Dr.Terry Weyman
Well, today marks the two week point and a small light is beginning to shine. I am continuing my daily routine of supplements; however, I am now adding more bone and joint remodeling supplements instead of those for acute care. I am still using crutches to keep the pressure off the bone contusions and injured ligaments where ever I go.
I am telling you all, if you get an injury such as this, find a Hyperbaric Chamber and get in it. BUT the chamber ALONE is not the key. The key is adding Cold Laser therapy in the chamber! Using specific protocols, within 30 minutes the pain in my ankle was at least 50% less and the passive range of motion gain is huge. This devise has made a big difference in my success so far!
With any injury such as this, proprioception, balance and strength are lost very quickly. So, today, I went to the local pool and began my rehab. I wanted to work on keeping the proprioception (joint awareness) intact and to restore/maintain proper biomechanics. The work out took 45 min and was so worth it. When I started my ankle and foot hurt bad, by the time I was done, they felt so much better. Here is what I did.
1. I Swam laps for 15 min, with minimal kicking. This allowed my injured ankle to work with the water and begin to loosen up with no weight bearing or stress. Swimming is a great work out to work the entire body. It not only gets your heart beating (aerobic activity) but it’s a great full body workout. When you have an altered gait, (due to a walking cast/boot and crutches), your back and hips are affected. Swimming will help work out these “kinks” and keep your body in good alignment.
2. Next, I went to where the water was just below my mouth and stood on the injured leg with my foot flat in perfect posture. Now the water is supporting most of my body weight. I stood on the injured leg and just balanced. 1 minute with my eyes open and 1 minute with my eyes closed (repeated 10 min). By letting the water push me around, I am beginning to work on regaining my stability.
3. Next with the ankle loosening up I started doing light toe raises (20) then walked the width of the pool 5 times and repeated for 20 minutes. When I first did the toe raises my ankle was weak and I felt apprehensive. By the time I was done I felt stronger and there was no pain. The pool ROCKED.
When I was done, I crutched home, then went on the Marc Pro, ice and rested. After the pool my spirits went up. I know this is a long process and it will take a lot of hard work, but what is the alternative, a life time of weakness and instability? NOT WORTH IT. Put the time in now and reap the rewards in the future!
Dr. Terry Weyman is the clinic director of the Chiropractic Sports Institute, for more information go to www.gotcsi.com