Cannot wear heels for a while :(

[gailprice]

To cut a long story short. I have taken a tumble and torn my Anterior Cruciate ligament (ACL) in my right knee . Now i cannot wear heels as the pain is so great.
I hope to have an operation soon to have a new one. I understand it's at least 3 to 6 months before i will be anywhere near normal.
I will have a scare (so longer skirts from now on).

Any one had similar?

[bridget thronton]

Hope you have a good recovery (Steve Yzerman did well after his repair many years ago)

[Cynthia Anne]

I would say you are pretty darn lucky if it only takes six months wityhout heels! Four years ago I had a leg amputated which gave me a life sentence without heels! I truely hope thinks go well for you! Hugs!

[gailprice]

Sorry did not mean to upset you Cynthia i was just having a chat xxxx

[Babeba]

There are many super cute flats out there, I'm wearing a pair right now!

Don't give up on shoes just because one style doesn't work for you. After all, nobody could wear dainty high heels before steel pin heels were invented in the 1950's and there were definitely lots of men and women dressing feminine before then.

[Barbra P]

The scar from my full knee replacement in 2007 is just a white line running down my knee and it no way stops me from wearing skirts that end above the knee. However people scar differently, and some doctors may not take the same amount of care to avoid an ugly scar as my surgeon did. I find that heels higher than three inches become uncomfortable after a very short time; I have a pair of three inch heels that I can wear for around four or five hours, long enough to go to a therapy session.

As a general rule you’ll wake up from the surgery with your leg in a device that is continually flexing your knee. The Doctors and Nurses in the hospital are pretty good at keeping the pain manageable, but there is a certain amount of pain involved once the initial anesthesia wears off. There is a good chance that the OR staff will insert a catheter while you are in the OR. The following morning a nurse or physical therapist will get you out of bed and on your feet. Before I could leave the hospital I had to demonstrate that I could walk a certain distance and negotiate a few steps both up and down; this is with the aid of a walker. Getting in and out of our truck for the ride home was a bear and I’m glad we had the truck; had it been my Wife’s low car I’m sure there would have been a lot more pain involved.

Expect to wake up several times a night when you roll-over or turn and put a strain on your knee. My Doctor sent me home with a bottle of 100 Vicodin tablets; I don’t like taking Vicodin and I only took one before going to bed the first four or five nights at home. On a few occasions I took one after a particularly grueling physical therapy session – when an ice-pack just wasn’t sufficient. The physical therapy can be rough but I learned that the PT for a knee is a cake walk compared to the PT for a shoulder replacement.

I’ll give you a little advice that will make life a lot easier when you get home from the surgery. Get a raised seat for the toilet, the one I got had clamps and it was very secure. The other thing is to install a grab bar on the wall next to the toilet, you’ll really be thankful for having done this for a long time after the surgery – how long I can’t really say because I’m still occasionally glad I have the bar.

Good luck with your surgery and if you have any questions feel free to PM or Email me.

One other thing, don’t be surprised if you set off some metal detectors.

[nomoon]

hope you are getting well soon!!

[gailprice]

Thanks Barbra this is useful information. I kinda knew about the scar so i have asked the consultant if he could do a nice job here and he's promised that i should hardly notice it after a while. The loo thingy is good advice i never thought of that one.
Thanks again Barbra xx

[linda allen]

My wife had a knee replaced. She doesn't wear heels but she seldom did before her operation anyway. You don't have to wear high heels to be or look like a woman. Get some flats or sandals. Later, get some low heeled shoes and see how they work for you.

[carhill2mn]

"Similar" in the sense that due to medical problems that have affected my balance, I can no longer wear many of my pretty high-heels. Bummer!

[sandra-leigh]

You can't get a high-heeled cast?

[isabella]

I tore the ACL in my left knee playing indoor volleyball over five years ago. The knee is completely back to normal now; I can now walk around in five inch heels with no problems. Also, the small scar is practically invisible.

Here's my ACL injury experience in detail:

1) A month and a half after injury: Surgery for ACL reconstruction (had to wait for the swelling to subside). I opted for a cadaver ligament.

2) First three days after surgery: Pretty much flat on my back on a regular diet of vicodin. Used a CPM machine to keep the knee moving during this time.

3) The next two weeks: Moved around on crutches. Was off work. Pain was quite bearable during this period.

4) The next six months: regular physical therapy. I think I went to a therapist three times a week.

5) By this time I was able to run and play sports, although not all out. Slowly rebuilt strength month by month. If I had been more diligent with rehab, I think I would have progressed faster. As it was, it took me a year or so to get to what I considered 90% of full strength.

The bottom line is that ACL reconstruction is not a very big deal these days. It might be depressing for a while because you will be limited in what you can do physically. But if my experience is any guide, you should recover fully (I was in my late thirties when I tore my ACL, btw).

Isabella

[DonnaT]

Hope you get it fixed and you feel better soon.

I've not been able to wear heels for a few years. Seems A bad sprain followed by a light stroke left the right ankle too weak. Been that way for about 5 years.

In June of this year, the right ankle started feeling worse. Had an MRI done, which showed some tearing in several ligaments and tendons. Then last month one of the peroneal tendons snapped.

Had surgery 10/19/12, and the Dr. said there was a lot more that needed fixing than just the one tendon.

Getting around on crutches is near impossible. No balance due to same stroke. Wearing a skirt or nightgown while recovering at home, and doing tele-work. Yay, get to dress while working

Hopefully the fix will enable me to get back into heels, but I didn't ask the Dr.

[heatherdress]

Sorry about your injury and I hope that you heal rapidly. Hmmmm - life without heels for a while may seem tough. Maybe you can slip on a pair when you are seated - at least look at them on your feet. Hope you feel better.

[elizabeth_sonya]

I love the look of heels on my feet. Especially after I have shaved my legs really smooth!

[StephanieC]

Ouch! I hope you have a fast and complete recovery. I hear your pain. I recently had foot surgery and they said I'd be recovering for 6 weeks. I was in a boot for a week and flats for another. After that, I moved to heels as soon as I could jam that thing on my foot. Ok, not yet back to the tall heels but I needed to be in heels.

-stephani

[Confetti]

No worries look for stable heels with a platform much like the ones from the 1940's also the ball room shoes from the 20's and 30's were low and sexy but all dance shoes should be bendable to your foot just a bit of steam.
I hate flat shoes, I think some people look like elephant feet in them, but what I do find that is platform shoes with modest height takes the pressure off when there is a stable heel, my great aunt had saved a pair of what could be fetish shoes from the 30's except nobody can fit her American size 4 possibly a 4" h were ox blood burgundy with a curvy french heel it was like a cruel joke something so beautiful could not fit.
So doll get a lot of padding stable heel, 1" platform with 3" heel is not as bad as straight 3". I wear heels everyday for 8-9 hours. Also please take care you can put the shoes on just don't do anything in them .