I scheduled my 2nd foot surgery to remove some of my hardware for October 13th. Once those are out, I can start bearing weight on my foot. My doctor is conveniently out of town when I would have hit my 12 weeks, so I will be delayed by a week, but I'm still really excited!
I'm no stranger to physical therapy visits. Nate had a piriformis issue in 2013, I had a pulled trap muscle in 2015, so I've become very familiar with it. The specialist practices at a clinic in Holladay, a bit of a drive from my house but not too bad. I talked to her before she started to examine me and even though Lisfranc injuries are rare, she sees a lot of them because that is her field. I felt really comfortable with her and the treatment she's going to give me. She used to work at the TOSH hospital and is very familiar with my doctor and his PA, who I've become great friends with.
She was very impressed with my scooter and how pimped out it was. She even called some people over to see it because she thought my headlight was hilarious. It is so important to stay positive and give off a positive vibe with other people. It makes things feel so much better!
First, I had to fill out a bunch of standard doctor forms. Health history, medication, etc. There was a chart in the very back that had a diagram of the body and I was supposed to draw on it where I had pain. There was also a chart to code the type of pain I was having (ex. ooo - pins and needles, xxx- sharp pain, /// - stabbing pain, etc.) I started to draw on my foot on the paper and realized I had all of those things, so I wasn't going to waste my time drawing it all out.
Then the therapist examined me and took measurements of the ranges of motion on both my left and right feet. I didn't know what all the numbers meant, but she had a protractor type ruler that measured angles when I pointed and flexed my foot. She also measured my foot for swelling. My left foot was at 46 and righty was at 47.5. Whatever that means.
She then wanted to know what type of activities I wanted to get back to post-therapy, and went over some things I already knew, like running. I learned that while I physically will be able to run, it will just make arthritis set in that much faster and eventually I will need a fusion when that occurs. I'd rather prolong that as long as I can so I should keep running to a minimum. It is still not recommended for me to move my foot side to side at this point because of the navicular stress.
After my measurements were all entered and we had a nice discussion about the injury, we started to work on exercises. I got a list of them to take home to complete as homework, and made another appointment again in 3 weeks. I won't need to see her that often until I actually start weight bearing. For now I get to practice these well modeled exercises. I actually have been doing some similar stuff at the gym, but now I at least know what exercises to target.
Here's also a cute foot video of how the little piggies are looking and *gasp* wiggles!!!
So, I probably should tackle this whole "learning to walk" thing first, but I've already set a fitness goal for 2016. I want to complete the Wasatch Back Ragnar. What? Thought you said you can't run, missy? You're right, but my goal is to walk it. Speed walk it! It's a little under a year away, and I think I could train pretty hard to be a really fast walker. I was a slow runner so I may be able to even match my pace if I work really hard at it. I'm not going to be a 9 minute mile like my superstar husband, but I can do a 12 minute mile perhaps! One of my regrets was not running Ragnar with Nate this year. It was a week before Spartan and I didn't want to push it that much before the race. But, Superman over here did it. I should have just done it!! Grrr.
Milestone for next week: getting my hair done. At the salon. Haven't done that since the injury. But I need it. So. Bad.
Sweet that you have started PT. You definitely have an injury worse than mine. My dr performed the titerope procedure so I will not need a surgery to remove hardware. I started PT with the ankle pumps, leg raises, some short quad kicks, quad stretches- and was shown how to do the stationary bike for some cardio. I was really saddened by the low flexibility in my ankle. Desiring to walk is a motivating factor to doing the exercises for sure.
ReplyDeleteYay! I'm glad you started PT as well! I think it definitely helps us see the light at the end of the tunnel and that walking will be happening in the near future. That desire to walk pushes me through all the pain and sadness I feel about muscle weakness and atrophy. It's only been a week since I started doing the exercises and my range of motion has really improved. I am jealous of the bike. I used to go to Spin class every week and I sure do miss that!
DeleteHow did you do with the hubby out of town?
Glad to hear about your progress!
I survived with him gone, but was definitely glad to have him home. In PT, the therapist showed me how to safely make it up the stairs so I could sleep in my bed at night. She said to just manage once up at night then once down in the morning. Let me tell you, it was wonderful to sleep in my bed with my hubby. He is leaving once again to drive about 7 hours to go visit his mom this Labor Day weekend. She just had hip replacement and he feels he should go. I think for me a 7 hour road trip would not work for me right now. However, my mom is about 2 1/2 hours from me, so my daughter is willing to drive me and I am considering going to visit her. Trying to decide if it is wise on my part to attempt that right now
ReplyDeleteHey there, I sustained a lisfranc injury and am waiting to hear if I need surgery or not. Who is the physical therapist you went to in Holladay? I live in Salt Lake City. Thanks! Also, how has your injury healed after about 2 years?? I am also very active and would love to know if you are back to doing all the activities you love!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Hi Kacee!
DeleteVery sorry to hear about your injury :( I know it can feel like the end of the world, but I assure you it isn't.
My PT was Stephanie at the IHC Physical therapy clinic in Holladay. Dr. Van Boerum sent me to her as the Lisfranc specialist, and I think she was affiliated with TOSH at some point. I have no idea if she is still there or not, but we were best buds for a while, and she was fabulous.
I still think about my foot everyday, and on some level I have a little pain each day (mainly just first waking up in the morning or after a long day on my feet). It's my new normal and I've long forgotten how my right foot used to feel before my injury, and I've grown to love my new foot as it is!
After 2 years, things are pretty good I'd say. Way better than I thought it would be. I did Ragnar in November in Vegas (ran about 13 miles) and I am hiking every weekend; going to Dog Lake up Big Cottonwood this Sunday. I hit the gym pretty regularly, and while there are things that still bother me (doing box jumps / jump rope / pretty much anything with a lot of jumping lol) but for the most part I am able to do what I was able to. I still don't feel that I am back to my same level as I was before, but I'm also older and took a lot of time off from exercising and being fit, so it is coming back with time. I strength train, hike, run occasionally - mostly just 5ks or the occasional 10k, do bootcamp classes, yoga, spin... I'm great at modifying if I don't feel comfortable doing something.
Good luck on your prognosis - let me know what the Dr. says!