Sleeping has been continuing to improve. I've been massaging around my heel, and that seems to be helping.
Today was my first day back to see Dr. Porter since the surgery. They usually do a 2 week post-op check-up, but he was out of town, so mine was scheduled a little later.
The first thing thing that happened was the assistant removed the stitches, talked with me about how things were going, and then I got an x-ray.
Dr. Porter then came in for the post-op exam. He looked at the wound, and was very impressed with how well it was doing. He said it was healing very well, and he was impressed with the lack of inflammation and bruising. He measured my dorsiflexion angle, and recorded it in the notes. I'm guessing it will be a something that he will continue to monitor as I continue my rehab. Porter then showed me the x-ray and explained how my heel bone was shaved down, where the Achilles attaches the heel bone (he explained that he attached it to a larger portion of the heel bone to help minimize the chances of it bothering me in the future). Finally, he pointed out the anchors that used were used to attach the achilles to the base of the heel.
Dr. Porter gave me some additional info regarding my rehab. He said that I no longer need to use crutches or the cryo-cuff (my plan is to not go cold turkey, but I'm going to continue to wean off both of those). I can also continue to bike. He did clear me to swim, and do some lifting (upper body lifting, and also some leg work (leg curls, leg extensions). The PT will also go over some of the exercises that I need to do.
Overall, it seemed like Porter gave me a glowing review. I'm glad everything seems to be going well.
Right after my appointment with Dr. Porter, I went to physical therapy. The physical therapist was very nice, and give me a list of exercises to work through. Because I won't be back until Aug 14th (3 weeks), she gave me exercises for not just the immediate future, but also for the next several weeks.
I was expecting the first session to be much more painful, but it really wasn't bad. My main concern was the seated heel raises. My Achilles wasn't bad, but my calf was. Below is the list of excersises that I am supposed to be doing at this time...
Seated Heel Raises (50 per day...can be split up throughout the day)
Plantar Flexor Stretching
Ankle Range of Motion (plantarflexion, inversion, eversion)
Single Leg Balance In Boot (1-2 times per day for 60 seconds)
Toe Curls (in boot)
I also need to start desensitize the incision. I am supposed to massage my foot area, and scar. I also am supposed to rub different types of material on the foot/wound (cotton balls, silk, corduroy, wool, etc). I guess it's a way to start to transition my foot back to normal.
I'm glad everything went well today. Feeling good about stuff.
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