Now that I’ve been cleared to ditch the crutches and the boot (for the most part), physical therapy has gotten serious pretty quickly. I do everything standing now (except for the 7 minutes of ultrasound and 10-15 minutes of icing). It’s surprising how difficult things are on my broken leg since my ankle and fibula are still healing.
I accidentally tried to run yesterday morning when I shut the garage door while I was in the garage. Without thinking I tried to jog out before the door closed. Nothing was re-injured, but it was pretty painful. It was a bit of a reality check that, no, I actually can’t run right now, even if I wanted to.
I jammed a lot into 1 hour (ok, and maybe an extra 10 minutes) of PT. I usually start off with 5 minutes on a recumbent bike just to get my ankle moving and warm up the joint. I always feel weird doing this because I’m usually wearing pants and my hair’s still wet. I’m slightly ashamed to admit that I get pretty sweaty during PT. I’m a serious sweater.
I get to do a few fun things like jump on a trampoline and walk on a foam plank, but it sadly takes a lot of concentration and is surprisingly painful at times. I’m struggling with basic things like standing on one leg while moving my arms, stepping backwards up onto a low step, and walking heels to toes. Riveting stuff, I know.
But it puts into perspective how much we take for granted when we’re healthy.
I miss being able to go out and clear my thoughts on a run or just have fun playing soccer with my teams. My next ortho appointment is August 14th, which seems like an eternity away. I’m really looking forward to NOT having to go to PT 3 times a week (as is my bank account).
But at least I can walk without crutches now, right?
Any important life events you’re looking forward to? Maybe just Friday?
