More and more physiotherapy

It's now become part of my monthly routine. Doing the exercises daily should also be part of it, however I must admit I've cheated a bit but I'm trying harder now as I'd like to stop paying for physio cause it does get expensive and something extra to pay to your monthly dues.

In the meantime I've been doing other exercises to work the right muscles. In the beginning of January my exercises included:

• Calf raises in front of a mirror - checking foot position and making sure it doesn't bend wrong. 

  

  The clam

  
• Jogging in front of a mirror
• Using the theraband for the ankle 
• Doing the clam - side lying, knee bent (as in foetal position) feet together, lifting the top knee and holding for 10 seconds
• Running in all directions
• Doing the clock face
• Figure of eight



Unfortunately I didn't manage to go often and the next time I went to physio she noticed. This time, a different therapist saw me and she sort of put her foot down and emphasised how important they were, especially to get back in the game as the next step was hopping and the leg strenght was still too weak for a steady hop.

The following exercises were given to me to do:

• heel raises - with knee straight and with knee bent
• clam - again
• running all directions
• hopping on spot until tolerable
• ice/heat or cold water or hot water



Found this pic, and I did look like this but with two of them instead- one hot one cold especially after training!



These exercises I've been managing more, first of all I started training officially again this week, first week of February. Running is not an issue and I'm not seeing much swelling. My fitness of course is rather low but that's because I haven't really been keeping active and doing much exercise. Feels good to be back with the team. This way I get quite a bit of running in and some skills training in too, as I've even forgotten how to throw the ball well. At least I'm managing to train and not go into extreme contact as yet.



Today I had to cancel by physio appointment, but I did reschedule for 2 weeks time since I'm away next week. I hope by then my hopping is a lot better and that changes in strenght will be significant! Will have to work hard at it and get back in the game. No pain no gain a good friend once told me; he was right. On that note I'll close and hope that the next time I'm blogging I'll be playing in games too.



The Gym and the day after

After my last phsyio session a week ago or so I was recommended to start gym exercises such as bike, rowing, air walker and any cardio exercises. I scanned some online prices and asked some friends about the gyms they go to and I went to a free session with my sister, but forgot the print out. The girl suggested we don't do the month membership since they had a special Christmas offer for 12 sessions! So we took that instead and had our assessment the next day.

The trainer asked us why we are doing the gym, and what we were hoping to achieve, we established that gaining muscle in the left leg is what I was mainly looking for and my sister was seeking some exercise to do. He then gave us a plan to follow which goes a little something like this;

• 15 mins Bike warm up
• Stretching holding each stretch for 10 sec's
• 20 mins Rowing
• 20 mins cross-trainer
• Abs Exercises - 20 crunches, 20 elbow to knee, 20 superman stretches and 20 leg lifts
• 15 mins Treadmill
• Stretching holding each one for 15-20 sec's

We managed to do everything but left out the treadmill the first time as it was getting late and we had errands to run. All in all with a cold and all we did pretty well and stuck it out! My leg started hurting a bit during the last 5 minutes of the cross trainer but the rest were ok.

The next day....my calf starts pulling a bit...I think it's been so inactive that the difference was felt immediately. I guess that's a good sign though and that the more I do the less I'll feel it. Let's hope at least that this is the case. Will go again tomorrow and perhaps add some pool to the whole regimen too since that is included in the price. Perhaps I'll be able to start training from mid- January at least! Merry Christmas to everyone, it's been a very eventful year with Rugby, the fracture and all the great people I've met wishing you all the best today and always x x x

Walk the walk

It's now been 3 weeks since I removed the cast, and 2 weeks since I started physio. Last Tuesday I had a session with the Sports physio and she told me that I shouldn't be walking funny anymore. We worked on walking normally and she has given me exercises to strengthen the muscles and told me to get to the gym asap and start doing cardio exercises.

My to do list exercises until next week are:

• Walking - rocking forward and back



Calf stretch

• Double calf raises - with more weight on the weak leg
• Balancing on weak leg and other one lifted - with open and then with closed eyes (turning head and having someone throw me a ball)
• Calf stretch against wall, and then with both knees bent - see stick men
• Pushing weak foot against wall or using theraband
• Bridging
• Stepping down little step
• Squatting against a wall

For the last two days I have been doing these exercises and my walking has improved significantly if I should say so myself.

Taped leg

Physio meeting #2. Today was my second consultation so to speak and there seems to be marked improvement in my flexibility. Which I was pleased about, although I didn't exercise as much as I should have. He told me there was still some swelling so he sort of massaged that out for about ten to fifteen minutes. Now tomorrow I've got an appointment with a sports science expert who will have a look and tell me what to do next...

The physio told me that he doesn't think I need anymore sessions! We'll see tomorrow what muscle strengthening exercises I'm told to do... so far I should only be doing the the recommended exercises for my leg and any upper body exercises, so I'll try to complete those at least. Will probably go to the gym and exercise there a bit this week. Looking forward to tomorrow mid-day exercise session too. :) Getting there slowly.

Hydrotherapy

My physio sessions include hydrotherapy. This is me being immersed into hot water that reaches to the chest, to do some exercises and improve flexibility as well as build muscle strength. This was quite interesting and it started with simply walking up and down the length of the pool twice. Other exercises included;

• going on tip toes then going down slowly
• moving from toes to heels and swinging
• balancing on one leg
• using the wobble boards to move up and down
• using the wobble board to balance on one leg and move arms up and down
• walk across the pool
• walk on tip toes across the pool
• on heels
• on inner foot area
• on outer foot area
• stretching it by pushing against a wall

These same exercises were to be done at home in a bit of a slower motion. As well as crunching a tissue paper with my toes.

On the second session which was yesterday there were some more exercises such as:

• hopping on the bad leg across the pool
• stepping up and lifting my body on the first step of the pool

I was also told that I can cycle, row, and do exercises at the gym...so it's searching for a gym with these facilities that is close and get a months membership.

My first physio session

I was so nervous today, I don't know why but anyhow I managed to get there on time! This was such a relief after the last hospital visit. The physio was understanding, did not use big terms, talked at pace and really took time to understand the situation, what happened, what I've done so far and the next course of action. :)

It seems like I'll be resting my foot still for quite a while, elevation at hip level is still needed to heal the bone quicker since it is not a main one but more of a support. I was also told to do exercises when the leg is resting to keep it flowing. See image below from the following link (http://www.physioadvisor.com.au/8128450/calcaneal-stress-fracture-physioadvisor.htm)

The exercise is flex, count to ten, then point count to ten, and so on for turning the foot inwards and outwards. This can be done when my leg is raised and lowered too, to keep circulation going and joints fluid. I guess it's good exercise even for those with no real leg issues! I was told that my flexibility is quite good at this stage, so I was quite pleased. However the physio also said that I need to regain my balance and the muscle lost during the time the leg was in a cast.

Hydrotherapy will also be part of my rehab program, starting next week with 2 sessions booked, which will last half an hour each. This will be after work and I'm really looking forward to it! The spa gives you a bathrobe, towel and shower materials which is quite handy. Parking next door is also 1.50 EUR/ hour which doesn't make it worth seeking a parking space in Sliema at 5.30pm. Thanks to my work health insurance I can also get these paid for! So do check out your insurance policy if you ever decide to go for physio sessions!

That's it for now, if you want to contact this physio you may do so by calling the Fortina Spa resort and ask for an appointment with Alan Zammit.

That cracking sound...

My walk is slowly improving and I'm trying to balance my weight more and more as the days pass. What I'm noticing now however is that my ankle is cracking all the time. So I did a little search to see if this was normal or could be a problem to look into.

What I have found so far are the reasons for it - in my case since I'm not in the stage of getting Arthritis it could 1 of these 2 reasons;

taken from Everyday mysteries (http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/joint.html)

"Escaping gases: Scientists explain that synovial fluid present in your joints acts as a lubricant. The fluid contains the gases oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide. When you pop or crack a joint, you stretch the joint capsule. Gas is rapidly released, which forms bubbles. In order to crack the same knuckle again, you have to wait until the gases return to the synovial fluid.

Movement of joints, tendons and ligaments: When a joint moves, the tendon’s position changes and moves slightly out of place. You may hear a snapping sound as the tendon returns to its original position. In addition, your ligaments may tighten as you move your joints. This commonly occurs in your knee or ankle, and can make a cracking sound."

I think it's more likely to be the latter reason. So it seems to be quite normal after one has sprained their ankle which was I guess was a part of my injury apart from the fractured fibula. I still have pins and needles sort of if I try to go on my toes and go down stairs. Will have to work on that still and hopefully the physio will suggest some exercises for it too. I'm considering joining a pool too so I might check out some monthly gym memberships and take it from there.