My AchillesBlog

Hi there! It’s been a while since I last posted, I’ve been more active on the facebook room. I ruptured my tendon a year ago, playing the sport I love. It hasn’t been easy, and still is not 100% which is a very ambitious goal, but coming from a rupture, surgery and re-rupture, non surgically then, I think it is still possible. A year ago, six months ago, 3 months ago, I thought I would never be able to even walk. I am now walking and jogging, and I aiming to play soccer again by the summer. Not at the level I was playing, but at least be part of the game at some capacity.

Needless to say my tendon feels fully healed, even stronger, the problem I’m having now appears to be some peritoneal tendinitis, which I self diagnosed thru youtube, due to the lack of insurance and physical therapy which I lost last year. I’m back on the boot to try and fix that, and it feels like it is working. I use an ankle brace for now since the tendinitis started, but it feels much better. And like I said, the Achilles feels good, still a little tight, no single calf raises, but I feel confident enough to not even think about it every step I take as I used, I’m even starting to not even think about it.

Hope everybody new and old in this group is getting the help and support you need, I found it in this group for sure in the most dark days of this journey, and as everybody used to tell me “it gets better”

You all take care,
Ed

I have been trying to walk on the VACOcast rocker sole for a while and it keeps making it painful around the tendon area, feels like it stretches the tendon a bit too much. I tried the Aircast boot I had from my first rupture and to my surprise feels good and I can calk with normal gait on it at 0º and have minimal pain where I was having it on the VACO. Wouls this be recommended? I mean, they are both at 0º and the problem is that the wedge sole in the VACO cast is way too tall now and I’m limping way too much with it and not good for my back.

I just had my second PT session last Monday, pretty simple theraband exercises and scar tissue massage. I have also been walking at 0º with the flat rocker sole which puts some stress on the tendon. I hadn’t experienced much pain since my re-rupture, but through the week, I’ve been experiencing pain in the re-rupture area. I’m thinking the is scar tissue breaking out now that I’ve been more active and walking more in the boot or if the the change of sole on VACO contributed to it? Do you guys experience pain in the tendon? I haven’t had any so I’m a little concern, I’m thinking it’s because now I’m strengthening it and putting more stress on it? I haven’t experienced much swelling either and now it seems like the tendon area is swelling a bit more. I’ve been FWB walking in the boot since around July 30, and hadn’t have any of these, so coming from a re-rupture is causing me some stress. Thank you all!

Ok, I know this injury requires patience, but at 9 weeks and most likely another 3 in the boot are taking its toll in my psyche!!! I feel like I could walk on 2 shoes now, but I don’t see my doctor until 3 weeks and all I’m doing is therabands and strengthening the tendon. It seems like there has to be more to be done to get the tendon going and back to normal???? I see a lof of people in this blog on shoes at 6 weeks!!!! How detrimental is it to be on the boot and not in shoes soon????

My first PT at 7 weeks went really good, however, it raised some questions and left me a little nervous. My plantar flexion in my right foot, the good one is at 45º and my injured one is at 25%. I’ve been obsessing all day about the possibility of my tendon healing long, I’m still 5º on the boot and walking and I can’t get to 0º PF yet. Has anybody been thru this concerns?
These are the exercises I’m doing now, trying to strengthen the muscles. Walking about a mile a day and working out 3 times a day, upper body and both legs on boot.

Thank you all and have a happy healing day!

I started the week at 20º PF on VACOcast, today is at 15º and by tomorrow at 10º. So far so good. I had my follow up last Monday and I was cleared for PT. I’ve been calling a couple therapists and trying to find a new one. To my surprise, they called me from the same place where they caused my re-rupture but I turned them down.

However, I was wondering if I should be back to the same place since they already know me and they work and report directly to my OS, but they are college graduates who have no experience dealing with Achilles ruptures.

So, I’m not sure what to do, I’m still waiting from a couple places to see if they can work with me and my insurance.

I’m almost six weeks into my re-rupture non-op recovery. I’m also almost FWB with my VACOcast boot at 25º took it down from 30º yesterday. I’m not in PT yet per my doc’s instructions, only doing ROM excercises. I was recommended by my OS to increase dorsi flexion as I decrease the degrees on my boot. So, so far I’m at about 25º below neutral dorsi flexion and still doing my toe curls constantly and eversion/inversion. I’ve seen some other folks on accelerated protocols already doing dorsi flexion up to neutral. I’m afraid to pass 25º at this point but I’m just wondering if I should try and move along with the protocol that calls dorsi flexion below neutral, which leaves it open to whatever degrees as long as it doesn’t pass neutral.

Going along with the program, in FWBAT, although I’m still at PWB about 80lbs with crutches and trying to be FWB by Week 6. I’ve been hesitant as far as how much weight to bear and following different protocols along with my OS. I continue doing ROM exercises and I’m introducing some dorsi flexion to the program this week, currently at about 2º not much but progress :). I also started a youtube channel to see my progress https://www.youtube.com/user/edhdez22/videos in case you are interested.
Questions for this week:
1. How to progress dorsiflexion - I was suggested not to rush this but it seems as I should start since protocols mention to do this but not past neutral.
2. FWBAT - I haven’t had pain but it gets swollen pretty fast once I put my foot down. How to progress to FWB?
Wishing everybody good healing day today! Thank you all for your support.

Hope everyone is doing well. I’ve officially started PWB at around 30lbs or 25% and so far so good with no pain. According to my protocol I’m supposed to move to FWB within the next 2 weeks. But I will be doing increments of 25% or as tolerated. I’m on a VACOcast boot and I’m really happy with it in comparison with my old aircast one. I believe it is by far superior and comfortable per say (no boot beats bare foot). But I think there are many features including the wedge and rocker sole. I’m starting at the wedge sole which I believe it’s the tall one at 15º and I will move into the rocker one once my WB progresses. What I’m not totally sure are the degrees at which the boot functions once it reaches 0º PF, I know it can be adjusted to dorsi flexion but I have no idea. Do any of you is experienced with the settings on a VACO? Happy healing everyone!