brombones’ AchillesBlog

4 weeks - weaning off crutches

4 weeks post op and now moving around the house FWB mostly, with a cane or single crutch on stairs/outside. Feels good and improved mobility but more random aches and pains, especially on the base of my heel. PT assigned rolling foot on a tennis ball (oh the irony of that) to manage. It does relieve the pains without preventing it from coming back.

Ive had a couple instances of almost tripping over door jams, balance issues on stairs, etc. really need to maintain discipline and take things slowly. A couple tugs here and there always throw that fear that you’ve reinjured, despite the low odds in the boot.

i think importantly getting a little looser movement in the ankle and some sensations that my calf muscle is still there once in a while.

the best part of this transition is that I’ve become somewhat useful around the house again. Cooking for kids and tidying up all the nests of convenience I’d established while really laid up. Relieving some of the natural tension that had been building around my convolenscence.  Might come out of this ordeal still married after all!

First Post - 3 weeks post surgery

Greetings fellow travelers …

I incurred a fill tear of my left achilles playing tennis. Planted for a backhand, same motion I’d completed thousands of times and WHACK!  One time too many. Strangely little pain, just the firm sense that something was really wrong. Got myself to the Dr for quick look and the the ortho the next day. Surgery to repair 3 days later. Never really a debate that surgery was the right route for my situation.

Surgery was routine and successful. In at 10, home by 4. Nerve block wore off at 5 am the next day and that’s when the games began. Kept on the pain meds for 4 days. In a splint, NWB for two weeks. First time ever on crutches, that was a drag and still is.

During first follow up (14d), all looked good and stitches came out. Very clean incision and healing looks fine. So far, so good. Switched to air cast, PWB. Great to back in the shower, etc. Dr has me sleeping w/o the boot, so he is quite permissive. None of the random pain or pins/needles that so many here describe … Yet! Plan is 2 weeks pwb in boot, then fwb with boot for 2 weeks.

I started PT this week as well. Just light massage, 10 minutes on bike with boot on, leg lifts, toe curls, etc. very low key but nice to begin the process and feel like moving beyond pure couch time. 2x/week for the time being. She gave me some homework as well to structure my activities. Shocked to be on bike so quickly.

the leg is already demonstrating atrophy, which has me spooked.  I’m quite paranoid about any aches and pains in my right tendon. Irrationally so, but up stairs etc worries me. I did purchase the evenup cleat to improve my bio mechanics, which has helped. Highly recommended device for 25$ on Amazon.

My goal is for a fully successful recovery, but also to see the golf course during this season up here in the northeast. My PT is tamping down expectations for a rapid return to the links, but I’m holding out hope!

More later, and look forward to continuing to rely upon our collective experiences to move this process along.

Tom