emupilot’s AchillesBlog

Congratulations! I still try to sneak in heel raises throughout the day…it’s never-ending.

Has any person had the bariatric surgery? Did you have any physical condition problem after the operation? And How did it change your life?

I’m glad the compression sock and sand dunes are working for you! I try having the sock off during the day every now and then to check on how much I swell up. It’s definitely more localized now, but I still get swelling and soreness if I’m up and about without the sock for a few hours.

Thanks! I bought a pair. I tried the sand dunes this weekend and it is a workout! Lots of careful steps.

The brand is Mojo, and it works well for me.

Which compression sock do you have?

My PT recommended a special Achilles recovery sock for me. I tried it and it did a great job controlling the swelling around my ankle. Unfortunately, the end of my foot sticking out from the sock swelled up like a balloon. So yeah now I’m looking into compression socks.

My doc told me the most important thing was to keep the swelling down. Mainly because you have little fat in your foot/ankle so the swelling pushes on important things rather than fat Since he explained why I was quite diligent about following the protocol that called for keeping my foot elevated 90% of the time the first 3 weeks. And after that if I noticed things swelling I elevated. I looked into compression socks but ended up not needing them so never got any. Many others on the blog found them very useful! They have some real colorful ones nowadays! Glad your PT was able to get more movement out of your foot!

At my PT appointment yesterday, I initially had 5 degrees of upward motion, but after the PT smooshed the swelling up my leg and manipulated my ankle I was up to 10 degrees of motion. He suggested getting an Achilles support sock to reduce the swelling - the swelling really doesn’t bother me much but it’s apparently impeding my rehabilitation progress..

So far, the only pain I’ve had at all has been a dull ache (2 out of 10) in my foot which the PT said is probably from swelling. It seems strange, but the Achilles itself and my calf have no pain at all - just tightness when I do range of motion exercises.

Good luck with the PT! I enjoyed it completely since I knew it would lead me to full recovery and back to my normal activities. Don’t overdo it. My PT would tell me - if it hurts don’t do it. You don’t want to overstress it things since the muscles/tendons have to build up strength and flexibility.

Sorry to hear you have equaled my muscle atrophy! I’m still 90% in a boot but I’m doing a little two shoes around the house in the evening. When I walk it’s like one of those little wind-up robots the way I move my feet, but at least it feels pretty stable.

Hi Emupilot,
Today I had my first real experience on learning to walk again. It felt weird, and I thought I was going to fall every time I shift my weight to the injured leg, in order to step forward with my good leg. It’s painful, I felt everything stretching (tendon, calf), and doing the exercises barefoot. The only support are crutches.
After 11 weeks of not much using my right calf, I too have lost 1 and half inches from my right calf.

Greg d, I haven’t had any pain like that (nor did I have the tendon transfer) - maybe someone else here has.

I tried sleeping with a naked foot last night and it went great. I just had one little twinge when I caught the foot on the sheets while flipping over and it was a little tight when I put the boot on in the morning.

12 weeks in cast..boot on last week..day 4 lots of sharp inner heel pain..is this normal..I had the big toe tendon transfer

When I was in the walking boot they also gave me plantar fasciatis boot for sleeping in since there was no way I would get any sleep with that clunky walking boot. Of course I had to scooter to the bathroom if needed during the night since I couldn’t walk in that boot but I was OK with that. By the time I was freed from both boots I was quite confident things were healed and didn’t really worry about sleeping and was soooo happy to have my foot free so I could really sleep. With the boot on I was continually waking up in the night. Any position I would put the foot in during the night was similar to positions I put it in during ROM exercises so there was really nothing to worry about.

Once you’ve been walking for a few days, get someone to video you walking and watch it. It’s really important to not walk with a limp. In terms of sleeping, try sleeping with a stick on our something similar to remind you in the night. It’s scary the first night, but then its wonderful! Enjoy the waking!

cserpent, thanks for your suggestion to literally take “baby steps” when I start out in two shoes. My doctor kind of set me free to do whatever was comfortable and to be in two shoes when I see him next in late November. I asked him what kind of shoes would be best and he suggested running shoes as opposed to the more generic sneakers I wear now so I’ll have a new pair ready to go when I start the transition.

Another question I have is about sleeping. I am still sleeping with the boot on because I’ve been afraid I would catch my foot on something while flipping over and hurt it somehow. Has anyone had any issues sleeping without the boot?

And remember to take small steps! Try to walk with a normal gait which, initially, will only be possible if you take smaller steps. As your foot/achilles get stronger and more flexible you can lengthen your stride.

My doctor absolutely did not want me going barefoot for quite a while after I was 2-shoes. He wanted to make sure all the bone mass was back in the bones and muscles were stronger in my foot to avoid any fractures. Yes bone fractures are a possibility after you are NWB since you lose both bone mass and muscle mass. So I would suggest you not go barefoot until you are in 2-shoes completely and with no riser in your shoe. I initially had to have heel lifts in the shoes once I was totally 2-shoes and then I slowly transitioned those out. Took them out for a few hours for a few days and slowly increased the amount of time that I didn’t have them. I was kind of cocky when I first went 2 shoes thinking I didn’t need them and my achilles got quite sore! My PT guy just kind of laughed when I told him and my doc just said “see I know what I’m doing when I tell you to slowly transition” LOL!

On the subject of loss of bone/muscle mass. My hubby expected my calf to be much smaller but he and I were shocked at how my foot and ankle were also smaller! So you lose muscle and bone mass from the knee down to the toes when you are NWB.

Yep, I remember that. When I took my leg out it looked like the bottom part had just shriveled away. It was kinda creepy looking to me. I remember having to re-teach myself how to walk which felt soooo weird, not being able to support myself on such a basic level. But it can back fast, and I was able to make small gains each day which really helps. It comes back, I promise!

Haha this is so true. Even after 1000s of calf raises, my left leg was never got back as defined as my right. I guess that’s one plus side of double ATRs - I’ll be even again!!! On the serious side get a good physio on your team and you’ll improve very quickly now you are out of the boot

cserpent, yes I’ve been walking with the boot for almost 2 months now and gotten pretty good at it. I saw my doctor last week and he said I could phase out the boot when I was ready. I’ve taken the last wedge out of my boot and I’m letting my ankle adjust to that for 7-10 days or so before I start transitioning into two shoes. I’m normally barefoot around the house, but would it be better to wear shoes even inside? I suppose that would provide additional support while letting my ankle flex.

mattypicks, congratulations for losing the boot! Good luck and please post on your progress and offer suggestions since I’m not far behind you!

I’ve been advised by my specialist that I can now take the boot off.
He was feeling the injured area and he said “I can feel the tendon, but I’m not sure where your muscle has gone haha”.
To be honest I never had big calves before but now I completely have no muscle. Hopefully once I start stretching and walking on it, the muscle comes back.

LOL! Yes you do lose muscle mass! I assume you started walking with the boot first? My doc had me transition out of the boot slowly - doing a few hours of shoe time to start with and adding more hours each week. This gave the muscles and bones a chance to get some strength back before going full bore with no boot at all. Glad you are moving to the no boot stage!

I’m thankful that my surgery was relatively simple and the surgeon didn’t have to scrounge for spare parts! You are sadly a pro at ATR, so I appreciate your wisdom (my family would appreciate a less smelly boot too) and wish you luck this time around.

Take it slowly Hun. I’ve ruptured mine 3 times and as a result had to have my Achilles totally rebuilt using the plant is tendon and a part of my calf muscle to create a flap. So slowly slowly. If u are not sleeping in ur boot any more wash the insert before u go to bed and let it dry as I know they get very smelly!! Good luck on your road to recovery!

I am 5 1/2 month post full rupture in my right leg. Had surgery 2 days after rupture.
6 weeks in the hard cast 100% NWB.

Doc said I should elevate if uncomfortable but did not stress it out as it is a must to do. So I was fairly active, using crutches in the house, around neighborhood, trip to the Zoo with family and so on.
Almost did not Ice at all. Would have to elevate my leg more in the evening when it would swell inside the cast.

In the last 3 weeks of the cast was very active exercising and specially injured leg (bending in the knee, lifting up, lifting from laying on the side).

After cast came off. Went straight into walking shoes outside and walking bare feet at home.

Walked around through the pain at the get go (including 1/2 mile next day after cast came off). In 10 days had a family trip to another city was able to keep up (mostly) through the day, walking 3-5 miles, but would have to sit and rest while family would explore around).

Started jogging at 3 1/2 month. Now at 5 1/2 month can run 2 miles with the pace around 8 min mile. Still way off my pace pre injury, but getting there.

Strength of the

I’m at 7 months and back to playing soccer and doing my high intensity interval training classes. Don’t yet have all my leg and aerobic strength back - but I’m working on it. My surgery was for a big bone spur so achilles was detached, bone ground off and reattached. For me it was 3 weeks NWB and elevate 90% of the time, then another 3 weeks NWB, then slowly move to FWB over a 4 week time span. I was fortunate that I had very little pain. I took full strength pain pills for 5 days (maybe I didn’t have pain because I was on pain pills- LOL), then 1/2 strength for a few days and then off them completely. And, since my achilles is now better than it was before surgery I would say my docs protocol worked for me My doc explained the whys behind everything and it made perfect sense.

Tomorrow marks my 12th week anni-rupture-versary and I am very pleased with my progress. At 11 weeks, I started walking a mile daily. I’ve done 6 so far!

I wish my protocol would have called for time-off/elevation. I ruptured on June 30th and was prepped for surgery July 1. That was my first consult with the surgeon. I could say yay or nay. I had done research that weekend and said yay.

Surgeon said to return to work when “I was ready”. “Keep your foot elevated and iced” but wasn’t given an expected time-frame. I was miserable that first 3 weeks yet returned after the first, part time.

I’m curious how other protocols say to take time off post-op? I’ve seen expectations of 23/24 hours elevated and iced for the first week. 3 weeks elevated. Etc.

My 1.5 weeks off caused problems at work (as, again, I wasn’t really given an expectation/protocol) because I was the lead on a major project (which is going well, despite my minimal absence early on). The project is the only reason I returned. Despite it being a left ATR repair, I had someone drive me in while NWB because I didn’t have the balance/strength/stamina to g

You definitely need to go back to basics (take small steps, walk slower) with each change. It took me several weeks to dewedge myself when I went 2 shoes. But that’s the way to do it since all your muscles and bones have to readjust as things get repositioned and stretched more. I didn’t start PT until I was in shoes - but when people start PT is about as varied as the recovery protocols.

I’m 10 1/2 weeks post op now. 2 1/2 weeks out of the boot. I’m working hard on getting a “normal” walking gait back. I have to go slow.

The first few days after 8 weeks in casts was very tough. I’ve found that the best exercise was heel on the ground while sitting and raising my toes…then with bands…and now full weight bearing. I still do all of the other exercises. My calf/tendon tightens up within 10 minutes of no activity though. My DPT said that would last around 2 months until my calf/tendon find their right length.

FYI for your future: I’ve been focusing on this particular stretch (toe raises with heel planted on the floor) before walking out of my office/meeting so I can get that gait normal.

Hope this helps. So glad to find this site!!

I was having twinges in the knee on my bad leg when silly walking, especially down stairs, but that seems to have gone away. I do try to focus on what I am doing so I minimize risk, but as I get better at it (or am I overconfident?) I think less about what I am doing. I have an appointment on Monday and anticipate getting the first wedge out of my boot so hopefully my walk will start getting more normal.

I always tried to tell myself when walking.. heel to toe… heel to toe… it will help with you trying to walk “properly”

Get an evenup for the other foot so you’re feet are at the same height or find a shoe with a high heel or thick sole that gets you to the same height. And then take small steps so you can walk normally even if you are doing tiny steps. My PT guy tells me, regularly, to focus on doing the exercises/walking/… etc right rather than fast or trying to do it with no assistance (like holding onto a wall when I jump). Once you are doing it right (with assistance or by taking small steps) then work on doing it with less assistance (or taking longer steps in your case). Eventually things are strong enough/flexible enough to do it more normally.

andyfrancis, I’m glad I’m not alone with the silly walk. I was at a friend’s house today and did a bunch of silly walking because it was simpler than using crutches. I’m just afraid I’ll do something unwise and give myself another injury which I really don’t need right now!

Hey

I’m a few weeks ahead of you, just over 9 weeks.

I definitely embraced the silly walk phase. My bad foot was turned out a little, kinda hard to avoid that when you’re 3 inches taller on one side.

I had the occasional twinge in my knee and hip but nothing major,
My advice though would be to not walk to far. If you’re moving around the house then just go for it, get that weight through the foot. You’re unlikely to get other aches and pains from just a few steps from room to room.

Also, listen to your body. If it hurts, stop. Simple really.

Andy

There is a nerve that runs on the outside of the foot, under the ankle bone. That nerve often gets moved around/irritated during surgery. I had a similar problem and some pain there too. Eventually it all went away as the nerve calmed down from the abuse it received

Yeah I appear to be the earliest to PWB here, but it must just be how my surgeon does it. My sutures will be absorbed so they don’t need to be removed. The tricky part was getting my boot straightened out so it wasn’t causing me pain. I’m trying a little bit more each day, but I haven’t really put much more than the weight of my leg itself on the boot. Although I do get up more now, my default location is still on the couch with my leg elevated. I have a little swelling and numbness/tingling on the outside of my foot - I don’t know how much of that is from being off the couch too much, my previously misaligned boot, or nerve damage which I understand is pretty common.

Wow that’s awesome and probably the first i heard and/or read could put weight on just 6 days later. I was in a cast first 3 weeks with staples in.

Did you have your stitches /staples removed?

I would say take it easy especially your first 14 days don’t put any weight and keep it elevate.

Happy to hear no swelling and blood rushing pain when you put your foot down.

Thanks for the reply ty620, and congratulations for making it to two shoes! I had my post-op appointment today. I had no swelling (also no longer feeling the fluid rushing into my leg when I get up) and I’m healing well so they put me in a boot. So technically I’m PWB just 6 days out from surgery. I’m allowed to do whatever is comfortable for me, but I’m taking it really easy for now. I’m starting with letting my foot rest on the floor when I’m seated or standing on crutches and I’ll see if I can stand on my leg a little bit when I brush my teeth. The couch is still a comfort zone but I’m free to move about as I like and don’t have to elevate during the day. I’ve got 4 weeks until my next appointment, so there’s no need to rush things.

Hey sorry to hear about your ATR welcome. It is really hard the first 2 weeks mentally and physically. It does get better. Yes, the feeling of blood rushing thumbing etc will go away when you stand. I would say my 2nd week it stop.
I was on NWB in a cast for the first 3 weeks. At week 3 I was put in a boot and put on full weight bearing. I am 40 pretty Active female and I’m at week 8 of ATR surgical route. I’m driving and wearing 2 shoes pretty much all day except a few hours when I’m at work. (I do it because I’m scared but my surgeon to ditch the boot)
I have learnt that everyone’s recovery and protocol is different. It’s really based on your surgeon. If you are put on PWB then yes you can stand on two feet putting partial weight on your AT.