Today is the one year anniversary of my rupture while playing soccer. I ran a 5K today with my children! I thank God, doctors, and family that I met this personal goal.
I ran this race last year in 29 minutes and today was about 35 minutes. My legs felt good and I only had to fight through asthma, my old nemesis. I think it will take another year to be at full pre-injury strength because of how I am healing. But, I am certainly well-recovered enough to jog safely. The only lingering problems I have are numbness in part of my foot from nerve damage and stiffness / small twinges at random times. I am content with my progress and will continue to exercise to get stronger. I am finished with “court and field sports” (i.e., soccer and basketball). I am 43 and have too many people depending on me to take the risk.
Like others, I have offered advice along the way in my posts. Looking back over this year, I will offer this suggestion - control your emotions. ATRs are difficult because of the gravity of the injury, the many possible protocols that can cause anxiety (”am I moving fast enough?”), and the length of recovery. Your outcome will be better if you control your emotions and anxiety, educate yourself, and commit yourself to following your protocol and doctor’s/therapist’s instructions.
Here is a summary of my year
• Injured: 9/13/14
• Surgery: 9/26/14
• Week 1 - 2: NWB (splint - foot at 25% angle
• Week 2 - 8: NWB (fiberglass cast - foot at 5% angle)
• Week 8 - 10: PWB (fiberglass cast - foot neutral). Added about 30 pounds of pressure every 4 days
• Week 10 - 14: FWB (fiberglass cast - foot neutral)
• Week 14 - 16: FWB (boot - one heel wedge)
• Week 15: Started PT
• Week 16: Started wearing 2 shoes indoors in safe environments
• Week 18: Reasonably comfortable with 2 shoes outside; can do a decent seated heel raise
• Week 20: Getting stronger. Able to perform double leg heel raises well; flexibility coming back - can do squats (body weight)
• Week 23: Range of motion is 100%; Working on single leg heel raise; Daily activities are not difficult anymore.
• Week 28: Can do a partial single leg heel raise; working on doing a fully stable one leg heel raise before trying to run again
• Week 32: Stopped going to PT after he said there were no more exercises he could show me. Continued the work on my own
• Week 36: Jogging on treadmill at about 4 miles per hour; 30 to 40 seconds at a time.
• Week 45: Can run a single mile in about 10.5 minutes. Ran 4 miles at a 12 minute per mile pace
• Week 52: Ran a 5K on one year anniversary of rupture
