I had post op appointment yesterday. Everything looked good and proper according to the orthopedic. I am now in a new cast for two more weeks. I was surprised how my right calf looked though - muscle atrophy was more than I expected. There was no shape to the calf and so much smaller than the left. I worry how much worse it will be since I will be a cast for two more weeks. I know that once PT begins, I can slowly build it back up, but how realistic is it for the injured calf to gain muscles back to look similar to the other calf? The orthopedic said I shouldn’t worry, but the injured calf will always be slightly smaller than the other one.
Glad you are progressing!! It takes patience and is hard to do nothing. Don’t get down you are close to a major bench mark. When I first took off the cast it looked horrible and my heart sank. Similar to what you are describing, a bit of panic.
Soon you will regain some control by being able to rehab through PT. For me a big benchmark was in month 5 I was able to “elevate” off my tip toes and month 7 could do it on one foot.
At that point I felt fully recovered. I am now 9 months out and my calves look about the same. I have done a lot of uphill and weighted walking on the treadmill per my doctor’s suggestion and that has helped rebuild muscle. I obviously defer to your doctor but with work I think you will be very happy with how “balanced” they will revert to. Thankfully they are muscles that work in tandem and you use them constantly.
I don’t feel like I am 100% but pretty close and rarely think about it. You will get there soon. Hope this helps.
Thank you for sharing your experience. I just took a big relief sigh. Ok, I got this and will take it slowly. It helps to think about your progress timeline. Uphill treadmill walking was my zone 2 cardio for a couple of years so going back to it eventually sounds like a dream.
I am also surprised I lost 6 pounds since the injury. I thought I would put on weight since I am not active. I am glad I didn’t put on the extra pounds but I didn’t want to lose weight this way since it is all muscle loss.
Listen to your doctor and not us. It should not be a big deal. Stay off of Google and listen ONLY to your current surgeon. That is my best advice. I wish you a speedy recovery. Muscle atrophy is normal.
My practice is sports med /soft tissue injury. All my patients get antsy. I have them do upper body work, band work, typical sit ups, push ups (adjusted) core work etc. But ONLY if the incision is closed and healed. Otherwise you can delay the healing with sweat etc. Always ask your doctor what they advise since they are the ones that saw the incision.
I was in a half/cast splint for 3 weeks - 1 1/2 before and after surgery and then a full cast for 3 weeks. My doc was surprised by how little atrophy there was. Maybe a didn’t have a lot of muscle to begin with - who knows? I did try to march in place while sitting a couple of times a day which may have helped. I also had no soft tissue involvement which also may have impacted the level of atrophy.
My doc told me that I shouldn’t consider myself done healing for a year. I’m now 20 months post injury and know one would know by casually looking at my legs. I have some residual effects but lopsidedness isn’t one of those.
I’ll also say that improvement was not linear. I could go for a week or two and think I wasn’t getting any better and even some days that I felt like I was regressing. Then all of a sudden I could something I couldn’t do before. I tried to not let it bother me but honestly it sometimes did. Be kind to yourself.
Thank you for sharing your journey! I know I just need to be patient for 2 more weeks before PT begins and for the long journey ahead of fully healing.
The hard cast was removed a couple of days ago and now I’ll be in a boot for another 4 weeks or so. The foot is still in the Barbie foot position so will need to continue using the knee scooter and crutches. (Was that your experience?). PT starts next week so I am looking forward to the next phase of recovery. The best part now is getting a good night sleep! Driving may be an option in a month or so? That part is a bit frustrating, but it is what it is. I am fortunate that I can recuperate without external pressures.
CONGRATULATIONS! It sounds like you are making great progress. My foot was in the complete opposite position - bent at as close to a 90 degree angle as possible - the first time PT had me try to move it I nearly screamed! I started range of motion work long before I became weight bearing again.
It’s amazing how much a good night’s sleep helps in your recovery. I didn’t start driving until I no longer needed the boot (and it was left ankle that was impaired) but it was so big and clunky I was uncomfortable in the the car. I thought about taking it on and off but I was lucky I could manage with out the car for a while.