Week 6 - 2nd Post-Op Visit

My foot and ankle has felt stronger since last week.  I usually walk around in the morning without the boot while I get ready for work.  I can tell my foot is very stiff from not being able to use it these last six weeks.  My visit to the doctors office was quick today (10/1).  He examined the scaring and my range of motion.  He said everything looked to be healing as it should.  My range of motion and strength in my foot is also normal.  It is expected to be weak and stiff after six weeks of immobilization.  We talked about exercising and physical therapy.  He told me to avoid quick or sharp angle movements to the ankle until at lease 3 months post surgery.  That means no playing sports like basketball or soccer, and to avoid uneven surfaces.  I can do low impact exercising like swimming, walking, the elliptical or a treadmill at slow speeds.  He told me to listen to my body and watch the swelling in my foot.  Some swelling at first will be normal due to not using the ankle.  If the swelling is excessive during or after exercise I am probably doing too much too soon.  Also, the tendons should not pop or snap when moving the ankle.

During my visit I was also given a soft ankle brace that can be worn inside a shoe.  I am to wear it every day until I see the doctor again in four weeks.  Even though walking is so much easier when both shoes have soles of equal thickness it feels awkward to walk in shoes.  My foot is not used to having arch support and being able to feel so much of the ground surface again.  The only painful part of walking is when my left foot is extended behind me.  I still walk with a slight limp.  That will improve as the tendons get stretched more after a few days of walking and stretching.  The doctor told me physical therapy will be mostly done at home.  I only have to visit a physical therapist once every two weeks for one month.  They will give me exercises to strengthen my tendons to do at home for the first two weeks, and then when I return for the second time they will give me more advanced strengthening exercises to do at home.  I'm glad I don't have to visit a physical therapist multiple times a week.  This will help to save on time away from work and home, as well as unnecessary co-pays to insurance companies.  I still have to schedule my first visit with the physical therapist.  That will most likely be next week.

 The ankle brace is thin and fits in most shoes.

 

It has a shoe lace up the middle and two Velcro straps that cross in the

front and wrap around the bottom, and then stick to the sides. 

  Most people can't tell anything is there.