Day 68 - No more limp

I'm walking without a limp now.  My therapist is amazed at my progress.  But I don't think I did anything special.  I think it's due to the fact that they cut me out of the cast after 2 weeks.  But, I'm no doctor, so don't take my opinion as fact.

The swelling is gone for the most part.  The Achilles itself is still kinda fat; I wonder if it will always be like that.  The scar is healing ok, but my skin is pretty dry, so I have to keep it moisturized often. I'm back to my normal routine at the gym now by including my leg workout into my routine. I'm still doing my stretching exercises as well along with my balance exercises.  I want to try jogging soon to see how my ankle acts.

I still can't lift my heel on the injured leg yet.  But I did have a breakthrough the other day in that I lifted my heel an inch or so off the ground before it fell back down again. 

Still no snowboarding.  That's the hardest part. Winter is passing me by.

Day 53 - Physical therapy

It's been a while since I've updated this blog.  Not a lot of exciting developments have happened since I was last here.  On the 18th, I went back to the doctor, and he said everything was looking good.  So he gave me the go-ahead to start strength training and stretching and to come back on March 1.  He didn't mention anything about getting a physical therapist, so I asked and he ended up writing an order.

I found a therapist that's close to work so that I could leave during the day if needed and not spend a lot of time getting there.  The therapist said that I'm doing great for how long it's been since the surgery.  I still had some swelling, but he told me it's normal and not to worry too much about it.  The other big thing he mentioned was to not use that elastic bandage anymore due to the risk of clotting.

Overall, I'm glad I made the decision to see this guy.  The stimulation treatments seem to work well on the leg.  And he gave me more exercises to try on my own that the doctor didn't mention.  For example, if I lie on my stomach and raise the bag leg in the air (bend at the knee), it will help drain the fluid.  And he mentioned some exercises that will help with balance and stability. And he gave me advice about wearing arch supports since I have flat feet, and they made a ton of difference.

So today, my leg has minimal swelling, if any.  The wound is still a little tender, as certain shoes can rub against it and irritate it (I have a bandage over it now).  I still can't stand on my toes on the bad leg, but I'm starting to walk properly after forcing myself to do so.

Day 36 - No more walking boot

I continue to make improvements each day.  The big thing is that I stopped wearing the walking boot over the weekend.  I have more flexibility than before, so I don't really have pain at all now (more on that in a bit). The scar is looking really good now.  The scabbing is starting to go away and I have more flexibility down there.  I definitely can't lift my body weight yet, but at least I can go down the stairs.

The other thing is that I finally started stretching, which is probably why my recovery accelerated.  I used this site: http://www.livestrong.com/article/194211-achilles-tendon-stretching-exercises/ .  So this combined with the initial strength training I started on my own has me in a good position right now.

Other than that, I caught a stomach virus on Tuesday, so I haven't done any strength training or stretching in the past 4 days.  I've finally started to come around, so I hope to resume work soon.

My next appointment with the doctor is next Tuesday.  I'm hoping that he clears me to start PT.  If he doesn't, I think I'm doing it anyway.

Day 30 - I'm a dumbass

So you know how when you're injured, doctors remind you of the R-I-C-E principle (rest, ice, compression, elevation)?  Well, after I took the tape off a few weeks back, I managed to forgot to put the compression bandage back on.  So all this time I wondered why my foot was so swollen when in reality I was not following orders.

A few days ago, I decided to wrap my foot up nice and snug and keep it elevated during the day.  What a world of difference that made.  My foot almost looks normal again, and I gained some range of motion.

I'm also doing good with the calf machine.  I can press up to 30 lbs now on the bad leg, compared to 80 lbs on the good leg.  When I try to stand on my toes, I can almost feel some movement down there, which didn't happen a while ago.  So things are looking good.

Day 26 - The rotary calf machine

Today I went back to the gym again for some more stationary bike time.  I've started upping the intensity of the ride to the point where I break out in a good sweat, which I haven't done in a while.  I started on bike that has your legs somewhat in front of you, but I find the version where your legs are underneath you to be more effective.

Either way, both are boring.  I need to start bringing a book with me.

The other thing of note is that I decided to try the rotary calf machine (shown here).

 

Normally I'd skip right past this thing and head toward the version that you stand on.  But since that's not really an option for me right now, I decided to try it (with no shoe on) to see just how much strength I had in my leg.  I tried with the smallest weight setting - 10 lbs.  It hurt like hell during the first few reps.  I had no idea that my calf lost so much muscle while I was in the cast.  I did 4 sets of 15 reps; the last set I added an extra 5 pounds.  And at the end, I actually felt better.  I think this is where I'll be spending a lot of time for the next few weeks as I build up strength.

Day 24 - He walks.... for real!

Today I decided that I wanted to see how things would go if I went with just my normal shoes.  Not quite the homerun that I was expecting, but it wasn't exactly a swing and a miss either. I definitely have a limp that I'll need to correct in time. I decided to leave the house for the first time since the injury without any crutches or walking boot, and I was definitely nervous a bit. It was humbling being passed by old ladies at the grocery store.  There isn't any real pain when I walk, but the fact that my skin near my ankle isn't stretching is an issue.  Or maybe my calf isn't strong enough.  Or my maybe my Achilles is still not quite right?

I need to stop worrying. At least I can walk around in the Aircast without any problems other than the sock sliding down and allowing the cast to come in contact with my skin. 

Anyway, while walking down the stairs at home a little later, I almost missed a step, and my foot tried to fully dorsiflex.  That hurt.  I decided to call off my plan to go to the gym, and ended up watching some movies on Netflix after popping some Ibuprofen.  I really want to start PT now, but I'll be patient a little longer.  I'm still way ahead of where I thought I would be at this time, so that is great news.

Oh, and I managed to get my foot in my snowboard boot today. So I guess the scar has healed up completely.    :-)

Day 21 - The tape comes off

When the nurse cut the cast off last week, she put a bunch of tape directly on the wound and then covered it with a bandage.  Today I decided to yank it off.  Now when I walk without the boot, I have a little more movement since the tape prevented my skin from stretching.


I also put on two shoes for the first time since the injury, and that definitely felt weird.  My foot is still somewhat swollen even though there isn't any pain.  I'm hoping this goes away over time.  And the scar is healing well too.  I'm hoping that I'm not overdoing it, but my progress feels natural.