andreank’s AchillesBlog

You can do some cardio at the gym - recumbent bike and rower. You just have to row with the injured foot sticking out and when you bike rest the injured foot on the pedal but don’t push on it at all. Just resting it on the pedal helps a LOT. I started biking initially with the injured foot off the pedal entirely - that is HARD! I asked my doc if I could rest the injured foot on the pedal so at least its weight helps the pedal go down as I pull with the other foot. He said that was OK - whew! Don’t worry about body composition now. You can’t do much about it until you get to the point where you start actively working on getting the strength and flexibility back in the injured foot/leg. Then you’ll have a lot of work getting the injured foot back where it was. That will take time. Most docs say it takes at least a year to get back to normal.

I’m lucky that I was not put into a cast. I was put into a boot 3 days post-op. I’m really glad that was my doctors protocol. Too many additional issues with a cast!

People keep telling me that my upper body is going to get so strong. The problem with that is that if i burn out my upper body on a workout (because it is all anyone wants to program for me), I don’t have the energy to use the crutches! Part of the reason I have decided to tone it down.

The vanity in me wont let me weigh myself. I’m trying not to stress too much about body composition because there isn’t a ton I can do.

I will definitely look into the electrostimulation. You aren’t the first to mention it so I definitely think it may be a good idea!

During the first weeks I also measured calf, quadriceps, weight, … and tracked it in an excel file…:D… and there was no big difference. Two weeks ago I went for an Indiba session. The morning after I found my injured calf was now … thinner! Do not worry too much, sure it will get stronger in a short time!

As a crossfitter I am also missing the barbell, my snatch was 110 pounds,I am willing to test and improve it!

In the meantime I am trying to keep fit as much as I can, but 2 weeks post-op was not the same. Getting used to cast, crutches, etc takes some time. Knee push ups, ab roller, leg raises, mobility and stretching is what I did. Electrostimulation on quads (injured leg) is something I recommend you.

Keep positive. Day after day you will feel better. All the effort you do in being active will ease your recovery

I haven’t heard that icing restricts healing and blood flow before. I know it reduces swelling and bruising (experienced that MANY times from soccer injuries - LOL!). In the initial phases I’m icing behind the knee rather than on top of the incision area so perhaps that makes a difference. Since I’m in the boot I could ice over the incision directly now but it is easier to ice behind the knee and leave the boot on. The blood supply to the foot gets cooled down enough from the ice behind the knee.

Hey Andrea. Yeah my left calf from my original injury is a little smaller (like CSerpent I’ll have a matching set soon). In 20 years no one ever asked me about it. You’ll be so happy when it’s functional that you won’t even think about how it looks. Besides it’s part of your story now!

Re: icing my surgeon said not to. According to him it restricts blood flow and healing. I’m sure others have a different philosophy. Definitely keep elevated though.

HI CSerpent. Thanks for that information! I wonder if body building exercises can help change that? Of course I am months away from even being able to try that. Before surgery, my legs muscles were uneven so I’m trying not to focus on this too much. I even saw that Dwayne Johnson’s are uneven after his achilles tear lol.

I hadn’t been told that about swelling. I’ll definitely keep that in mind! Mine is minimal, but I could definitely do some more icing to minimize it.

Hi Cserpent! I read your blog and definitely check out agnesatr’s.

I actually was put into a boot 2 days post-op. I’ve been given the go ahead to get the incision wet in the shower but just not in standing water (i.e. ocean, pool, etc). I’m NWB for 5 more weeks so we will see if I get too tired of the crutches!

Thanks for your input! It is really nice to be able to find people who are experiencing something similar.

Hi Andrea - 1.5 years after my right foot surgery the right calf was still smaller than the left. And, if you read agnesatr’s blog her injury calf remained smaller even though it seemed to be just as strong as before injury. So don’t be surprised if the injury leg calf size is smaller for a long time. Of course now that I’ve had surgery on my left foot the calves may be the same size! LOL!

You have a good chance of getting back to 100% - but no guarantees of course. Just remember - avoid any swelling as much as possible - it slows the healing process and can increase the pain level.

Welcome to the club Andrea!

Be sure to check out agnesatr’s achilles blog. She has some good info and some good videos! I’m more than twice your age - LOL! I’ve been through the entire bone spur surgery before so I already know that the outcome can be awesome at the end. A bit different for those with ATR since they didn’t do it voluntarily. I hope you have at least a shower stool to kneel on, a cast cover to cover up until you get the OK to get your foot wet, a knee scooter or iwalk if your doc will have you being NWB for any length of time (unless you’re good on crutches - I’m a disaster on them!), and an even up so that both feet will be at the same time while you’re in the boot.

Hi Jeff. Thanks for responding! That’s very encouraging to hear. Of course those athletes probably had the maximum amount of support for recovery but I also don’t need to get back to their level of performance.

This is more of a vanity question, but were your ankles and calves indefinitely different sizes? I’ve seen a lot of that online. It’s not the end of the world, but I am doing what I can to understand this whole process.

Hey Andrea-good job keepIng up with the workouts. Re: 90% MAX recovery, I live in KC and over the last couple of years two Chiefs players went down late in the regular season with ATRs and were ready for the start of the season the following year. I’d say there’s no reason someone your age shouldn’t expect to be 100% at some point.

I ruptured my other leg 20 years ago and couldn’t tell you that it was any weaker than before the injury.