9 weeks and counting

Today marks 9 weeks from toe surgery. This is just a quick update. I've increased my activity and am able to run without significant pain. I remain optimistic but skeptical that the surgery was successful. I do have some inflammation and the clicking is still present as it was prior to the surgery. There does seem to be some improvement on the antero-lateral movement. I've been doing mostly heart rate training and aerobic running as not to stress the toe and to build my base. Longer update next time! Keep on keeping on!

Today marks 8-weeks since surgery on my foot. I didn't have much to report last week so I skipped it. A lot has changed since then. When I saw the doctor about 6.5 weeks post-sx I has a few questions/concerns. I  was concerned mostly about the swelling and clicking. He wasn't too concerned about either and said swelling on the feet can last several months post-surgery due the distance from the heart and the fact that we walk on our feet all day. The doctor thought some of the clicking could be from scar tissue. He said I could start to run again - slowly increasing the amount of activity. I was concerned with some pain on flexion so he suggested that I leave the carbon fiber plate, which limits flexion, inside my shoe while I started jogging. I began very slowly at first. My first mile after almost 7 weeks of zero running was an 11:15 min/mile on the treadmill. It felt great. I was alternating days of jogging to allow some swelling to subside from the increased activity. What I have noticed over the last week is the reduced pressure when walking on the medial portion of the great toe joint. Prior to surgery I felt that the toe was deviating laterally due to the inability to properly move through its' proper motion. Occasionally clicking is still present - usually when walking barefooted. On Wednesday I removed the carbon fiber plate and ran a couple miles. I've decided to alternate days of running to allow for continued healing. I will weight-lift or cross-train on the non-running days. Also, I have decided to train mainly in my aerobic heart rate zone (around 150) to build my endurance and engine before adding speed. I've noticed over the last week I've been starving since adding some running. I hope to get this in check to avoid too much weight gain. Things are progressing! Until next update!