I had therapy again at 8:15 am, so my feet didn't have much time to recover from yesterday. I was wincing a little bit with walking, but I again chose to go with just tennis shoes without the ankle brace.
For therapy, I started by riding 7 mins on a Schwinn Airdyne bike (with the arm handles and big air wheel). I haven't ridden one of those in a very long time. We thought that would be a little easier on my feet than the elliptical.
Next, I stretched my calf on the block for a few 30 sec holds. Then, back on the waffle board. Today, I did squats while balancing on the board. Those were pretty easy since I have been practicing squats at home.
After, I did a new exercise. My therapist had me put a strap on my left ankle and he attached a weighted cable to it. I had to balance on my right leg while moving my left leg back 10 times. I had to do this in all four directions (both sides and then forwards). When I finished with the right leg as the support leg, I had to do the exercise with my left leg as the support leg.
Next, we went to the table for manual therapy. He worked on my toe and foot flexibility first. He said my big toe is tight, but that the rest of my foot feels pretty good. After he worked on my calf some, and also did e-stim and ultrasound on it.
When I was done, he wanted me to walk for him. I always feel so off balance after he has worked on my calf. He said that I was thinking too much, but if I don't think, I will fall on the ground. I have to tell my feet every step to strike the ground with my heel, roll forward, to push off with my toe, and to place my foot straight. Nothing is automatic about my walking at this point.
I also feel like I am falling to the outsides of my feet. This is one of the results of the surgery, that you go from putting a lot of weight on the insides of your feet to the outsides. That is the point of the lateral column lengthening (bone wedge). I have had pronating feet my whole life, so this is an entirely new sensation. My therapist also thinks that wearing motion control tennis shoes and orthotics, on top of having my feet reconstructed is over correction. He wants me to transition to more normal stability shoes. Before I can do that, I need to do some serious balance training. My motion control shoes keep me from falling since they are so stiff. The more give in the shoes the stronger my feet need to be on their own at stabilizing me. They are not at that point yet.
When I was done, I changed into my work clothes and went straight to school to finish my orientation. I was late, because it started at 8 am, but I wasn't going to cancel my PT appointment for it.
After, I got in the car and rode with my parents to a family wedding. I put my suitcase in the back seat and put a huge pillow on top of it so that I could elevate my feet. By the time I got in the car, they were begging me to elevate them after PT and sitting in a chair for another 4 hours. My calf was aching. That e-stim and ultrasound combo really stresses it.
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Reflection
More swollen and achy feet. More therapy. More struggle. The journey continues...
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