Achilles Rupture February 26 2008

Brendan -
Your scar looks really good. I am jealous!

Dennis - Thanks..I’m happy with the way it is healing. You could always ask your surgeon if he sharpened his scalpel

Wow, Brendan! The pics look great! I’m amazed how much difference the last 3 weeks have made. Congratulations on your success.

FYI, I have a friend who is 1 year post rupture tomorrow. (He lives in Denver area too, by the way) I saw him about 2 weeks ago, and his ruptured achilles is still quite a bit thicker than his “good” one, but he feels like his repaired achilles is stronger than his “good” one, and he is actively participating in all of the sports he did previously, including basketball.

brendan -
Yeah, well, I am more worried about the protrusion near the heel more than how the scar looks.. I hope it’s all okay in there.

Dennis

Craig - thanks for the comment…and good to hear about your friend playing b’ball again. Maybe I will get back on the court again…I’ll have to convince my wife for sure..I think I’m in for a divorce if I have to be laid up for this period of time again with our young kids

Dennis - what does your doc say about the protrusion? Do you massage that area?

Heh, yeah you should wait at least another 2-3 years before going through this again. Seriously, my wife couldn’t make it through this process without the help my 7 and 5 year olds have provided. I think I owe them a trip to the Spa along with my wife!

Craig - We have two as well…a bit younger though, 1 and 3, both girls. Maybe when they get a little older and can help out…Daddy can tear his other one

Brendan,

The wound looks great a lot better than some.

Keep walking to recovery !

Brendan-Your scar looks really good. I’m with you…will the tendon ever be skin and look like our good leg? Not that the aesthetics matter really….we just need to be walking, running, and 2-footed fun activities. Keep up the great work!

brendan - The doc said that the scar will gradually go away. I do massage the area, but not every day. I should do it more frequently.

looks really good Brendan…I’ll take some pics and post as soon as I can.

Brendan, from your picture, it looks like you have the GREEN (athletic and industrial) insole from SuperFeet. Is this correct?

A few years ago I decided to try this insole in my running shoes. On vacation, I went on a 15 mile walk with my wife through Washington DC and wore my running shoes. While I never felt particularly comfortable with these insoles before the walk, my arches were absolutely killing me afterwards. For the next day and a half I was limping everywhere.

I found a shoe store with some semi-custom arches (they measured the weight distribution on my feet and suggested a model based on this info). Within 5 minutes, all of my arch pain was gone.

I’m wondering if anybody has had similar experiences with Superfeet insoles and/or comments on selecting an arch to put in your walking boot.

Craig

craig -
Do you happen to remember what the semi-custom arches were called?

I’ve seen various kinds at ski shops where they completely customize the insoles for you for ski boots, but they can get expensive.

If they are semi-custom, then maybe it’s a good compromise between cost and fit.

I have low arches, but not completely flat footed.
I’ve also heard from a podiatrist that many athletes end up with low arches due to years of putting so much pressure on their feet. I wonder if that’s true.

Heh, I knew that I should have included the mfr name for the insoles in my first message…

The brand is Lynco. Since purchasing the first pair in DC, I’ve been able to buy them on-line (there are various distributors, but I’ve used HealthyFeetOnline.com), and they cost something like $50 per pair. I recommend finding a store that can verify which version is best for you before purchasing them. I happen to use the L400 insole.

I think in the case of ski boots, a custom insole is good. You want your foot in a certain position because that angle translates to the skis on the snow. Your foot doesn’t necessarily put you in that postiion. In a ski boot, your foot is in a fixed position.

My wife has orthotics that she wears daily in whatever shoes she has on. I think that the orthotics help with various “pains” by helping with alignment. The Blog prompted me to ask my PT about orthotics the other day and she indicated that if I’m not having issues (e.g. back, hip and/or knee pain) then they wouldn’t normally recommend an orthotic.

I don’t know whether there could be preventative reasons to wear them.

hi brendan
i’ve been neglecting reading the blog lately…busy being sort of “normal” again”
are you still in your boot?
i’m starting week 11
FWB for over a week
no more wedges in my aircast
got almost all my ROM back
time flies…
it’s pretty warm these days and my poor aircast gets all sweaty and yucky…
can’t wait to walk in a normal shoe again…1 more week…
do you love PT?
makes such a difference
i’ve been able to use the stationary bike for 2 weeks now at my PT
10 minutes only…
what about you?

i guess i’ll get a pair of those insoles
especialy since i don’t have a wedge in my aircast, it’s kind of hard on the foot

have a great week, we’re almost there!

nanc

hi brendan
i’ve been neglecting reading the blog lately…busy being sort of “normal” again”
are you still in your boot?
i’m starting week 11
FWB for over a week
no more wedges in my aircast
got almost all my ROM back
time flies…
it’s pretty warm these days and my poor aircast gets all sweaty and yucky…
can’t wait to walk in a normal shoe again…1 more week…
do you love PT?
makes such a difference
i’ve been able to use the stationary bike for 2 weeks now at my PT
10 minutes only…
what about you?

i guess i’ll get a pair of those insoles
especialy since i don’t have a wedge in my aircast, it’s kind of hard on the foot

have a great week, we’re almost there!

nanc

Hey Nancy - good to hear from you again. I too have not been as busy on the blog recently, but still trying to keep up with everyone’s progress.

I’m week 11 today. I spent most of the past weekend in two shoes around the house. I’m definitely limping around, but trying to at least go through the heal/toe motion even though I can’t put any weight on my toe yet. When I need to go outside, I put the boot on….gives me some more speed and support. I have no wedges, but the thing is really rubbing at my heel, so I’ve been having to wear two socks…which in turn gets hot! I have my post op appt tomorrow and I get the official green light to start weening out of the boot…I cheated and started a few days early..but it feels great.

My ROM is about 95%…I’ve had 4 PT appts, primarily massage, ultrasound, E-stim, and cold-laser…although the past few I have started on the leg press machine (in the boot) to start building up hip and upper leg strength. I have enjoyed the appts so far, but at $30 copay a pop, I’ll have to decide how many mare I can afford. I have also been riding my cruiser bike around town in my boot, which feels great. Now, unfortunately, my seasonal allergies have kicked in full force and I’m housebound for a few weeks until whatever tree/grass it is that wrecks me stops pollinating!

I would really suggest the insoles. I wear them in my boot and shoe and it makes a big difference. My boot did not come with any insole at all, I can’t imagine that is very good for anyone’s feet? Glad to hear that you are doing well, let me how the transition to two shoes goes. I feel better in my shoe now, then in the boot, just a little slower and more cautious. Have a good one!