foot update (good news, finally!)

by Alison Green on January 9, 2012

I can walk again!  Well, I’m allowed to walk again. I can’t actually do it yet.

Nearly 10 weeks after breaking my foot and being banned from walking, they took the cast off today and told me I can start walking on it. I’m in one of those cast-boots for a month, but I can be weight-bearing again.

The problem, however, is that learning to walk again has turned out to be painful and rather exhausting. So far, I’ve walked from my couch to my kitchen and back again. It took about 10 minutes, hurt, and left me in an exhausted heap, unable to do anything but watch numerous episodes of Downton Abbey with my eyes half-open. And that was with crutches to help!

Supposedly walking will get easier in the coming days, once some semblance of muscle returns to my leg, and they claim I won’t even need the crutches by the end of the week. At the moment, that’s hard to imagine, but this is excellent progress.

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{ 36 comments }

{ 36 comments… read them below }

  1. Anonymous*

    Glad to hear there’s and end in sight! The loss of muscle is a killer. I’m coming it of an air pressure boot after five months on Wednesday, and that was just for a bruise (stilettos and the tops of feet don’t mix well). I’ve been able to walk and it’s still difficult, but it does get better!

      1. Anon.*

        Yes! Unfortunately, I agree. But I am gratified to know someone else has the same problem. I find that I also have to readjust the velcro straps on the top of my foot multiple times as my foot swells during the day. There’s a sweet spot on them that is almost impossible to find that helps with the pain on top, the heel pain and doesn’t make my foot claustrophobic

        1. Ask a Manager* Post author

          I’ve ordered some of those gel inserts that you put in shoes to make them more comfortable. I’m hoping it’ll help with the heel!

          I’m also finding it hard to find a shoe for the other foot that’s exactly the right height to match the boot, so that I’m not lopsided!

          1. Cheryl*

            From the voice of experience– Be careful walking in only one boot as being lopsided may throw your back out.

  4. Emily*

    I’m so glad you can finally walk (sort of) again. Now that you can exercise it you should be able to build up strength in it again and make some progress. :)

  8. ChristineH*

    I’ve been waiting all day for this update – so glad you are allowed to walk again! Although, I’m surprised they didn’t suggest any physical therapy or even some at-home exercises to help safely rebuild the strength in your foot/leg.

    1. Ask a Manager* Post author

      Well, first it’s four weeks of this boot, and then once it comes off, I’ll have 4-6 weeks of physical therapy… so it’s coming, just not yet!

      The boot is very exciting in that I can take it off to sleep, shower, lounge around on the couch, etc. I have it off right now in fact, and it’s bizarre having my foot out in the open.

  12. Rachel*

    Just wait until physical therapy. You don’t know pain until you haven’t moved in weeks and then all of a sudden have to do a 5 minute warm up on an elliptical machine. I seriously thought I was going to hurl the first day. :)

  15. Scott Woode*

    Congratulations! So happy to hear the excellent news. Continue to take it easy and don’t push to hard. I’m sure you’ll be back to your self-reliant, uber-mobile self before you know it!

  16. Anon*

    I’m six months into recovering from a broken knee – only two months non-weight bearing for me, followed by five weeks of walking assisted by crutches. I’m still weak, but freedom is sublime! My heels hurt too – I wonder if it’s a gait thing. Good luck!!! I feel your pain – literally.

  17. Anonymous*

    Hang in there! It’s really hard to get back to walking if you haven’t done it for awhile. It will take time and you will be sore, so understand that and just try to be patient and work hard. Sending you strong, happy foot vibes!

    1. Ask a Manager* Post author

      I need to remember this! I had sort of thought that when they took the cast off, I’d walk out of there — I didn’t realize that there was a whole rehabilitation period of learning to walk again, so I’m feeling impatient.

  18. ARM2008*

    RE the heel pain – is your calf muscle tight from the forced and prolonged inactivity? Tight calf muscles add to my own heel pain. Maybe try GENTLE stretching and massage of the calf muscle.

  19. Jennifer*

    I’m glad to hear you’re going to be mobile soon. And how delightful to recuperate with Downton Abbey!

  20. Anonymous*

    I have had 2 co-workers do something similar. They weren’t even doing anything risky. Weird how often it happens.

  21. Anon*

    I broke my ankle a few years ago, and was in the same boat of not walking for two months. I felt so silly…how could my body do something for the better part of 30 years, and forget how to it in two months?! That rehab experience was very humbling. It’s a struggle at times, but you’ll get better in no time at all. Don’t blow off your physical therapy (or the grueling ‘homework’ they give)…it makes all the difference. Good luck!

  22. MWB*

    Hi,
    I dunno if anyone is checking this thread now and I’m guessing the creator of it has got much better. I to had a foot injury that was/ is very serious. I had a dislocation of nearly every bone in my foot including every metatarsal! Doctors said that my foot actually imploded! Not only that, my mid-foot was sheared off and I had a couple of small fractures to serve as insult. At first I was told that the damage may have been to extensive to repair. I was trying to understand everything through a fog of laughing gas and morphine!! In the end 2 long K wires were used to stabilize the mid-foot and toes. I even had the big bone under the bug toe dislocated. At the time of the injury it took over 30 mins alone to get my shoe off. Each pull of the string to untie sent unbearable pains through my foot. After nearly 6 months of no weight bearing and then a month in a boot, I was sent to PT. The nerve and tissue damage was too severe and I now had complex regional pain syndrome in the foot. Just lightly tapping any part of my foot caused extreme pain! Stabbing pains were constant. PT had to be stopped cuz I couldn’t bear it. Not long after I started walking several mid-foot bones started shifting and moving as I walked….well limped to be precise. Long story short… I have had 2 further bone fusions of mid foot and metatarsalls. Each time it was several months of no weight bearing and then boot. The original injury was in 2004 and it’s now 2013 and I face further surgery and I still have bad swelling and the hyper pain along with a bad limp. Sitting here now with some wicked, stabbing pains and because of all this pain I must now take 120mgs of Oxycontin and 300mgs of Pregabalin, for the nerve damage, all this twice a day! I can’t work cuz of the pain and foot swelling. I have to keep foot elevated nearly all the time. I do get out some but, after a bit the pain gets too much and wearing any shoe brings more pain. Limping for so long has hurt my hip and knee lol. I can’t drive cuz of all the meds and the side effects. I fall asleep a lot in the chair. I used to be a gym rat and even after the injury I still went often. I can’t run or jog or even briskly walk so, my once muscular and fit body has put on some weight. As a matter of fact I was injured playing American Football for a local semi pro/ amateur league here in Great Britain! I hope the thread author is doing much better and has returned to “normalcy”

  24. valerie*

    MWB,
    If your injury is that horrid, and it has been nine years of pain and agony then I beg to ask…..what about amputation of the foot?

    I could not imagine living for nine years like that. You cannot go out, you cannot enjoy life, you cannot drive, you cannot work and you are dependent on medication. I would have the doc’s take the foot and then get an awesome orthopedic foot. Sure, your losing a part of your body, but that very body part is ruining your LIFE.
    With amputation you get rid of the nonstop daily pain and the never ending surgeries. You heal from the amputation and get fitted for a new foot and you live a good life, pain free.

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