So apparently I won the lottery! Just not the lottery I’ve ever dreamed of winning. On May 20, 2016 I joined achilles tendon rupture club! Oh lucky me! Quick aside, I have had issues with my right achilles in the past. I injured it doing our bi-annual obstacle course for the SWAT team that I am a part of and it’s been sore off and on ever since. It never really did anything other than be very sore which I attributed to being a strain. I never took any time off or even said anything about getting hurt running the course, I just figured that it would eventually get better. It took a LONG time to finally get to the point where I could run without pain and I’ve had aches and pains ever since.
That brings me back to May 20. I was participating in a softball game and I was bound and determined NOT to get hurt. I haven’t played softball regularly in a number of years, and it was a pick-up tournament which I had no intention of taking seriously. Prior to the game, I made it a point to run and stretch and stretch and run and adequately warm up as to not get hurt. The game started and went normally for about 45 mins. I played the outfield and ran here and there and felt pretty good. I had an at bat and got a hit, next batter up got me to second and the following batter batted me home. Sounds fantastic! Therein lies the issue…I wish I would have struck out, or gotten thrown out at first, or second, or third… I started my run from second base and rounded third mindful that I was not going to be “going all out” because this game means absolutely nothing. When I was about 10 feet from home I felt myself get hit with the thrown ball which didn’t hurt but since it was the ball I slowed down because there’d be no play at home. I crossed home plate and then heard it…THE BALL HIT THE CATCHER’S GLOVE! Um…what? Didn’t the ball hit me? How did it already get to the catcher? Why does my foot feel funny?
**dang, i think i pulled a muscle**
I made my way towards home and came to the realization that something was terribly wrong. Something that I’d never experienced before and something that felt really strange. I had some soreness, not pain, in my lower calf and the arch of my foot felt numb. Every step I took felt as if i was stepping on the edge of a hole with the ball of my foot falling in the hole with my heel landing on the edge of said hole. A very strange feeling indeed. My teammates asked me if I was okay because they could see I was walking very weird. I instantly told them no and that something is very very wrong. At this point I still didn’t have any pain just soreness. I sat in the dugout and could feel that my achilles was very soft, almost non existent. I compared it to the other side and it felt very different. I immediately sent a text to my wife and let her know that I think that I’d hurt my achilles and possibly ruptured it. The rest of that game and the next game I sat in the dugout having no clue as to the journey that I’d just set myself upon. No clue whatsoever. I could stand, I could walk…sort of, maybe its just a partial tear. I got myself a bag of ice and watched the remainder of both games alone in the dugout. I went through almost every phase of grief at that time. Now the worst part…my injury was to my LEFT achilles! I’d spent all my time focusing on warming up my RIGHT achilles and only passively warming up my left. *sigh* The games ended and I went home.
In the meantime, while I was still at the game, my wife began the first part of my treatment…contacting a medical professional. My brother in law is a PA and told me that he would be at the clinic in the morning and that I should come by and be evaluated.
By the end of the night, I made it home and climbed into bed. I truly thought that maybe…JUST MAYBE that i’d wake up in the morning and all would be well. Or that I’d be sore but able to walk with things moving towards normal. Up to this point, I’d just had soreness…still no real pain. My brain wanted to minimize the problem with the lack of pain equaling lack of true injury.
Come Saturday morning, I come to realize that I’m wrong…
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June 18th, 2016 at 12:38 - Edit
The good news is the lack of warm up made absolutely no difference. This event was going to happen regardless. Most recent studies show some forms of pre-exercise stretching is harmful. Post exercise warm down is more important. Clearly there is more to your story which will follow. Hope you are doing well.
June 20th, 2016 at 08:25 - Edit
Yeah, that’s what I hear about stretching. So, I guess it was inevitable. Ya know, I wish that it would have happened at work though! haha. And yes, there is much more to my story, and I’m just getting started. All things considered, I’m doing well.
[WORDPRESS HASHCASH] The poster sent us ‘0 which is not a hashcash value.
June 22nd, 2016 at 11:44 - Edit
It’s little frustrating to not know what caused ATR exactly. I suspect often it is not the exercise we were doing at the moment that was the root cause. It just was the last straw. I ruptured my tendon with really not a very dynamic move, just a slight push off my foot. I think that my week of intense activities prior to the rupture might have more to do with my rupture than the activity during which it actually happened…
June 22nd, 2016 at 13:12 - Edit
Agnes - It was not the week before or even the week before that. This tendon is the largest and strongest in the body and has been degnerating over some time. The only thing that has to date shown any positive reversal of this process is eccentric loading exercises.
July 6th, 2016 at 05:25 - Edit
Avoiding the pain will be difficult, but knowing how and stop them easier
October 29th, 2016 at 19:40 - Edit
Great post! Thank you so much for sharing it. Have a nice day!