After operations in both legs, John is enjoying the gym experience to get back on his feet
I’m 75 and have always been fit and well. Before my double accident, I swam 6 times a week and became very frustrated to be off my feet. Here’s my story…
Last year, I caught my heel in a grating and assumed I had sprained my ankle. Consequently, I had 2-3 X-rays at A&E which showed that there were no broken bones. So I assumed it was just a swollen ankle and that it would take ages to heal.
But after quite some time, it still wasn’t healing so I went to the doctor and had an MRI scan which subsequently showed I had been misdiagnosed. I had actually severed the Achilles tendon. This necessitated quite a big operation due to the time that had elapsed – it had been 7 months since the accident.
I recovered from the operation but because my good leg (right leg) was doing all the work due to my left leg not being weight-bearing, after 5-6 weeks of the operation, I hopped up a step and my right leg collapsed on me. I severed my quadriceps – the big muscle on the knee that allows you to extend your leg.
That necessitated another big operation about 4-5 weeks later which left me in plaster for 5 weeks. When I came out it was really important I had some physio. The muscles in both my legs had backfired and I needed to be able to walk again.
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