Physical therapy

I couldn't get a physical therapy appointment for 3 weeks, so I just walked and moved as much as my pain would allow.  (The Dr.s office said that would be physical therapy enough!)  I am opting to do this without pain meds as they suggested, and go with ibuprofen.  Very sore.  The first week after I had the cast off I used my walker to start getting a little weight bearing back as well as flexibility.  I was supposed to ditch the walker 1 week after the cast was off, but it was soooooo painful I couldn't do it.  I had to start weaning myself from my dependency on the walker by having my husband take my walker away from me and make me walk across the room for it like a child learning to walk for the first time.  The full weight bearing and balance was so sore.  Made me cry.  But the Dr.s were correct in that the more you use it, the quicker it will heal.  I was a week behind schedule to get rid of the walker, but I eventually did it.  I got rid of the shower seat a week after that. (those really help!)

I found that not only was my "new" foot painful, but it was sore and stiff stiff stiff.  I couldn't flex my toes the way I used to.  My big toe joint wanted to pop and crack so bad, but it wouldn't move!  I couldn't flex my foot enough to go down stairs and the ankle hurt really badly.  I could barely straighten my knee.

The day of physical therapy finally came.  Her first order of business with me was to decrease the swelling and start doing very gentle stretches.  She taped me up with kineseo tape which she said would work with my lymph system to start draining the fluids.

Kineseo tape applied to control the swelling.

The therapist also put me in some compression stockings for the swelling.  The combo of this helped greatly so I was able to move much more freely.

Compression stockings helped with the swelling.

After several weeks of therapy, I am finally able to do strengthening exercises as well as flexibility stuff.