4 months Post - OP
It’s been 4 months since my surgery and things are progressing nicely from a PT perspective. Saw the surgeon last week who says things are going great and to come back in 6 weeks. Therapy has greatly improved my range of motion and now I am strictly on strengthening exercises. Just when you think you are doing well, they throw in another exercise to humble you and make you realize how far you have to go.
My only issue thus far continues to be the incision area. The swelling as well as the thickness in the area due to the work still gives me problems with wearing a shoe. I can wear a low top sneaker on some occasions, but a dress shoe gives my ankle distortion from the swelling.
Surgeon says I can start very light running in 2 more months.
Hope you all are doing well.
March 30th, 2011 at 2:26 pm
After a scar’s work (the OP) is finished, it can’t do you any good, just harm. The best ones just heal up and fade and stay “quiet”. And punishing the bad ones definitely does NOT help! Work around it, pad it, baby it, soothe it with creams, and hope it goes to sleep.
(I skipped the last ATR scar, but I’m now sporting a nifty “zipper” on my upper chest, post-heart-surgery! It’s been nicely behaved, though it’s very visible, even behind the re-growing chest hair! When the hair first started growing around and THROUGH the incision, it didn’t seem to matter what kind of shirt I wore — yee-YIKES!, every time I MOVED!)
March 30th, 2011 at 6:57 pm
Yours is a timely entry as I finally cut the back out of one of my sneaks today. I’ve not been able to wear shoes with a back yet and I am at 4 months also. I had the “wrap” surgery where the tendon is reattached and then wrapped with a sheath (dead man skin) to reinforce it. I call it “dead man walking”. I guess that is why my tendon is still so bulky. Did you have that surgery? Anything touching my AT irritates the incision so I am so tired of wearing clogs I cut my sneaks….$100 sneaks,oh well. It was that or buy something else. I still elevate and ice every night. One day we will both wake up and it will all be okay again, but when? Good luck to you and I literally feel your pain!
March 30th, 2011 at 8:11 pm
Sounds like we are identical Gail…My surgeon called his repair the taco shell. He did indeed perform the graft wrap and my incision area is very bulky. At the end of the day, it looks so raw and swollen, but in the morning looks pretty good.
Norm - sorry to hear about your surgery and hope you are well. As a veteran of now 4 surgeries, I know somewhat what you are going through.
Best regards.
March 30th, 2011 at 10:45 pm
Hello,
My name is Mike, it is a pleasure meeting everyone. I am scheduled for my first surgery 4/29/10. I have been off work since October due to tendonitist of the achillies. Here is my question how long after surgery is total recovery. I have heard 6 months to 18 months. To be honest I feel like backing out of op but the pain never subsides. After first leg is healed operation on second will begin. We have exhausted therapy with no improvement I wear the arizona casts on each foot and have a walking boot and crutches. Any info is appreciated !!!
March 31st, 2011 at 7:04 am
Hi Mike -
From what my surgeon told me, total recovery for an ATR is 9 months to 1 year. It sounds like you havent ruptured your achilles like most of us, so your situation may be different. If it is surgery for tendonitis that sounds less severe than totally blowing out your achilles.
Best of luck.
April 1st, 2011 at 6:36 pm
i think for most normal routines return at about three- four months, the other (6-9 months) is accurate for return to sports. Having two bad at’s, well that is a different story and I have heard tendonitis can be just as bad as a rupture. I would think your recovery may take longer as you suggested since you have apparently bad tendonitis leading to the surgery. Most of us have a rupture with no prior pain or discomfort before the injury and can bounce back pretty quickly when you look at the big picture. Good Luck.
April 1st, 2011 at 7:54 pm
My doc called it the “cannoli wrap”. Seems like a guy in Brooklyn might say the same, this coming from a girl who had an Uncle Nunzio that lived in Brooklyn:)
April 1st, 2011 at 8:02 pm
I wanted to reply sooner but couldn’t get back on the site for two days! I broke out in a sweat and thought I might have to enter “blog rehab”