This is an account of how my recovery progressed after surgery for Compartment Syndrome.
(Disclaimer: You should never diagnose yourself from a website, and everyone’s recovery experience from surgery is different. This is only an account of my personal experience)
Short story - after two weeks I could walk normally, after four weeks I began my running program with no discomfort. It took a while to build up my fitness so I could run for any time, but that had nothing to do with surgery.
(Once you’re ready to start running, visit my other site at www.diy-c25k-mp3s.com to learn about the Couch to 5k running program and learn how to make your own podcasts/mp3s to run along to. Don’t forget to bookmark the site!)
Long Story……
Introduction
What is Compartment Syndrome?
Getting Diagnosed and deciding on surgery
The Day of Surgery
Week One
Week Two
Week Three
Week Four
Week Five
After Seven Months
Introduction
I had actually posted a lot of progress reports on this site at the time I was recovering, but they were lost when my previous web host had a meltdown. So I reconstructed this account from old posts on CalorieKing.com.au, emails and entries in my personal diary.
Compartment Syndrome is when the sheath (fascia) around the muscles in your legs is too tight, and doesn’t expand with your muscles when you exercise. It causes sharp pains down the sides of the legs during exercise, especially running. In my case, it was extremely painful, and I think I had it all my life. I certainly remember it interfering with several activities and jobs that I have had. I couldn’t walk uphills very fast, or sustain a fast walk for very long, which was a problem for work sometimes.
Getting Diagnosed and deciding to have Surgery
I had tried several times to do the Couch to 5k program. I could imagine myself running along and I knew it was a great way to lose weight. I also knew it was the most convenient form of exercise for travellers, and I was travelling a lot. I thought the pain in my legs was something everyone got, that I just needed to strengthen the muscles and push through it. But I never could. The muscles didn’t get stronger, the pain didn’t get less, and I rarely made it through the week one program, although I tried over and over again.
I tried to explain the pain to my sister, who is a physio. She suggested it might be compartment syndrome. Eventually, I decided to find out, so she gave me a referral to a sports doctor, Dr Day.
Dr Day thought it sounded like a textbook case of Compartment Syndrome. A pressure test a few weeks later confirmed it beyond doubt - the pressure in my leg muscles even at rest was very high. Dr Day explained that the only real cure was surgery, but that it was a simple procedure that would only require one night in hospital, and that it had a high success rate. I really wanted to be able to run - I saw it as my best chance to lose and maintain my weight. So I decided to have the surgery and Dr Day referred me to a surgeon, Mr Skinner.
On the day I was to have the surgery, a Friday, I fronted up at the hospital very early and very hungry since I had to fast from the night before until surgery. I spent most of the morning dozing in a hospital bed, which was very nice on a work day J until I was taken into surgery.
I woke up from surgery feeling very comfortable, although I was aware that my legs hurt a little. They were wrapped tight in bandages which felt very good. Only a couple of hours after surgery, a nurse helped my walk to the loo. It was a bit painful to walk but not unbearable.
By evening, I was feeling quite hungry. The nurses seemed a little surprised, but they got me some food anyway. Later in the night I got kind of bored, so I started pushing the limits, walking a little way down the hall to get my water jug refilled or find a magazine. The nurses commented that I recovered quickly because it was a minor surgery and because I am relatively young (30ish) and healthy.
The next morning (Saturday) a physio came to see me, and decided that I didn’t need crutches as I was able to hobble about quite well. I was discharged from the hospital and Mum and Dad came to pick me up so I could stay with them for the week.
I spent the Saturday and Sunday after the surgery at my Mum and Dad’s, mostly lying down, resting, hobbling around a little and sleeping a lot. The pain was manageable, but I was taking the painkillers I’d been giving quite regularly. The bandages, which I was supposed to keep on for five days, were VERY annoying, they were supposed to be tight, but they weren’t - they kept falling down in little puddles around my ankles, which seemed totally useless to me. I was supposed to keep them on even in the shower, but the plastic thingies to keep them dry didn’t work, so I just re-did them each time.
On the Monday (Day three) I went to work. That was a mistake. Dad drove me in to the city rather than take the train, which was good; I didn’t have to walk very far. I was still hobbling around and I looked quite silly every time I got up to get water or go to the loo. Especially since I was wearing nasty old sneakers and had bandages falling down around my ankles all the time. Also, I was very tired and sleepy and I fell asleep at my desk for a while after lunch. It was cold that day, and the cold seemed to get into my legs and make them ache.
After work I walked really slowly down to the train station in the city, caught the train and had Dad pick me up from the train station near his house. By the time I got home I was sore and tired and fed up, so I took some painkillers and went to bed.
On the Tuesday I woke up still sore and called in sick. I spent the day taking painkillers, sleeping, surfing the net and staying warm. It helped a lot.
On Wednesday and Thursday I went to work, still looking silly hobbling around but at least not falling asleep at my desk, although I slept well at night. By Thursday night I still had to rest a few times on the way to the train station after work. I was really glad to stop using the annoying bandages after Wednesday.
Friday morning I wore a new pair of boots, which were flat but slightly built up at the heel. Since this meant I didn’t have to stretch the back of my leg as much when I walked, I could walk almost normally in them, if slowly. Friday was actually a good day, I didn’t feel too tired.
On the weekend I borrowed Mum’s car and went home. During the second week I gradually built up my walking to 20 minutes, walking on my lunch breaks. On Tuesday I had the sticky dressings off my wounds and the scars looked pretty good, not as scary as I expected. I started putting Vitamin E oil on them twice a day. By Wednesday my walking seemed totally normal, and on the Friday morning I did a little jog-trot to catch the bus and it didn’t hurt at all, so I was stoked by that! I still wasn’t feeling very confident about taking steps though, so I was using the disabled ramps and the elevators a lot.
During week three I continued walking up to 30 minutes a day. I still wasn’t too sure about steps, but things were going fine, at this point you wouldn’t guess I had had surgery.
During week four I returned to the gym. Which was great because I was going nuts with no real exercise except walking. I was able to use the cross trainer with no problems, and on the Friday I had a go on the treadmill, and was able to jog for five minutes with no pain! I was so incredibly happy you can’t imagine, I had never run for five minutes without burning pain in the sides of my legs before!! At that point I knew for sure the surgery was successful.
On week five I started the C25K week one program. It didn’t hurt at all!
Since then I have steadily progressed through the program. I repeated most weeks a few times, and took it very slowly as I don’t want to get injured. I am now on week 5 - I still haven’t been brave enough to try the 20 minute run, but that’s because I’m unfit and my lungs hurt, not because my legs hurt at all. When walking with friends or for work trips I am now able to keep up with no pain, even when the pace is quite brisk for an extended time. When I go on holidays I can go for runs in the morning and get in my exercise, even if there’s no gym or pool nearby.
The scars are about 5cm long and they are noticeable, but fading. Mostly people don’t notice them though unless I point them out. I’m sure they will continue to fade with time, and that I will eventually get to run that 5k.
P.S - as of 1st March 2009 (about 8 months post surgery) I am now up to week 7 of the C25K program and can do 25 minute runs comfortably. It feels great!
If you’re ready to start running, visit my other site at www.diy-c25k-mp3s.com to learn more about the Couch to 5k beginner running program and learn how to make your own podcasts/mp3s to run along to. Be sure to bookmark the site! Or - you could spend some of your recovery time making the podcasts so they’re all ready to go once you’re recovered!!
