5 months out milestone

I just noticed this in the past couple of days. I’m not stiffening up as much or requiring a stretch just to walk without limping. Golfed 9 holes yesterday in shoes I couldn’t stand to wear last season. Came home from that feeling flexible and no residual pain. 

This surgery was a game-changer for me, in every sense of the word. 

Released from PT and ready to get on with life!

18 weeks + 5 days post haglund’s deformity excision and achilles debridement and repair, I had my last PT session. I won’t say I’m back to normal, but I’m at least 90% back, and I’ll take that.

Where I started 10 weeks ago (8 weeks post op):

• 1.3-1.5mph on treadmill, very painful and uneven gait
• smallest balance board for r.o.m., very painful and slow to get my 400 reps in
• outside of PT, walks of about 1 mile were slow and painful, and caused pain and some swelling for the rest of the day
• lots of pain to bottom of heel

About 4 weeks into PT (12 weeks post op):

• 2.8mph on treadmill, I could go faster but was still getting zinged along right and left bottom of my heel, scar tissue that eventually broke up with massage and r.o.m.
• Squat press 130lbs/50 reps (both feet), up on toes for 5 count, dorsiflex for 5 count
• graduated to tall balance board! 400 reps pf/df, inversion/eversion
• BAPs board on setting 3, 100 reps clockwise/counterclockwise
• Balance on cushion on op foot – could only manage a few seconds
• Walking lunges, 10 laps. Very much illustrated the imbalance between non op side and op side
• Sumo squat with 25lb kettlebell x 50, up on toes at end of each rep for 5 count

At this point I would still leave PT very sore, usually limping a little. Massage progressed from the area feeling bony, to a distinct crunching in massage area, to feeling a freed-up tendon moving during massage. Heel still sensitive to many shoes. Walks are now 2-3 miles, limping and sore the 2nd half. Always feels better to be moving, though, and feels great the next morning.

Week 5 of pt (week 14 post op) – managed a couple of heel raises on op foot! Big victory!

Week 7 of pt (week 16 post op) – back to work with no restrictions

After 10+ weeks of pt:

• walking easily 3.3-3.5mph on treadmill, pretty quick for my stumpy legs
• walking outside 3.4 miles, uneven ground not a problem. Dog is happy!
• balance board? We don’t need no stinking balance board anymore. BAPs at setting 5 for all r.o.m.
• heel raises in 10-20-30 sequence x3 sets(10 – hold for 5 count, 20 – hold for 1 count, 30 – quick pulse up/down) – difficult and most painful part of pt
• balance on cushion on op foot – getting up there! About 30-45 seconds
• squat press 90lbs x50 reps isolating op foot/leg. Up on toe 5 count/dorsiflex 5 count
• kettlebell sumo squats x50, up on toe at end of each rep for 5 count
• walking lunges x10 laps, up on toe on step through, now holding a 10lb kettlebell in each hand.
• ladder hops x10 laps, hop on outside of each rung with foot on same side
• finish off with 5 minutes on this thing:   http://www.fitter1.com/Catalog/Items/PF2.aspx#   (SO much fun.)

A little more swelling around the medial area of my ankle on op foot at the end of a long day, but I am on my feet more at work and doing a lot of movements with the foot repetitively that are pretty stressful. Also, that ankle has been and will always be a bit of a problem child. Walking – whatever I want. Running… I have jogged a few steps, but it’s not a priority for me. I am reasonably certain my poor form and rear foot strike while doing Couch to 5k program was part of what got me into this situation, along with my goofy foot anatomy – so let’s just say I’m in no hurry to run. I will still be sore after a long day. A long day on my feet still seems to be better than a long day off my feet. Definitely stiff after a car ride or sitting at my desk for too long. I notice the AT itself is sometimes a little sore at insertion, and up a little higher. I could probably avoid a good bit of this with a better calf and AT stretching regimen. Or, a calf/AT stretching regimen. Which is something I’m working on.

All in all, I am still in less pain than I’ve been in for 2.5 years, so it’s hard for me to assess whether or not what I’m dealing with now is “pain”. My theory is, if I have to think that much about it, it’s probably not. 🙂

Would I do the surgery again? In a heartbeat. I’m kicking myself for having waited and suffered for so long.