First Brisk Walk: Day 39 after Cheilectomy

Thought it was time to try a real walk down the road... I walk around school often throughout the day, but never very far or fast. So, this evening after some PT exercises and manual stretches of the sole of my foot, I put on my athletic walking shoes and set out, hoping to get a little exercise. It was not what I'd call a workout---at least not a cardiovascular workout. Three miles per hour, tops, was the best I could manage while trying to maintain normal weight transfer all the way through that final painful push off the big toe. It is so difficult to choose pain! How much easier it would have been to just limp, but that won't get me anywhere. If pain leads to gain, I guess I choose pain. 

No Pain, No Gain in PT: 38 Days after Cheilectomy

No pain, no gain--- absolutely true with regard to this recovery process.  Melissa, my PT, gripped my foot, wiggling and wrenching it until every muscle, ligament, and tendon screamed for mercy.  I kept my mouth shut lest I be told again to put my big girl panties on. Truly, I saw red, visualizing a zealous chef snapping chicken bones with her bare hands. I spent long agonizing minutes with my great toe bent back while Melissa massaged and manipulated the stiff, shortened structures in the sole of my foot.  Massage sounds so tender, but tender it was not.  Like last time, I was shocked to survive the torture, stand, and walk better than before. I even tried standing on my toes for the first time. Pretty amazing! Here's a photo of my foot executing an impressive bend.  Not without pain, but wow!  Just Wow!