What are the best post-surgery exercises for optimal recovery?

by Kelly
(Ct)

I recently had Topaz surgery 9-14-10 on my right foot for PF.

I seem to be recovering well and have resumed regular activity levels with housework, driving, shopping, etc.

My doctor has been vague about what I should or should not do to support full recovery, saying "Listen to your body".

My hope is to be able to walk again for exercise, return to the gym without suffering from foot pain. I do not want to overdo physical activities to slow down recovery but I also do not want to lose muscle strength in my legs and I need to burn calories.

What are the best exercises? How long should it take to know if surgery was successful?



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Joshua Answers:

Hi Kelly.

I agree it would have been great to get some actual self-care instructions from your surgeon.

But you didn't, and your surgeons really don't know anything about that anyway.

So what to do now? It sounds like you're coming along nicely, and I appreciate your 'wariness' or concern, or wisdom around giving your body time to heal from the injury of surgery and avoiding doing too much.

How long should it take? Unfortunately I really can't answer that. It really just all depends on how 'bad' your Plantar Fasciitis was, what exactly was going on in there, how much damage the surgery actually did, your physical and nutritional health, etc.

If you're getting better, great! Probably it will continue to go that way.

** Continue to slowly increase your activity levels while keeping under pain tolerance.

** Ice Dip as described on the How To Reduce Inflammation page.

** Make sure you thoroughly understand Tendonitis.

** Take extra effort to increase your protein and other nutritional intake.

As far as the best exercises for post Plantar Fasciitis surgery, or Topaz surgery specifically, I'd focus on self massage instead, to keep all that tissue as mobile and possible (and all the other good things that happen). Personally I'd do that over exercise any day.

Once you heal fully or at least close to it, then you can begin to do strengthening exercises. Until your tissue is fully knitted back together, stretching and weights etc risk pulling it apart, a little or a lot. And walking is already doing that. So continue to go easy, don't test your limits (to avoid rip/tear).

I know that's not exactly an answer to your question.....




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Joshua Tucker, B.A., C.M.T.
The Tendonitis Expert
www.TendonitisExpert.com