Weight Bearing, Walking, Swimming

On Friday, February 11, 2011 I took my first steps (in my walking cast / boot thing)! I tried first thing in the morning but it hurt a lot so I waited until I was at physio therapy and started walking there ... still using my crutches for support. I was advised to go heel, toe as I walk with my boot on. I was also told I could start using just a cane the next day (Saturday, 12th) which I did! It went fast from there and now I can walk short distances without the cane and go for 20-30 min walks with the cane. It still hurts for the first few steps but then gets better and then eventually gets bad again. At the start, the most pain is the very bottom of my heel then that subsides and the pain that comes later is at the back of my heel. After consulting with my physio therapist, I've learned that this pain is actually in my achilles tendon right where it attaches to the heel bone. I have some tendonitis there which apparently is normal when one starts weight bearing. I have to keep doing my stretching, massage it, and ice it.

We spent the Family Day weekend in Florida visiting my parents and it was there that I really started walking well. We went for walks on the board walk, the beach, at the Daytona 500 raceway ... and sometimes for 30 minutes. I learned that I can go longer if I pump air into my cast. It seems to take some pressure of the achilles tendon.

I went swimming for the first time on Sunday, February 13 and the Gators were very good to me!! I used a pull buoy for most of the swim but did some one-leg kicking and dolphin kicking from the hips. I swam 2000 metres which was a good start. I also swam Tuesday, February 15 with the Gators. In Florida, I swam every day either treading water in the deep end with the kids or doing lengths with my new friends, Maureen, Beryl, and Hazel. Swimming is very good for my foot. The swelling goes down and it feels much less tight afterwards. The only pain I feel swimming is on the damaged nerve area where just having water flow past it feels sore. In Florida, I even walked barefoot on the bottom of the pool as normally as possible in the deeper water.

One down side to flying to Florida was that I had to inject Fragmin in my stomach before and after the flight each way to prevent blood clots. I was apprehensive but it wasn't difficult at all and didn't even hurt (except a slight stinging for a few minutes after). Only one of the four injection sites bruised.

But, we had a great time visiting with my parents and celebrating Family Day with them. It was an excellent trip recovery-wise because my ankle got lots of exercise in the water and on land. I can't wait for the snow to melt on the sidewalks so I can go for a walk outside in Toronto.