I am so thrilled! I didn't know I could love walking so much The orthopedist cleared me to walk as much as I can. I can start walking without the moon boot on whenever I feel comfortable without it. He showed me the x-ray of my ankle. I can see the thing he put in it (it's called a tightrope), and it looks like there is a little button on either side of the bones. I could also see where the ligaments were healing over it

He did say that he'd never seen anyone get injured the way I did while skating. I told him that I knew a couple of other people that had done the exact same thing or something similar

Anyway, it felt weird when I first put weight on the injured foot. Pins and needles shot up through my heel. Now it doesn't hurt, but I'm limping (more out of fear of hurting it than actual pain). I loaded the dishwasher and carried my own glass of Coke to the family room - and was very proud of myself Then I sat down and felt utterly exhausted!

I get to start PT on Friday - can't wait!!! Being able to skate again seems much closer now than it did in early September.

Slightly off-topic: The ortho told me my cute little ballet flats wouldn't be good to wear on my injured foot I told him that since I couldn't wear heels, I had to wear something that looked at least semi-professional to work. He then told me to wear sneakers. Sneakers with a suit?! The man has no sense of fashion

GREAT!!!
Oh I know how you feel I was thrilled as well. Made me feel a tad bit less handicapped!
But I was scared to step on it.

It's lovely. You'll be back skating in no time!

I wear sneakers btw with the suits, I know how that is... Nice neat black sleek pointy toed sneakers
yeah they exist.

I need to find some of those! Somehow, I don't think my white New Balances will look so hot with my suits

I'm nervous to step on it too. I'm not putting my full weight on it yet.

new balance is ugly... they're like for hiking and camping, not for work... I like nike lol!
the sneakers are just 30 euro from the local cheap shoes shop though. not even leather.
btw boots can look great professional too!

Congratulations!! You are on your way!!

You might want to try Keens http://www.keenfootwear.com/ - they are amazingly comfortable and have a very nice, solid footbed. Most of the podiatrists around here recommend them. I have two pairs and will be adding a third soon - with my penchant for turning my ankle and breaking my little feeties, they really help with stability!

They are a little funny-looking (!) but some of them are very attractive and really better than sneakers - there are styles for every occassion!

They are a little spendy, though ("spendy" -- is that a NW term?)

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Is Portland the only city with it's own ice-dance website? http://www.pdxicedance.net/

You can buy fashion sneakers to wear to work. Ballet flats don't provide you with any kind of support. And besides, it won't be the first time people have done that. When we were on a cruise, my dad got a cut on his foot that got infected and caused his foot to swell, but it was formal night and they were serving lobster for dinner, so he put on a formal suit (black suit, white shirt, tie, very fancy looking) and sneakers. We still tease him about it when he can't decide what to wear.

But congrats on being able to walk again! Work hard at PT, see if you can't get them to give a massage. My PT was amazing at massages, he would massage my knee, and then if I had a long day and came in with my really heavy backpack, he would actually give me a shoulder massage when I was on hte machines. Now he was awesome.

When I was recovering from my achilles rupture and reconstruction, my surgeon limited me to New Balance (sorry, but trendy sneakers don't offer the proper support, and NB happen to have the best support of all of the "good" brands. If you don't go with NB, look for a sneaker at least rated with support for walking or crosstraining) and Merrells (Keens are similar). So, I got myself a few pricey but nice pairs of Merrells (including knee boots) and merrily got to recovering. My PT agreed entirely with his recommendations.

I had a pretty strict recovery-- not even being allowed to go barefoot for months (except in the shower!) and needing a heel for a long time, so maybe I was a little bit more restricted, but maybe the brands will help. Merrells are fairly trendy right now, so you're bound to find a style that you might like.

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When asked what his "secret" to success was, Wayne Gretsky said: "Skate to where the puck is going and not to where it has been."
Is the figure skating version of this: Skate as if you're doing an axel and not just learning how to hop?

I *loved* being able to walk again. I still love it. Just wait until you start skating!

Kay

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Congratulations!!!

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I'll look for the Merrells. I have a pair of New Balance, so I suppose I will at least temporarily wear those even if they don't go with my work outfits

I can't wait. I dream about skating! And I keep getting up to walk around the room just because I can

Love that story about your dad! And I will defintely ask about massages My doctor even told me to massage my ankle and foot, so I have an excuse!

Some of those are cute! Are they sold in stores, or just online?

ETA: I just answered my question! There is a listing of stores on the website.

I love my pair of NB - but they're definitely more geared for working out and not so much for work!
Oooo...boots! I have 3 pairs, but they all have heels.
I am such a shoe addict. I can just picture myself telling my husband that I have to go buy new sneakers that will be supportive but look good at work. He'll love that He's still not over the $500 skating boots

Congratulations!

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Yippeee!!!!
BTW, Ecco makes some normal looking shoes that are supportive and cushy but meant for walking.
http://www.eccousa.com/shoes/womens/...duct-list.aspx

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"You don't have to put an age limit on your dreams." - Dara Torres, 41, after her 2nd medal at the 2008 Olympics

Hah, you think you're a show addict?

I had over 60 pair, and still I had to go and buy something new for my ankle, LOL!

After that I decided to throw out, donate etc most of my shoes. I only kept about 25 pair... Most of it boxed and stored up, so I only have about 10 pair lying around my room. Well at least my room is a lot less cluttered. The first thing people used to say when they came to my room was "wooow you have a lot of shoes".
Is like, ballerina shoes alone I had in beige, three pair in black, in creme with embroidery, and in white.

Congratulations Morgail!

I second the recommendations for either Merrells or Keens. You are going to need to go to the store and try them on because they have totally different fits. Try stores like the walking company or nordstroms. Good luck!

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Happily defying the laws of physics when I skate...and not in a good way

If I could meet ole Axel Paulsen, I would kick him in the teeth

President and Founding member of the I hate Toe-Loops Club

Still a member, but trying to get out of the Pre-bronze peanut gallery.

Visit my skating journal

Oh, I'm so happy for you! CONGRATULATIONS! And I totally understand how excited you are because I was the same way! Are you using a cane or anything? I needed a cane for a couple of weeks and then gradually didn't need it for anything. Took a while though. Stairs were the biggest problem, specifically, going downstairs. It was a happy (though exhausting) day at PT the first time they showed me how to go down stairs safely. Oh, and yeah, those first few steps? Hurt like crazy. But it got better pretty fast.

Work hard at PT and have them push you as much as you can stand. Walk but don't overdo it. Your PT can show you lots of things to do at home or at the gym, too.

I love New Balance, too, and that was all I could wear for a few months. I have some Ecco's that I wear now, too. But maybe a pair of black New Balance wouldn't look too bad with your work clothes?

That's funny about your surgeon not having seen this injury from skating! I was supposed to get the tightrope thing, too, but my surgeon didn't like how it was holding my ankle together, so he took it out and used a screw instead.

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August 22, back on the ice!

Thanks everyone

I'm just walking around on my own with the boot - no crutch or cane. Still looking a bit like Frankenstein though! (hmm...maybe that's what I should do for Halloween!) I made it down & back up the stairs to the break room at work this morning. Down the stairs was slow-going - I could only do one stair at a time. Going up the stairs was easier. My ankle is definitely sore today, and I get really tired after walking around. I tested standing on my injured foot without the boot this morning. It hurt a little but wasn't too bad. I didn't attempt walking without the boot though!

Okay, that's definitely more than I have!

Those are nice! I like their dress shoes.

Good for you, Morgail. Hope you will recover fully in no time! Speaking of Frankenstein, yup, that's how some guys at work made fun of me when they saw my air-cast boot. For me, I felt more like an astronaut.

YAY! That's so exciting.

I'd just wear the tennis shoes to work and not worry about it. If your coworkers are used to you NOT WALKING- then I'm sure the explanation of "I have to wear these shoes" won't take more than a second.

That said- I worship Merrells- though I've gone with "imitation" ones and put my custom orthodics in them for arch supports, when the money is limited.

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-Jessi
What I need is a montage...
Visit my skating journal or my Youtube videos (updated with 2 new videos Sept 26, 2009)

Congratulations!

Might I suggest Born footwear -- great support and a roomy toebox, perfect for those of us who are wrecking our toelets in skates. Sigh.