It goes like this. I was not really a couch potato: I walk, bike and hike frequently and far. I do have a desk job, so I decided to get back in shape. Around July I start working out several times a week. In September I start playing soccer and finally I quit smoking around game 1. By game five, I was having so much fun. Lungs were clearing up, legs were strong, and I could run again!
Second half, I’m getting cramping and ankles are hurting. Maybe I should sub out?
Too much fun, play harder! Thinking about subbing, but we are dominating the game. I need to cover a spot off to my right, turn directions to sprint … Pop, I’m on the ground, and that is the end of my short return to soccer.
After wild speculation about why I couldn’t put weight on my leg, some buddies took me to the ER. I am the cliche of the weekend warrior. A 30 something, once athletic guy longing for his glory days. Perhaps I shall be a less ambitious soccer player for the 2009 season.
(We won the game, by the way!)
Here are a few tidbits that I didn’t know about Achilles tendon ruptures (this injury appears to vary from case to case):
- There is a pop, but it is not necessarily loud. I heard mine go, but no-one else did.
- Some say it’s painful. I have occasional onslaughts of severe pain that go away rapidly with elevation and ice. In a week, I’ve resorted to over the counter ibuprofen once, and I’m not particularly stoic.
- Not all medical professionals can diagnosis it well - and amateurs certainly can not. Ignore your buddies on the field / court. We went through a first responder (off duty guy who happened to be near soccer field) and even triage nurse before diagnosis: My ability to wiggle my toes and only moderate pain led some astray. The doctor walked in, gave the classic Simmons test, and diagnosed. However, neither of the doctors had any doubt that the tendon is gone.
- My medical insurance pays 90% of surgery …. which I thought look good. 90% of a lot is still a lot.
Information I’m trying to hunt down.
Experiences with non -surgical recovery. The doctor recommends surgery, but it will be difficult to manage a week of uselessness + my 10% “co-insurance”.
Dealing with all the secondary pain: crutch sores and tweaked backs from picking up stuff while leaning over stuff.
How do you chase a two year old on 1 foot? There’s no chance of catching my four year old.
Logistics: How soon do people go back to work after surgery?
6 comments ↓
Cliff,
So sorry to hear about your injury…but the quitting smoking and getting back to the sports you love is a great move.
I just wanted to say that I barely used crutches at all (and I had a total of 3 surgeries due to wound complications). I would highly recommend you look into a knee walker. I had very little trouble keeping up with my 5 and 8 year old boys once I was up and about on it. Gives you use of your hands too…very helpful. I only used the crutches when I was PWB in a boot, to get myself walking again. Hope that is helpful.
Also really glad I did the surgery in the long run. Just my opinion. Good luck with your decision,
hilary13
Good luck on the journey Cliff. I live in the UK and I am 17 weeks post rupture. Like a couple of others on here (mostly Brits I think) I chose the non-operative route, avoiding the risks of surgery - MRSA and wound complications - and back my body to sort itself out. If this meant no more sport, or diminished performance then so be it. Pleased to say I was signed off by the fracture clinic last week, with instructions to keep on with the free physio on the NHS. I wish I had seen this doctor at the beginning… the first specialist I saw said, and I quote, “I would always recommend surgery”. This - as the latest doctor said - is not really best practice. Ethically a surgeon should see an operation as a last resort, not a means of hitting quotas or making a living. As Hilary13 and many others on the site will vouch, the operation can result in serious wound complications. The skin and blood supply in that part of the legs is not good. Surgery does however ensure an immediate join and statistics do show a slightly lower chance of re-rupture.
Whatever you decide, patience and careful attempts at mobility will stand you in good stead!
Cliff: I have read about good results with both methods. I have also read about huge problems with both methods. There is a guy named Domjuan on the Marfell Family Achilles site that was a part of a huge study done in Canada recently. The study was on the results of the conservative route. He is very very happy that he went with the conservative method.
With that said, I am happy that I chose to go with surgery. I needed to know that someone was in there and actually saw my Achilles re-married and could tell me more specifically what I was dealing with. I wanted someone to check for complications with their own eyes. I couldn’t stand the thought of waiting all of those months just hoping everything was coming together properly.
Either way you will have a couple of interesting months picking up your little one. A lot of people return to a desk job in a week. Others who need to walk (or run in my case)can’t return for a couple of months. Depends on what you do? You are really blessed not to have too much pain. Just enough to keep you honest with sitting and elevating is pefect. And…… my insurance covers 90% up to $2,500 and then it goes to 100% so the max I could pay was $250.00. Are you sure yours isn’t like that too? Good luck with your decision. The ATR club here is a tight one and everybody is so helpful. Sorry you had to join but glad you are here.
Hello Cliff,
Bad luck with the injury it’s a bugger. I’ve had a poor result with the conservative approach and have since had surgery(10 days ago). Mine isn,t quite straightforward as I had steroid injections pre rupture which slows down the healing properties of the tendon.
Conversely my brother in law went the conservatve route and is now back golfing,cycling and playing hockey. Its a difficult one - there’s loads of cases on this site which will help you decide.
As far as I know the recovery time is much the same whichever way you go,if you go for surgery you are going to be pretty much out of commision for a week(ish)
Your 2 year old will adjust - mine did 15 years ago when I had to have 3 cruciate ligament ops in a short space of time, it just has to be different for a bit.
What is obvious from this site is that there’s no real short cut to recovery - if there was someone would have found it by now!! - Getting back to some semblance of work normality depends very much on what you do and how flexible you can be in terms of how you actually do your job.
Good luck
Richard
Hi Cliff, I have 3 kids and the youngest was 9 months when I ruptured four months ago. I went the surgery route to speed up the process. You will manage. just get as much help as you can.
Hi Cliff
Another Brit here..
To choose between conservative and surgery depends on your activity needs later and age at the time of injury.
I chose conservative, because firstly I did not want another complication to the mix… with all the health issues regarding NHS hospitals etc……. MRSA etc etc…. Secondly it was a rare event that I decided to play tennis…. as I am not active generally the need for getting back to a sport I rairly played seemed not an criteria for surgery…. if I were younger say… below 35 years old… I would have gone for surgery….. If I rerupture…. I would go for surgery.. to be sure to prevent further rerupture.
I also heard a pop sound… which no one else heard….. i also felt very little pain…. only when I took the shoe off… and realised I could not stand on the foot.
Good luck with your repair choice……. the healing time will give you lots of time to reflect on a lot of issues in your life….. think of it as a positive time to slow down and reflect and a time for planning for the future………
Best regards
Bernard