crutchesintx’s AchillesBlog

Yesterday was the one year anniversary of my surgery. I now have zero limitations!

It was a long journey and something I wouldn’t want to do again. After all this time I am still constantly feeling my achilles and looking at my scar. It’s just become habit. I don’t have any pain or discomfort at all. I have been pretty active since I got released in March. Baseball, running, light basketball, etc. I can do about 1/2 heel lift without holding on to anything. If I grab something for support I can do a full single heel lift. Golf game is also better than ever right now.

I think the best thing I did in this process was as soon as I got out of the boot I started to power walk each day. This really helped with my gate and I really never ran into any gate issues.

No that I have no limitations the thought of rupturing my other achilles is constantly in the back of my mind. I have been asked to play in a flag football tournament and my first thought was what are my changes of another blow out. I keep trying to tell myself that unless I sit on the couch everyday all day that there is really no way to prevent it from happening again. If it happens, it happens and go on and live life. But that fear still lingers.

Saw my surgeon today and he officially cleared me from his care. He said he would like me to avoid sports that require explosive jumping, like basketball and volleyball. But he said to feel free to do all other sports. He said at the 1 year mark, I have no restrictions and can play basketball if I want.

This week I actually started running again to work my way up to do a half marathon. I will first try a 5k. My pre-injury best was around 24 minutes. I am hoping I can get back to that time. My upper calf on my injured leg was screaming this week after the running. It took me back to the first day of “2 a day” football practices in high school. After that first day everything hurt and you couldn’t walk without grimacing.

Life is good!

Hey all. Just checking in to see how the familiar names are doing. Life is good at 28 weeks.  Little league season has started here and I have been out coaching and running around with my players. I have done a lot of lateral shuffling and cutting on my repaired leg and have had no issues at all. It was sore after the first day, but since then, no soreness or pain. I even played some basketball the other day with my son and was doing some dunks on an 8 foot rim. I haven’t officialy been cleared by my doctor yet. I have my very last appointment in 3 weeks. That is when he will officially sign me off and won’t ever have to see him again (knock on wood).

With that sign off also comes with me getting back on the baseball field. I have been in contact with the guy who runs the team I was playing on when I got hurt. I told him I was ready to get back on the pitching mound. He was shocked that I was already up to playing again. So this April I hope to actually make to my first game this time, not get hurt in practice.

This weekend I go to Disneyland. It will be two 16 hour days of nothing but walking. I haven’t done that much continious walking since the injury. So I am hoping that there won’t be that much soreness.

Also, yesterday I finally got the nerve to watch an achilles repair surgery. When I first got hurt I tried to watch it but couldn’t do it. Had to turn it off. I tried watching it several weeks after my surgery. Had to turn it off then too. (Yes, I am a wuss and very squeemish when it comes to blood, needles, etc).  Last night I forced myself to watch it so I could see what actually went on in my leg. Now I understand why it is so hard to do a single calf raise and why the tendon is so thick now.

So to all that are just in the first few weeks of this, hang in there. Getting off crutches and walking with the boot is the best feeling. It is like you have been just given your freedom back. Then once you get into shoes, confidence soars. Good luck to all and safe and quick recoveries.

Has anyone had to go up a shoe size after surgery? I just tried on my brand new pair of Air Jordans. I usually wear a size 12. Out them on and my foot felt crammed in them. I went and grabbed another pair of shoes I haven’t wore in a while and same thing. I am wondering if it isn’t due to the thickened Achilles area.

Haven’t posted in a while because life has pretty much returned back to normal. 3 weeks ago my doc told me no more PT was necessary. I was getting strong and told me to just do whatever exercises I wanted on my own. I was back to running when I went and saw him, and starting to get into longer distances. He told me to come back in March and most likely he will clear me to return back to baseball.

My calf is getting stronger. It is definitely a lot more solid than it was a few weeks ago. It is slowing growing, but the firmness has returned sooner than I thought. I try to do calf raises whenever I am just standing around at work or home. I can get a little off the ground now on the single calf raise. Hopefully in the next few months I will be able to do one.

Tried to jump the other day. Felt a little wierd and great all at the same time. Hadn’t been off the ground since the moment i jumped and my Achilles rupture over the summer.

Little league season will be starting soon and I can’t wait to get out and coach. Life is good right now. For all those who are just starting the journey, hang in there. It gets better. 4.5 months a go I was a sulking bump on a log just wasting away. The turning point is getting your boot and trying to get to full weight bearing. Once you do that, things will make a turn for you.

Good luck all and Happy New Year.

Haven’t been on the site for a bit as life has really returned to normal. I have been out golfing several times and have moved from power walking to jogging. Back on the baseball field playing catch like pre-injury and have been throwing the football around too. Life is good right now!

PT moved from stretching to rebuilding my calf now. My range of motion in my injured foot is now pretty much on par with my good foot. I was pleased to see that happen so quickly. I can even stretch pretty far when doing the runners stretch against the wall,

But the new goal is to just do one single calf raise. I can do double calf raises no problem at all. I can even balance on my bad foot for an extended period of time and not fall over. But I can’t do a single calf raise. It just feels so weird to be trying to try to get off the ground and not be able to do it. Walking on my tip toes is out of the question. Been trying that all weekend but my bad foot just comes right down. I am hoping that by March I am able to get off the ground.

This week I started my walking routine. The past three evenings I have done 2 mile power walks. It has helped it my gate tremendously. I haven’t worked on my gate at all in PT and I am pretty much walking with no hitch or any type of limp. It feels so good to be outside and getting in some exercise. I tried to go into a slow jog one time but right away I could feel the tightness and decided it wasn’t time yet.

Now I am dealing with a whole new swelling since being in two shoes. The only remaining swelling I had while in my boot was around my right ankle area. But now I am in two shoes I am finding the middle of my leg (calf and shin area) is now swelling. When I take my sock off you can see that my ankle area and foot has no swelling and above the sock is all puffy and swollen. It almost makes it appear that I have a calf muscle. I am guessing this is because I am actually now using my calf muscle to walk instead of letting the boot do the work for me.

But I am not complaining. It feels good to be in two shoes. And my gate is really not bad at all.  I was actually walking pretty good today and swiftly.

Just got back from my 3 month check up. I went in armed with my right shoe and three different pairs of socks. The doctor was happy that I am 6 degrees past parallel already and my foot is pretty strong as he tested it out with pushing exercises. So I was given the okay to ditch the boot. But the doctor knows that I am an active person and have been out on the baseball field and golf course in my boot. So for his sanity, he put a pretty elaborate ankle brace on me to wear in my shoes. He said it was probably just spitting in the wind, but was for his sanity.

So I went out and drove with my right foot for a bit! I have been driving left footed the past couple of weeks. It felt good to sit normal in my seat and not almost crossed legged. Walking around the office feels so good. I am probably a couple of speeds slower right now with out the boot, but it feels good!

For all those just starting their journey, hang in there. My first two weeks after surgery I was pretty much at rock bottom and down in the dumps. I am now feeling good and feel that I am well on my way to recovery. Heck, I have even started to talking to my PT (who is on the same baseball team I was playing on when I got hurt) about playing baseball next season.

So this Thursday is my 12 week appointment with my surgeon. The game an is to get rid of the boot and start into two shoes. After getting a taste of walking with no boot at PT the other day, I couldn’t wait. Got me some Air Jordan cross trainers, threw a heel wedge in the right shoe, and off I went. It feels so good walking with out a boot. I kept walking back and forth in our game room to get a feel of it. Surprisingly I am not shuffling but actually walking. But with the wedge in the shoe at am definitely staying off of my toes. So I will work on that in PT and won’t push that until my PT tells me to do it.

Very excited as its another milestone in this journey. But I also know its a vulnerable period. Gameplan is to keep the boot by the stairs and I will only go up and down in the boot. When walking from the parking garage to the office and vice versa, I will carry my right shoe in a bag pack and use my boot. Once at get into the office I will switch out of the boot and into my shoes.