ccoopah

Hi Rose It's Carol

Here are the PT exercises posted by Joll43. I hope that is what you were looking for.

To answer the first question:

At this point (I've been off crutches for about 5 weeks after major bunionectomy):

-I ride the recumbent bike for 15 minutes - level 4-5
-I walk BACKWARDS on the treadmill at an incline of 14, speed of 1.3mph for 6 min.

-My therapist does the hands-on work w/my foot, pressing to flex, working my toe to its full range of motion, both ways, much harder than I would work it myself; massaging the tendons, etc.

-calf stretches against the wall either with toes on a styrofoam semi-circular wedge, or using the calf-stretching device (it's a plastic, half-moon looking thing) 10 sets, 30-seconds each

-standing toe-raises & heel-raises - 30 of each (no shoes)

-transferring of weight - standing in the parellel bars, one foot ahead of the other, as if walking - slowly transfer weight of the back foot to the front foot, remembering to bend the front leg, to the point of lifting the back foot off the ground and "rolling through" even if you can't roll through yet - switch legs after 30 (no shoes)

-sidestepping (with or without shoes) - they have a line of tape that's about 8 feet long, and I do 5 "laps"
-tightrope walking on the tape - 5 laps

-marching, lifting up onto my toe with each step - 5 laps (with shoes)
-walking on toes - 5 laps (without shoes if I can stand it)
-walking on heels - 5 laps (without shoes if I can stand it)

-trampoline lunges - on minitramp at almost a vertical level, I guess about a 10-degree angle - stand about a foot or so away from it, lunge one foot onto the middle, and come up onto your standing toe - lower the heel and switch feet. This is hard! (no shoes)

-ankle board (wide round plastic thing) - you put your healing foot onto the middle; there's a half-ball under the board, you make the edges of the board hit the floor from side to side, front to back, clockwise and counter-clockwise - isolating your ankle, don't use your knee or whole leg

-2 cones are set up on the floor at 12 o'clock and 9 o'clock. Standing on your right foot, bend at the knee and touch (or try to) the first cone, and the second cone - again and again, keeping only one foot on the floor - 10 sets of 10, switching legs after each

-on a wobbly board (just wobbles front to back) find your balance and crouch, not holding on and keeping your back straight - hold for 30 seconds - 10 sets (with shoes)

-unilateral heel-raises - raising up on your toes, on just one foot (shoes or no shoes) - amazing how difficult this is - I do as many as I can before dying

-Stairs - they have a small staircase set up, one side has two steps of 6-inch height, the other has three steps of 4-inch height. Starting on the small steps, stand on the top on your healing foot and try to place your other heel down on the next step (no matter how much your knee SHAKES) - repeat 5 times and switch legs for good measure. Once you have a handle on it, try to roll through and actually travel down the steps. Switch to the larger steps and repeat.

-Theraband - holding around one foot, I bend, flex and move side-to-side for strength and flexability

Elevate and ice for 10 minutes, THEN I go home!

second post:

What I forgot was, when I started PT, I did these:

-place a towel on the floor (not carpet) and try to pull it toward you with your foot; after awhile try to pick the towel up with your foot

-place 30 marbles on the floor (carpet or a towel) and pick them up, one by one and move them to another towel (I couldn't do this at ALL when I started - I even cried while I was trying! What a baby - now I can do two at a time

It was posted May 7, 2005.

My Comment:

I am also going to PT and doing many of the same exercises and am having an amazing recovery. 6 weeks post op and feet getting great!