Posted by Scott on November 16, 2000 at 19:38:35:

In Reply to: bilateral calcanei fractures posted by P Baker on November 15, 2000 at 09:35:03:

Boy, I'm really surprised to hear that your doctor did not prescribe any PT for you. A serious foot injury and major surgery like that should not go untreated. Granted, I'm not a doctor or therapist, but I did have a very similar injury (to only one foot, though) - and I was in therapy (one form or another) for nearly 9 months.

I highly encourage you to go back to your doctor/hospital/insurance company and see what your options are for PT - and whether there's a therapist that they would recommend. I can't imagine that they would say that it's not needed (only question might be whether you have to pay for it or not). You should also be able to find a certified therapist in the yellow pages.

As for recommended exercises, your therapist/doctor are the ones who should prescribe your PT exercises based on the severity of your injury and current condition of the heels... but at the very least you will need to work on improving your foot/ankle range of motion (breaking down the scar tissue from the surgery), improving your tendon/ligament strength and reactivity (which will greatly help your balance), and working on your gait (hopefully fixing the limp / foot dragging).

Best of luck.