bobfv’s AchillesBlog

So it is mid-February and I ruptured on May 10, had surgery on May 20, 2015, that puts me 40 weeks and one day post injury, and 38 weeks and 5 days post surgery. I just round it off to 9 months.

My last update was around Thanksgiving, when I did a turkey trot at a fast walking pace. I have made very steady progress since then. I work out on a treadmill 5-7 days a week. My main focus has been on progressing from a “walk” (one foot down at all times) to a jog (periods with both feet off the ground). During December we were out in California for a couple of weeks and I took advantage of the nice weather to take daily 4 mile walks in my Skecher’s Shape-up Comfort Walker shoes. Back here in Northern Virginia, I have been hitting the gym daily. My basic workout has been 40 minutes on the treadmill - the first 10 at a fast walk - 3.5 mph - then the second ten minutes also at 3.5 but increasing to a 10 percent grade by adding one percent per minute - the third ten minutes lowering from 10 percent to zero grade, then the last ten minutes at my fast walk 3.5 mph. In mid-January I had to go for a treadmill stress test ordered by my cardiologist and I did fine, all the way through the fourth stage, which is 4.2 mph at a 17 percent grade!

In the past week I have incorporated jogging into my workouts. My jogging speed is 4.2 mph, a very light jog, but a jog. Today I did 10 minutes fast walk (3.5) then 15 minutes jog (4.2) and the last 5 minutes at 3.5. I hope to get up to 20-30 minutes of jogging within the next week or two, and to then get out on the road and properly jog a 5K in the early spring. My jogging is sure to help my Achilles heal (hey - double entendre!) as the jogging action adds a plyometric push-off aspect to the motion.

In addition to the walking and jogging, I have continued with the strength and balance exercises I learned in physical therapy. About 3-4 times a week I do 100 heel raises of different types. I can just barely do a one legged heel raise on the healing leg - I am a little disappointed because it is so easy to do on my good leg, but I am trying to remain patient. I also do toe presses on a leg press machine, and I walk on my toes using a Theraband for resistance. I also use an “Indo-Board” for eccentric strength and balance training, and do one legged floor toe touches.

My walking is absolutely fine - I am a little sore sometimes but I have completely lost any trace of a limp. I force myself to use a full range of motion when I go up and down stairs, and I work through morning stiffness when I wake up.

I am not taking any type of medicine since I don’t have any pain. I am very careful about my footwear now. I wear Skechers Shape-ups as much as I can. For gym shoes I am wearing Asics Gel-Kayano 22’s with the insole removed and replaced with blue ‘Superfeet” orthotics. I have a pair of low Gore-tex Under Armour boots for bad weather and I have a gray merino wool Superfeet orthotic in them. I am also back in my favorite daily shoes, a pair of low cut Vibram-soled Timberland shoes, and I got low profile carbon fiber Superfeet liners for them. My dress shoes are Allen Edmonds Park Avenue shoes - I don’t have to wear them every day, and I can’t get even the lowest profile black Superfeet into them, but I do okay when wearing them.

My scar has healed very well - I continue to use Bio-Oil once or twice a day, and a couple of days a week I use a silicon sheet over the scar.

So I am hoping that the last three months of my healing - taking me up to my one year anniversary on May 10 - will continue to go smoothly and I will continue to progress. My goals in the next three months are to be able to run a 5K in 45 minutes or less, and to be able to do one legged calf raises evenly on both legs.

Best of luck to everyone in your healing.