email: Mihal.Freinquel@gmail.com

Saturday, March 1, 2014

Scar Massage: The Horror/The Brilliance

Let me start by saying: Ashley Mueller is the best massage therapist in Portland, Oregon. Maybe the best in the country...I've tried my fair share. I've been seeing Ashley since a few months after my first surgery - so like, late summer early fall of last year. She's strong, she's intuitive, and she knows a lot about feet/ankles (amongst everything else).

Let me tell you guys - massage is so important to rehabbing your ankle - particularly to getting your scar-skin moving like regular skin again. Scar issue attaches itself to anything it can - it has little legs that grab onto bone, muscle, ligaments...whatever's around it - and it fucking HURTS. It causes major major discomfort and tightness. Unfortunately the only way to break it up is to have somebody as awesome as Ashley massage it out. IT HURTS LIKE HELL. But then it hurts less.

So if you've had your surgery and done your rehab and you still feel tightness or any sort of similar ache, try the scar massage. I'm telling you. And if you're in PDX, tell her I sent you :) [update: she doesn't accept new patients anymore]

Aside from that, things are slowly getting better. I haven't gone back to yoga yet, but the time is coming soon. Maybe next weekend, making it 5 weeks post-op. The holes in my bones are supposed to close up 4-6 weeks post-op, so I think I'm reluctant to push myself too much before that. My foot/ankle is still a little bruised. Also, I had a little sharp thing sticking out of my incision/scar which Ashley said was an un-absorbed suture and that I should pull it out...so I did:


There's another one too, but I can't get it. I have a checkup with the doc in 2 weeks so I may solicit his help. 

12 comments:

  1. I am so glad I found your blog. I had ORIF surgery on my ankle October 30th (9 screws and a plate). I just had the syndosmotic screw removed on Thursday (Feb.27th). I have had high hopes that I will get some more range of motion now, time will tell. It really is helpful to read your blog because you are about 6 months ahead of me. Thanks Again!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm so glad you found it too! Range of motion is a slowfuckingprocess...but it comes if you keep working on it. Find yourself a good combo of stretching and massage :)

      Delete
  2. Massage! Yes, that's one thing I really didn't do for myself (probably bc it hurt like a mf'er) but I'm looking into massages now to get the swelling in my leg down. Also, thanks for letting me know what an un-absorbed suture was/is. I had two of them but didn't know what they were and I legit thought I was pulling some weird piece of dead skin out of my body. Either that or I was a bird and about to sprout feathers. Good luck on your quest to regain full mobility--I have no doubts that you'll succeed. Also, congrats on the nuptials!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes!! Massage will def help with swelling - also keep icing (don't underestimate the power of ice water dunks), or try a compression sock (which I've written about on the blog).

      Thanks for the congrats...is the Kelly from CC?

      Delete
  3. Hey Mihal! Great blog you have here it's exactly what I need now. I went to surgery 10th May of broken ankle. It's my 3rd day now of beginning walking and oh boy its hard. It is very painful to stand on it but that is normal the first days right? It helped me very much to see your video, how this progress is and how much time it takes. I am going to London 22nd of August do you think I will be good before that?
    Greetings from Iceland!
    Dagný Valdimarsdóttir

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Dagny! It's certainly normal for it to be painful to walk the first few days. As far as being good before London, I have no way of knowing that :) Practice walking a lot, stretching, icing...it takes quite a bit of time to feel "normal" - but overall mobility can certainly happen sooner. If you only saw one of my videos, take a look at my youtube channel and click through the blog posts, I go into major detail on the healing process :)

      Delete
  4. Thank you so much for this brilliant blog, it has kept me from going insane over the last 8 weeks! I had a Trimelleolar fracture and underwent 2 surgeries. Never knew I could feel so down and hopeless. Thank you for sharing your experiences on the blog, it's been my bible for 2 months and still is! Hope you are fully recovered and are feeling fit and healthy. Big love ❤️

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for the love Kate!! best of luck healing to you - be patient with yourself <3

      Delete
  5. I'm so glad I found this blog! I'm three days post surgery.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Pdx! Me too. I slipped on slippery leaves. Late night google brought me here as I lay in bed in my new sleeping boot feeling all kinds of aches. It didn’t hurt until recently because I think it was too numb. Joys of broken ankles!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. oh nooooo!!! So sorry. Have patience with yourself, you will heal.

      Delete