In late 1998 while at home, I missed the last step as I descended the stairs and brought all my weight down on the outside of my ankle. Immediately I experienced severe pain and swelling and was unable to move my foot or place any weight on it. Though I'd experienced sprained ankles in the past, this felt clearly different, and I went to an orthopedic physician for an assessment. After an x-ray revealed that one of the long bones in my foot had fractured, this physician said to me, "I'm going to put you in a cast for six weeks, but at the end of that time you'll be mad at me because the bone probably won't heal and I'll have to do surgery anyway." Nothing was said about the other soft tissue damage that my foot had obviously sustained.

I accepted the casting but I was not going to accept surgery, and I decided I would not return to this orthopedist. After six weeks, an x-ray showed that the bone had healed, albeit crookedly. Much more worrisome was that once out of the cast my foot was still swollen and immobile and I could not bear weight without severe pain. I decided to explore other treatment options and chose to see Dr. Benjamin.

In his assessment, Dr. Benjamin managed to calm my worries about the crookedly healed fracture when he said with a smile, "It's It didn't heal perfectly but it's its function is not compromised." He then went on to identify eleven torn or damaged ligaments in my ankle and foot where scar tissue had formed over the prior six weeks and was now preventing normal, pain-free movement. I began working with one of his associates, at first twice a week and later once a week. The work was often uncomfortable, but the therapist encouraged me to communicate with her in order to guide the treatment. Most importantly, I noted improvement after every session, usually within one or two days but often immediately. Within a few weeks I was able to put weight on the ankle and within two months was walking without crutches or a cane. In a shorter period of time than I expected, I recovered full use of my ankle and foot.

-S. Moore
Massage Therapist/Writer