My AchillesBlog

Sorry to hear this. I can understand your frustration. Did the doctor decide on this conservative protocol because you re-ruptured?

If I were you, I would call him up and ask if you could transition to sneakers inside of your home. Are you in PT? If so, talk to your PT about your concerns.

My PT is ultra conservative and will not do anything if he doesn’t have the doctor’s approval. I will try however to call my OS and see if I can make the transition sooner.

I’m not sure about my doctor’s approach this time around but I assume it is because of the re-rupture. I just don’t want to be so conservative that doesn’t follow the newer protocols of early weightbearing.

Hopefully your OS allows you to make the transition. Keep us posted and best of luck in this recovery. I’ll definitely keep an eye on your blog. Feel free to check mines out as well with any pointers, etc.

Are you FWB in the boot? FWIW, my protocol exactly mirrors yours (6 weeks in a cast, 6 weeks in a boot, FWB at around day 35 in the boot). I’m 51 and had a complete rupture that was pretty retracted.

My OS is a sports medicine guy, including the local professional soccer team. When I asked about moving faster, he said the stats around re-rupture go down considerably after week 12, and even more so after week 16. He also said that a 12 week protocol guards against the possibility of healing long. Apparently its easy to compensate for healing short, but not the other way around in his experience.

Having said all of that, I think almost everyone on the board is moving faster than that and get why you are eager to get going! I agree with previous posters that these are good questions to ask your OS and he/she should be able to give thoughtful answers.

I have tried to take the long view when I can. I’m 22 weeks post-op and walked four miles yesterday, am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

In any case, good luck with your recovery!

keep your head up, once the boot comes off, its down hill. the mental part of the recovery is the hard part, trusting your feet going down stairs and walking on rocky terrian. Im 11 weeks post Op., and I ditched my boot against medical advice week 8, however I wouldn’t ever recommend that. Sounds like you may be in a similar situation with your employment in regards to light duty, and I can fully understand the strain financially of that. Some OS are conservative, or just have a “blanket Protocol” that doesnt fit every situation. I personally felt like I had to speed my recovery myself and my PT said without saying ditching the boat wasnt a bad Idea. I don’t want you to take my advice without speaking to your OS first. Hope your walking in shoes soon. Best of luck

I can understand the want to move quicker but with a re-rupture already under your belt, I think its better to be super patient. As much as it sucks, it’s much better than starting all over again for the 3rd time.

Hope that when you see the Doc in 3 weeks it’s full steam ahead!!

I am 21 weeks and my only complaint is also that the recovery takes such long time. Based on the interpretation of my conversations with my PT, we cannot hurry the healing or mending of the tendon. Only time and proper care will do that. The exercises we do will be for reconditioning the structures of the entire leg from baby toe to buttocks that have atrophied. The written Chinese language is based on pictographs and symbols. The word for patience in Chinese is a combintation of two pictographs. One is the blade of a knife and the 2nd directly underneath it is the heart. This will be subject to individual interpretation but it conveys discomfort, pain or something that must be endured. Three weeks is nothing compared to starting over again. The reward is not worth the risk. Patience

Thank you all, I appreciate the support, dealing with this for 7 months plays tricks in my mind a lot of times, I will have to suck it up and wait little longer until I see my doc. Glad to see everybody healing and in the right path, keep it up!

That’s really neat, Michael. Do the characters for knife and heel, or foot/ankle, mean anything?

Oscillot, the characters for knife and foot/ankle will also be subject to individual interpretation. For you it will mean 15 weeks for me it will mean 21 and counting.