Y’all…fourteen weeks…can you believe that’s how long ago I broke my ankle?
Yeah, I’m sure you can since it seems to be the ONLY thing I blog about lately.
Ha!
Three and a half months may not seem like a long time…except when you have a break…or rather three…like mine.
So, what new things can I do?
Well, I’ve pretty much been doing the same exercises at PT. It’s been the slowest process ever! I was never the most patient person (pun unintended), but I have learned that one cannot rush the healing.
I’m still doing my workouts at home too. It’s important to keep my ankle moving so I can gain back mobility and flexibility.
Gambit is a very supportive partner…
These calf stretches are my least favorite things of all. I do three minutes of them and then three minutes of shin stretches (the same movement but with my knee slightly bent). They. Are. Painful.
I even do my workouts when my ankle is swollen after a hard day. Going the extra mile is tough sometimes but worth it.
I bought bands after my physical therapist added more resistance exercises to get my hips and other leg parts stronger.
I’m not kidding. I am determined to run again one day.
I started taking a new supplement…Curcumin…after reading about it in a couple of magazines and online.
It’s supposed to be great for inflammation and pain, which I suffer from on a daily basis. I ordered this bottle from Amazon. I’ll probably try it for a couple of months before I decide if it will be a permanent part of my regimen.
I’m still limping and have been having hip and knee pain that, we believe, is due from my gait. My physical therapist took a look at my shoes and grew very dismayed. Apparently, my sneakers, which I love, offered no support. I don’t have much of an arch in my right foot and am pronated on that side. That means that my foot turns inward (not my toes…the arch), I also need more support to help me walk better. I have a tendency to roll the top part of my foot to the outside to avoid the pain brought on as I push off from my big toe in my walking motion.
So, I went out shopping.
My PT had suggested three different brands, and we had looked online together to pick out a particular style. He gave me pointers on what to look for.
I thought I was going to get a pair of Brooks, which I had eons ago and loved. I saw this blue pair at Dicks and wanted them, but they didn’t have my size.
I tried on a different color in what I thought was my size (I found out I was wrong the next day). I didn’t like the color at all but liked the feel of the shoe.
I went out the next day. The first stop was Hibbits, which had the Adrenaline 15. I wasn’t a fan of the colors though. The red on the top just clashed with the blue (see the collage below).
Next, I went to the Finish Line. They had the blue shoes in my size! But alas, the guy at Hibbit had suggested that I try Asics, which was a brand my PT had recommended, so to make a more educated decision, I tried on a pair.
Oy vey, but the decision became so hard! The Brooks and Asics felt so good! The Brooks were more bulky but a little wider in the toe area. The Asics were smaller overall and a bit more narrow in the toes, but they had more cushioning in the heel area, which I figured would help me with my broken ankle.
I asked Chicky, who was with me (I’ll talk about our visit in another post) and texted the Mr. for opinions. They both liked the look of the Asics better but told me to get what felt the best.
I decided on the Asics (larger square above). The price tag was hefty, but the sales clerk gave me $20 off after I gave him my broken ankle sob story. Ha!
One good thing about trying on all of the shoes was that my ankle made a loud POP during the process.
Like I said, this was a GOOD thing. My ankle has so much scar tissue in it, and despite the PT’s maneuvering, we haven’t been able to break it up. The motion of sliding my foot in and out of the shoes must have been just what the doctor ordered.
I felt my ankle and foot area pop a few more times after that, which was also good. I told my PT about it this morning, and he thinks that maybe I’m turning a corner now. Scar tissue really limits mobility. Fingers crossed that it continues!
Another small sign of progress happened this morning at physical therapy when they bumped me up to 1.5lb weights on my legs for my leg raises.
I’ll tell you what. I had no idea that rehabbing my ankle would involve so many muscles!
After physical therapy, I ran a couple of errands and then got busy in my back yard. The weather here was gorgeous, and I had almost four months of dog poop to scoop. Five bags worth. It was ugly.
Then, I decided that some branches that had been littering the yard for weeks on end after several storms needed to go. The Mr. was going to ask a couple of work buddies to come and help out, but I thought, “Auburnchick, you’re an overachiever, and the PT said that your ankle is getting stronger. Why not try to move the branches on your own.”
So, I got out the wagon the Mr. bought to transport our beach stuff and loaded it up with debris.
I was super, duper careful so I wouldn’t turn my ankle, and the going was s-l-o-w because my legs just aren’t as strong as they were before I got hurt.
But…
I.
Did.
It.
It took about five loads, and by the end, I was hobbling, but I finished.
Talk about proud! I totally should have put in my wireless ear buds so I could get a calorie count. I’m fairly certain I burned seven or eight hundred big ones.
I continue to make progress, albeit slowly, but who cares?!
I am so encouraged by people who tell me how nice it is to see me up and around. I ran into a gal from work at Petsmart today (we didn’t have school), and before she left, she said this to me. She totally made my day, as did the sweet young gal I saw at church yesterday (hey, Tiff!) who said the same thing. She’s an absolute doll…so positive…just like her mama who told me how great I looked. Oh the love. ❤
Although I really want to run, my time is coming. My physical therapist said that he’s going to start adding new things next week. I have asked him to challenge me, which he says he will do as soon as he’s sure my ankle can take it so I don’t regress.
I am going through Lysa TerKeurst’s study, Finding I Am, and a quote from her book struck me today. She said that Jesus doesn’t participate in the rat race…that He likes slower scenarios.
This has been my life for the past fourteen weeks. I’m learning patience and trust as I continue #findingjoyinthejourney.
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