanted me on the stationary bike for 5 minutes.
As I was about to put the boot on, an idea popped into my head. “Can I walk over to the bike barefoot?” her reply “Sure thing if you feel up to it…matter of fact, if you think you can handle it, you can bike without the boot.” I was more than a little shocked but decided to go with it. I whipped my other shoe out of my gym bag and asked if I could throw it on for the quick walk and bike ride and she laughed saying I came prepared.
So, I laced up my right shoe for the first time in nearly two months and set out on my 10 yard journey to the bike. It felt amazing! I was wearing nike shox, so my heel was nicely elevated. There was no pain in my walk at all and my gait felt way smother than with the clunky boot on. I hopped on the bike and started a wobbly pedal focusing on keeping heel pressure on the pedal. Five minues later I felt like a new man and strolled back over to my belongings strapped up the boot and headed out.
I’m not going to jump to conclusions and move to 2-shoes just yet but I can definitely see it on the horizon in the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, I’ve opened my boot up to allow dorsiflexion to 10 degrees which I hit with every stride without any pain or discomfort. Next, I plan on unlimiting the plantar flexion instead of limiting it to Zero like it is now.
I am a little sore this morning after all the work yesterday but it is a good sore. My background helps me recognize the difference between pain and soreness. I think it’s a good idea for all ATR sufferers to try to do the same so that you can maximize your recovery efforts without putting yourself in danger.
That’s all for now. I think I’ll put together a Driving post between now and my next PT session. I’ve been driving since week 2 Post Op!
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