Hi readers,
I’m officially 19 days since the incident, and 9 days post-op, so I’ll get up to speed in this one post. I stumbled on this site when doing research on Achilles Tendon Rupture recovery and thought it may be beneficial to others and myself to share my experiences along the way. I may be the first, or one of the few, on this blog to suffer the injury while doing CrossFit . More so, I intend to incorporate CrossFit in aiding the recovery.
How It Happened:
On April 1, 2011 I was performing a prescribed workout for time which included a box jump . At the bottom of the jump, I exploded up and immediately felt and heard the dreaded pop and snap in my left leg. I had initially thought that a weight had rolled under me and taken out my legs. Unfortunately, it was not a joke and when failing to stand back up, I knew it was serious.
I got home with the help of some of the gym members and immediately dunked my leg in a bucket of ice. Remarkably, I didn’t suffer from any pain when I got injured or that night. The next morning, I planned a visit to see my general doctor. But with limited Saturday hours and a hoard of people waiting before the office opened, I decided to drive to the emergency room at the hospital across the street. The ER doc performed the Thompson’s test to confirm what I already knew, a complete ATR. I got x-rays, was put in a soft cast and got referrals to see a podiatrist and orthopedist.
I saw the podiatrist the following Tuesday, April 5. Here’s a picture showing the swelling around my foot. The bruising pattern was shaped like a horseshoe around my heel.
I was put in a soft cast and a walking boot, but was told not to bear any weight.
I got an MRI that same evening and after one more visit to the podiatrist, I went under on April 11, 2011. The surgery went well and two days later, I followed up with the podiatrist. There was no sign of infection and was put in a hard cast. I returned to work after two days and this is how I currently look. I try to keep the leg elevated as much as possible.
I’m fortunate that I don’t suffer from any pain at the moment. The only medication I’m taking are the antibiotics (which ends today) and an anti-inflammatory. The only discomfort I’m feeling is during showering and slight itchiness in bed at night. Next follow-up for me is in a couple of weeks to get the sutures removed.
That’s it for now. I hope to help and contribute in any way.
Best,
CrossFit Mike