I feel like this past week was really a change in the right direction as far as my ankle is concerned. For the first time since surgery, I was able to walk down the stairs without noticing how tight my left ankle was compared to my right. It was super shocking to me and I was really excited. One of the thighs I think contributed to this was a very simple and successful experiment I did to try to press out the lingering edema around my lateral malleolus. This pesky edema has varied some from day to day, but never seemed to stay away. Chronic edema can contribute to weakened tendons, something I do not want in my newly stitched up peroneals. I used a rolled up piece of gauze and wrapped it around my lateral malleolus where the swelling liked to sit. I tried keeping it there with Kinesiology tape, but found that just tucking it into a compression sock not only felt better, but was a lot cheaper in the long run. If I leave it out for long periods of time, it starts to build back up, but as long as I use it throughout the day consistently, it is starting to maintain it for longer and longer periods of time. I will keep you posted on the experiment! I don’t suggest using this technique on an area that still has an open wound as it might irritate the wound.
Other things include that made me happy this week: progression in my plyometric workouts, being able to chase my kids around an indoor playground with minimal restrictions (crawling, climbing, tiny jog, etc), going to the pool for the first time (though this was just getting in the water with the kids, I haven’t tried out lap swimming yet) and starting some very light jogging. I am still under the restriction to avoid side to side motions, so I am not quite ready to start my return to running program. I do think there is some benefit to light jogging to wake up the muscles, improve capacity to tolerate load and to mentally help me feel like I am getting closer to normal. In a couple weeks, when I am cleared to begin medial and lateral motions, I will start my return to running program. (If you are interested in what this looks like, it is all laid out in my ebook).
Right now, my biggest struggle is holding myself back and not going from 0 to 100 too fast. I know that trying to do too much too soon is the quickest way to find myself in a huge setback. Still, it is ok to start pushing myself some on the intensity and building those muscles, range of motion and balance to get myself back to the things I love.
So, here are a couple videos going over plyometric exercises:
Hope you have a great week! If you have topics you are interested in reading more about, please reach out!
