Over the past few months you have seen me (Madi :) ) hobbling around the clinic in a cam boot, if your one of my patients you would know that i had a netball injury.
I ruptured 2 ligaments which caused and evulsion fracture. This means that when they ruptured they took some bone off in the process. I also had a grade 2 tear of another ligament, a grade 2 sprain of another ligament complex and also some bone bruising. You could say that i do not like to do things by half measures.
As a podiatrist, I guess the sliver lining I can take from this is that I can now use this experience to help with treating patients and to also have great content for this blog.
I'm going to break this blog down into 3 sections. The devices I used to help me get around, modalities of treatment and rehab programs.
Devices
At first I went straight into a cam boot for protection. I also needed the help with weightbearing as I had injured my other foot so I was also given crutches at the hospital.
I then weaned into using an ankle brace to help around at work and out and about.
I'm currently still in tubi grip for compression has I still have quite a bit of swelling in the ankle.
How a Podiatrist can help?
Our podiatrist's at foot body sole have had training in how to fit a cam boot (you may know these as moon boots). We also stock a wide range of options.
We also stock ankle braces and compression to help reduce swelling.
Treatment Modalities
My first stop the next morning after returning from the hospital was into the clinic to have our Senior podiatrist
Nina work some of her magic for acute injuries with some Therapeutic Ultrasound and Laser therapy. She was also able to write me a referral for a bulk billed Diagnostic ultrasound to get a better idea of what the damage was to the soft tissue structures in my ankle.
I continued with Laser therapy for about a month and I was still having some pain and weakness in soft tissues both feet. Now that my injury is no longer deemed to be acute, we will move onto using shockwave therapy and interferential therapy to help with the pain but also as anther tool in rehabilitation. Usually the above therapies can aid a slightly faster recovering of the injured area.
In an ironic twist of events we had actually ordered some orthotics with lateral support to help decrease the chances of me rolling my ankle while playing netball and in day to day life. This could be another way in which a podiatrist could support recovery.
Rehabilitation
Once I was cleared for not needing surgery the real hard work began. Building up the strength in my ankle has been a long and slow process. A lot of the time I feel like it is one step forward and 2 steps back. This has really given me insight into how a patient feels when we are treating their injury. I have been completing a range of different exercises to help increase range of motion in my ankle after being in a CAM boot for 2 weeks and to help to build up strength. Now 12 weeks post injury I am ready to start jogging.
How a Podiatrist can help?
Creating a rehabilitation problem suited to your goals.
Monitoring the progress of the rehabilitation with qualitative data.
Progression of exercise as you need.
Advising or rehab aids that may help you such as therabands and stability exercises.
We hope you have found the above information helpful. If you need any further information or wish to make an appointment with one of our podiatrists, we would love to help you.
We are located at 108 Bridport St, Albert Park Vic 3206, or you can call us on 03 8648 7678. Alternatively, you can click on the book now button below and it will take you to our online booking page.
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