11 Weeks since the break - I have been wearing this walking boot for four weeks now and I am at the point where I'm zipping around in it quite quickly. It took a while to get into a rhythm with it since it is higher than my other leg. It's like that feeling when you are only wearing one shoe and you walk funny because you are really off kilter. So, I have learned to walk with the uneven height. Yay! The problem now is that since I have retrained myself how to walk with uneven legs, I don't know how to walk when I take the boot off and my legs are even again. I have just started walking without the boot at home in the last week and yeah, I need to learn how to walk all over again. I'm wonky.
My foot and ankle are still very stiff even though I am doing the physical therapy exercises. So, not only am I having a difficult time walking with even feet again but I am battling the stiffness as well. What I think would really help is to get on a treadmill and put it at its slowest setting and just try to learn to get a normal stride back. This will also allow me to hold on to something while I walk and I can stop at any time once I'm tired (unlike walking on my own somewhere, if I get too tired to walk back, I'm screwed). So, I tried putting a shoe on the other day so I could make my way to the gym but my foot is still too swollen for shoes. I'll have to wait for the swelling to go down in order to go to the gym and work on the treadmill. Alas.
Anyway, I saw the orthopedist again today and, as per tradition, they took more x-rays. The doc says my bones are healed up very nicely and I am now officially approved to walk without the boot. Unfortunately, I still have to wear the boot until the swelling goes down as I don't have a single pair of shoes that will fit me right now.
I've been doing some off-ice spirals now that I can put full weight on my bad ankle again. Fun fact about breaking your ankle: you will have to learn how to balance on one foot again. It won't just come back to you. Try standing on one foot and notice how much work the muscles in your ankle are doing. They work hard! So I've been learning how to balance on one foot again and the time I'm able to stay upright without toppling over is getting longer each time. The spiral stretches help me get my flexibility back as well as helping with the balancing.
I'm still shooting for a January return to the ice :)
