The First Two Weeks Post-Op
The first few days after the surgery was probably harder than the subsequent recovery days.
Under no circumstances was I allowed to bear any weight on my surgically repaired heel for 2 weeks. No weight bearing, leg elevation, and rest was the mantra.
The most important thing that I learned is the difference between elevating the leg and elevating the leg above the level of my heart. I was reminded again and again that I needed to have my leg elevated above the level of my heart.
When I failed to do this, my foot/ankle swelled up, and it became quite uncomfortable in my cast. Getting back on track with the elevation helped alleviate the problem. I couldn’t ice my leg as effectively since I was in a cast, so leg elevation was the only thing that I could do.
Warning signs to watch out for were discoloration, excessive swelling, and numbness/coldness in my toes. Also, any other pain is a good indication that there is something wrong (like calf muscle hurting to the touch). Luckily I had none of those symptoms.
I eventually bought a shower chair through my insurance so that I can shower on my own.
Shower Chair with back support: (I have this one.)
I recommend getting the one with the back support since it’s much more comfortable. You can sit back and rest while showering. The shower chair really is a necessity, and it has rubber feet so that it won’t scrape up your tub. (A lawn chair might work too if it fits in the bath tub.)
I should have also purchased a shower bag for the cast (so that it doesn’t get wet). Here’s one that I wanted to buy:
But I’ve settled on a kitchen garbage bag as you can see, since I didn’t find out about them until a week later. And the garbage bag is a bit of a pain. I first used packing tape to make it nice and tight. However, when taking it off, it rips the garbage bag a bit as well as pulling some of my leg hairs out. ouch! I’ve resorted to just tucking the top part of the bag sort of into the cast and doing a shower towel like tuck.. It worked out somewhat, but the top part of my cast got wet a little. Cast cover would have been nice.
I also did my best to stay in bed. I had my laptop with me so it wasn’t terribly difficult. I’ve been reading that the first 2-3 weeks is a crucial time for proper healing of the incision as well as the repaired tendon. I’ve decided to stay in bed as much as possible.
However, I still had a few slip-ups. I accidentally put weight on my injured heel while moving around in the kitchen, as well as the accidental twitches of the foot during sleep which results in a slight strain on my achilles tendon. I am wide awake after that, and the pain lingers for a few seconds. One hell of an alarm clock.
I was mildly worried whether I’ve done any permanent damage, but I can’t do much about it anyway, and I just had to be more careful.
I regret that the surgeon didn’t put me in a CAM Walker (boot) instead of the cast. The cast is lighter, but the toes are more exposed so there is more of a chance for me to strain the achilles tendon. Also, I can’t exactly adjust the cast to take account for the swelling. However, from the doctors’ perspective, they can be sure that I won’t be hopping around without the boot, and they don’t want to operate on a re-rupture. The nurse told me that the cast is also more close-fitting, so it’s better for immobility.
It’s actually difficult to keep the heel elevated at all times. Every time I get up to go use the bathroom, I feel the blood rushing down to the foot, my toes turn slightly purple, and it feels like it’s going to explode.
I slept with two pillows under my cast, and I took the prescribed Lortab 7.5 500mg, one to two in the morning and at night when I was feeling some discomfort. I stopped taking the painkillers about 3 days after the surgery, as I don’t like to take medication unnecessarily. I was also told that pain-killers can cause constipation, and I don’t need that either. I only felt minor discomfort in the incision area afterwards.
I’ve been reading that it’s not good to put direct pressure on the incision wound, which is what happens when you lie on your back and elevate your heel with pillows. This article from the American Journal of Orthopedics recommends that you lie on your stomach or on your side while elevating the cast. The important part is not putting any pressure on the stitched area. It’s tricky to do, but not impossible.
Also, after being bedridden for so long my back was stressed, and it became more and more uncomfortable. Periodically moving around, elevating the leg in different “poses”, and stretching helped alleviate the problem.
Keeping myself occupied while resting has been the key to enduring the boredom of being bedridden and immobile. I was amazed to find so many trivial things that I could not easily do, but I adjusted (accepted?), after a week.
If possible, you really need to accept help and have someone take care of you. My girlfriend has been a trooper, and she’s brought me food, drinks, mail, etc. for me for most of the first two weeks, when she was home. As I was more mobile towards the end of the two weeks, I have been able to help out with small chores around the house.
When I am alone, I manage to make myself breakfast, lunch, etc. It really is exhausting to do these things, and the leg really needs to be elevated. So I only get on crutches for things that are absolutely necessary. I also steadily spent more time at the desk with my leg elevated (above the level of my heart).
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I thank you for the info. I am 24 hours post op and I am in quite a lot of pain. The pain is a burning sensation and my upper calf is sore. I have only got up a few times today. I am trying to keep up with the ice and elevation and the pain meds. When I first posted on this site I was 2nd guessing my doctors diagnosis and treatment. She was a physicians assistant and said no to surgery and heal with immobilization. I emailed doctor and they rushed me in for a 2nd opinion. The Orthopedic surgeon looked at my injury and said it most definately could and should be treated with surgery. The physicians assistant originally diagnosed it as an upper rupture saying surgery was not an option. She did no tests and did not even feel for rupture. The Orthopedic Surgeon could feel where the rupture was and it was lower not upper. He then called in 1 of his colleagues who confirmed his diagnosis. Had I not have had sites like this ro research my condition I would not have known any better.
i snapped my achilles tendon 10 days ago now . i had surgery which is nt too pain ful , the pain i am getting is from my wrists ( using crutches) and back pain from resting . i do have a cam boot which is fantastic as you can remove it when resting. im slightly worried about recovery time as i been told anything between 6 to 12 weeks including physio .
Nerys,
Um… recovery time is more like 6-12 MONTHS. Sorry, but we’re all in this together…
god!!!!!!!!! ive now had to use a zimmer frame as ive fallen over twice going to the toilet , my wrists are so weak . i am overweight so thats not helping . switched to healthy eating and lost 6 lb first week .im hoping this will help my recovery quicker . this site is brillant , every ones story is differrent but we ll all get there in the end . does anyone feel down ? im a bit weepy at the mo , so used to doing every thing for my family and now they have to do every thing for me .
Nerys~
I would recommend buying the shower bag for the cast. You can still use it after you go to a boot. A friend of a friend re-ruptured from slipping in the shower. So, If I’m home alone, I’ll shower with my boot on (covered of course), just so I have a little more stability. Otherwise I wait until my husband is home. I don’t need help really, but just in case. I have been using a metal folding chair if i need to sit.
You’ll start inventing tricks soon. For instance, on weekends when i’m home alone, If I make something to eat, I put it in a sealed container and carry it in a plastic grocery bag. An apron with pockets helps. I always have a hoodie within reach, its amazing how much you can fit in that pouch pocket. A bottle of wine is my favorite thing to carry lately!
Hang in there! You’ll come up from the down. We all go through it, you just have to ride it out
damacar
As far as your question about feeling down, I have definitely had a few good cries….I, like you, have had a hard time dealing with not being able to do for others– my husband and daughter. They are the ones doing for me, but this is just temporary– not permanent, so I try to keep that in mind although it’s not easy. None of this is easy, but we all will get through it. It doesn’t help that I have a history of depression and am a big baby. I guess I will learn a lot through this nasty experience
I also am unsteady on the crutches, so I combine them with a wheelchair. Anyway, feeling down is normal. ….you are not alone.
Marianne
I tore my left achilles tendon about 2weeks ago playing basketball. I did it landing from an “alley oop” pass. Knew exactly what it was as soon as it happened, being that 6yrs ago I tore the right one in a similar situation on the court. No I’m not a professional or college athelete or anything like that but I did at one time play on a citywide level here in baton rouge, la and also throughout my military travel including a few large tournaments overseas. Because of the right rupture I reduced my play to low impact “pick-up” games at local gyms. I opted out of surgery on the right because it was only a partial tear. but I re-injured the leg going back to the court too early. I didn’t tear it again but put a terrible strain on it that stretched re-hab time about 2additional mnths. I eventually returned to “limited” full capacity about 1yr after the 1st injury. I was wayyyyy slower & all my “ups” was gone along with my calf muscle. It got better over time but never back to where I was. Maybe 85%
Now here I am with a partial tear of the left achilles tendon. I was in such dis-belief when it happened that I never took the time to feel the pain. The memory of being “laid up” for months again immediately falshed across my mental billboard. Its all I could think of on the way to the hospital and while I lay there as the dr poked and prodded the back of my leg each time asking “does that hurt?” After seeing the specialist it was decided that once again surgery was not necessary. So here I am again cast up with my leg on the back of the couch feeling handicap. And yes it definitly sux because I’m also used to “doing for” others such as my energetic 7yr old daughter. Now she’s taking care of me and doesn’t mind at all, my lil princess. So to end, an achilles rupture is a very challenging long process but very recoverable. Just make sure you stick to the recommended healing process. It’ll show you how much you can endure and a lot about the people that care about you for sure because you are very limited for the next 4 to 6 mnths!
brandondope - thanks for sharing your story. I also ruptured my achilles playing basketball, but it wasn’t as spectacular as from landing after an “ally oop” pass.
Now with this injury, I am going to have to let go of my dream of dunking.
I am still looking forward to playing pickup ball again though.
I wish you the best with your recovery.
I am going to get my stitches out tomm. it has been 12 days since the injury. I accidentally put some pressure on my leg tonight while my leg was in the cam boot and it felt like I pulled a muscle in my leg. I tried to do the thompson test to see if the achilles re-ruptured but my muscle is so far gone in my leg by this point it didn’t work well. I am hoping I didn’t re rupture the tendon. I thought that was what the boot was there to protect…
Hello Everybody,
This is my first post on the website. I ruptured my Achilles on 7/13 playing lacrosse. I got surgery on 7/17. I decided to post because last night and today I have had the worst pain of the entire sequence of this injury (more than the injury itself and much more than the days following the surgery). I have been weaning myself off of the pain meds, but continue to take them at night to help me sleep. Last night after being in bed for about 1 hour I started to have a sharp burning sensation in my heel (not near the sutures and not internal where I would expect the tendon repair to be). The pain would be strong for about 10 minutes and then go away. It came approximately every 30 minutes. Today, I had no problems with pain throughout the day, and then again was woken up from rest to the sharp burning sensation. Is this just an indication that I’m not ready to be off the pain meds? Why would I have this sensation in my heel and not where the injury or incision was made? Sorry for the novel…
Im almst 2 months out of surgery i get my boot off in a week. an d i can walk good. my doctor says im be at full recovery in five months. i am a pro football player. but i want to hear from others how long it took them to recovery fully
Hello fellow ATR sufferers,
I ruptured my left achilles June 25th, I will have my original cast on for approx. 8 weeks (August 19th) at which time will have the air boot on….whew, will finally get some breathing room for my leg….am sure my calf will be pretty pasty and scrawny. No real pain up to now , just suffering from the Okanagan heat. Am planning a move back to Vancouver, BC late September which would be 3 months post opp. and 1 month with boot. I hope this is realistic…….I guess just get more friends and have more brews in my fridge…
I wish you all good recoveries. This site is a great support…
Cheers Malcolm in BC…
Thanks for taking the time to put up some really useful info. I have a question I have been trying to find an answer for. I am 2 weeks post op and when i lightly flex my calf muscle I feel the tendon move and a scraping sensation. Am I feeling the sutures or is everything just very sensitive in the cast? Has anyone else felt this?
Hi all, good to see so many are with me on this. I completely tore my achilles’ tendon 3 days ago. Had no idea what happened and did not expect a tore tendon (age 27, usually tore tendons happens at 30+). But swelling came and pain increased, so went to see a general doc the next day. A specialist was recommended and surgery was arranged for the same night. It is now the second day post op and i’m back in the office. Doc put me in an ‘aircast’ boot and told me to move my foot daily as an excerise. The pain is just bareable with pain killers, but i find it hard to fall asleep at night. any suggestions?