garyf’s AchillesBlog

You can do a Thompson test on yourself, no need to see a specialist for that. Google it. But if no major swelling, not likely torn.

Jessica, an xray can’t give you any information about your tendon. Tendons are soft tissue. Have you had an ultrasound or mri? If you are struggling to walk properly and can’t push off your toes or lift onto your toes then your tendon could be torn. If you haven’t had any diagnostics other than an xray then I would recommend going back, requesting a Thompson test and an ultrasound. Does your country have public health care?

Hello all,
I’ve been searching the internet far and wide for SOMETHING related to my injury and couldn’t find anything, until this blog. It seems to be a few years old so I’m hoping someone responds. My story: two dogs were in a nasty fight and I went to break it up, and got bite right around the ankle. I went to the ER, they xrayed it and said no bones were broken AND it “looked like” there was no tendon damage. Here I am, two weeks later JUST barely limping around. I’ve been doing at home PT exercises to see which exercises I am limited and I’ve noticed that I have ZERO strength (and a good amount of pain) trying to do a heel raise. I’m supposed to be leaving for boot camp at the end of this month, but now my injury may cause that to change (and I am worried). I don’t have health insurance and the back wound is still slightly swollen. Any suggestions out there?

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Ryan, I enjoyed my Sketcher “Shape Ups”, and they may have helped my calf rehab. For “irrelevant” reasons, I actually haven’t worn them much. They’re big and solid, and I’m a fan of lighter footwear, is one reason. (I still wear Crocs around the house, and slip-on leather boat shoes when I go out.)
I was using them for my Cardio Rehab walking, but I soon progressed to “walk-jog”, and they’re not supposed to be running shoes, so I switched to my OTHER Sketchers, which ARE running shoes.
So I didn’t use them a lot, but I enjoyed them when I did, and in some parallel universe, I probably used them a lot!

Norm- I bumped into this old post doing a search for info on Sketcher “shape up” rocker shoes. I just bought a pair- figuring they might be good rehab tools. Dabbling around the house in them, I can tell that (for better or worse) they ARE going to work the calf and Achilles. I see you bought some back in April. How did they work out for you? Did you find them to be beneficial?

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Hi there
Whilst I’m interested in your recovery, and everyone elses of course, I read with a lot of interest that you have lost 6lb of the 9lb you gained. Well done! I am still in plaster (although comes off tomorrow) and have gained weight and it is really getting me down. Hope I can lose it soon
Good luck with the rest of the recovery
Kerrie

You reading this, mi5htymike?

Gary, that PT who got me to overdo was working on my RIGHT AT, 9 years ago! After the pain went away and I took it easy for a coupla months (busy sailing), my 1-leg heel raise was just fine, and still is on the right. It’s my second, left, late-2009 ATR that has the wimpy heel raise.

BTW, I just bought two pairs of Sketcher shoes, including one of the ones with the rocker sole. Since I’m supposed to power-walk 10 miles a week for cardio rehab(BORING!!), I might as well have good shoes. . .

I bet working with the PT that pushed you to do 1 leg heel raises til your heel hurt hasn’t helped either!! 17 months with still a wimpy heel raise would def concern me but as you say the heart valve op won’t have helped. Hope all is going well on that front and your getting stronger by the day.

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Who KNOWS what’s “normal”?!? This time around, I’m still stuck with a wimpy half-height 1-legger 17 MONTHS after my ATR. I’m strong enough to walk “perfectly” (for miles at a time), and I can even rise up on my toes in a “silly walk” (like one that elsurfer did on a fairly recent video). And I can drop down very slowly on the “2 up, 1 down” exercise. But I’m still waiting (and talk about patience!!) for the real 1-leg, straight-kneed, heel raise.

My return to running and sports has been delayed by heart-valve replacement surgery(!), and I’m not sure if the calf strength might still improve past this hurdle, or if this is my “new normal”. I’m thinking of returning to my Sports-med clinic (home of my OS & my PT to have another round of quantitative, objective bio-kinetic strength tests done, to quantify the relative strength deficit. Not that that will change much, but I’ll have a better idea of how much strength I’ve lost, or not regained.

Thanks for the reassurance isjo, just what I needed to hear. Nice to know everything is ‘normal’ if we can call it that 

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Thanks for the reassuring comments iski. That’s why I love this site, the wealth of knowledge and other peoples experiences is invaluable! Feel a lot better now that its ‘normal’.

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Hey Garyf,
I’m at 19 weeks. I have been healing really well, from what I can see and feel. I have no swelling, my wound looks great, I can wear all sorts of shoes w/o discomfort, I can walk non-stop for more than a mile w/o discomfort, can bike for over an hour, and have pretty decent muscle definition coming back in my leg and calf…that said…I can still only do an ASSISTED one-legged heel raise.
From what my PT has said, right now it’s still more important to focus on an UNASSISTED LOWERING (eccentric muscle contraction) portion of the heel raise, which encouages the building of new tendon, than doing the “raise” part of the heel raise unassisted.
I agree completely w/lsjoberg…continue to work on 2-legged raises and assisted one-legged raises and associated calf exercises, and don’t feel rushed to get to 1-legged ones. It’s really not that important right now. Building new tendon is more important.
The 1-legged unassisted raises will come when the time is right.
I’m so glad to hear about your walk through the uneven garden ground. I know exactly where you’re coming from. That feeling of still being aware, b

I’m at 17.5 weeks and still can’t do one-legged heel raises without leaning on something, I wouldn’t sweat it so long as things seem to be improving and you’re getting better ROM and strength every day. I would guess that I am 4-6 weeks from really being close to unassisted heel raises, just do lots of 2-legged and assisted one-legged raises and calf exercises and you’ll get there eventually…

VERY wise words my friend and they have been heeded!!! Things are back on track again and the limp is definitely on the way out 

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Glad the toe recovered, Gary. This I know from nothing. But I’d still urge you to convert to Incrementalism!! “Never do significantly more than you got away with the last time!” Going from 3 sets of heel raises to 4, instead of 5, may cost you a day, but jumping to 5 may cost you a week!

Lots of us made even bigger jumps, and regretted some of them — like my jump from NO heel raises to as many as I could!!

Thanks for the comments PK. Yeah god knows what’s going on inside Our bodies after a trauma like an AT to contend with!! I’m constantly amazed at how resiliant the human body is, to join a tendon back together without surgical intervention is truly amazing!! Toe is back to normal now thank goodness - on with the rehab 

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Hi Janet, you seem to be doing very well too - keep it going, square with weights…impressive but don’t overdo it  The tightness of the AT will disappear over the coming weeks as you do more stretches and ramp up the PT. The good news is that big toe is now pain free after ‘cracking’ as I walked up the stairs so I’ll go back to 3 sets of 10 heel raises tomorrow and see how that feels. Keep me posted with your recovery!!

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Hi Cyndi. Difficult for me to give any tips regarding surgery as I went down the non-surgical route. My advice would be to read other posts of people that have had the surgery. Hopefully you’ll get a good surgeon and a modern rehab protocol which should see you back in ‘2 shoes’ in no time 

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Hi GB! It sounds VERY similar. It hasn’t been great today but guess what, I was walking up the stairs before when….. ‘CRACK’!!! Sounded awful but I didn’t get any pain and now I can bend the foot in all directions! The pain is gone and I can put weight on it again. I think you’re right, it has got to be something to do with the adjusted gait - very odd, hope it doesn’t happen again  We will be ‘normal’ again soon I’m sure, keep on keeping on!

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I read this entry yesterday and thought about it all night. I had almost the same thing happen to me. My big toe joint has swollen up twice since surgery. The second time it was so bad I taped icy hot pads to it to try to sleep. It felt like what you said about wanting to pop the joint…well I did and that inflamed it even more. My PT thought it might be gout and doc said..maybe so I went for a blood test. Not gout…doc can’t explain it but seems to think it is compensatory from altered gait. It lasted for a couple of days both times. I pray it won’t happen again! Wondering if yours was the same…..
Yeah, I gotcha on the coworker attitudes. I hate to tell people that I’m not 100% so I just try to do as much as I can avoiding any situation that might bring up my status. We went out to eat with friends the other night and I couldn’t keep up walking in….it pissed me off to have to say “wait up”. One of my neighbors saw me limp a little and said “Are you STILL having problems with that?”. Now what do you say in that situation? Someday……we’ll be normal again, I guess:-)

Gary,
Hopefully, your big toe gets sorted out quickly. Otherwise it sounds like you are moving along well.

So many things get ‘messed up’ when our limbs are immobilized for so long. You really are rehabilitating all your ligaments, tendons, nerves, muscles, etc. that were stuck in the cast for so long. Blessings, pk

Im having achilles tendon surgery this week..any tips or advice?

Im having achilles tendon surgeries this week after almost 4 years of trying everything else….any tips or advice?

Ouchie!!! I’m sure at some point I will overdo it…it’s my nature….your story will remind me to “BE CAREFUL” although I have people reminding me hourly about that.

LOL “limp piece of flesh”….I miss my calf…I still have the lovely dent and there is no curve whatsoever…ruler straight!

I cannot believe how tight the AT leg is in the morning. You best be careful Gary…you have to be a good example to me as you are ahead of me in the journey and I’m keeping track of your progress!

Hang in there….and happy healing as well.

Thanks for the kind words Sophie xxx

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I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don’t know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog, I will keep visiting this blog very often.

I limp when I’m tired and have to remind myself to heel/ toe/ roll. I also exercise with the Theraband. Try sitting with weights on your knees and doing some heel raises. I feel like I’ve been limping for an eternity and I hate trying to keep up with the group(like going to dinner or something) It will come…right? I’m a little further along but have similar observations. All the large milestones are in the past now. We just have to keep working!

for the limp, I started as well the stretches and heel raises. focusing intently on heel down and toe-off when walking will help, too, or at least has helped for me. if you have access to a treadmill, walking on the treadmill will help, since it pretty much forces you to walk “normally”. lots of ankle exercises with a Theraband might help, a lot of the weakness in my bad leg is caused by my floppy ankle : )

That’s exactly what I thought. The health service treatment I’ve had so far has been questionable to say the least but let’s look at the positives - almost 12 weeks since the accident and 14th March will be 4 weeks out of the cast and in 2 shoes and no re-rupture so it’s all good!!!

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Thanks for the comments Gerry. Good call about the PT, I’m going to go to a private physio - expensive but worth it, even if it’s just for a session or 2.

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Thanks gailbuddy. I don’t have any insurance but there’s a private sports injury physio nearby so I’m going to pay for a few sessions - even if it’s just to get my confidence back that my AT is not going to snap at any second!

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Thanks for the comments lsjoberg. I totally agree that I need to build my confidence up as I keep thinking my AT is going to snap! No local gym but there is a private sports physio close by so I think I’m going to invest in a few sessions.

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Thanks Norm, there’s a really good range of things to do here and I’ll definitely make a ‘routine’ around them 

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My answer to your exercise Q is +/- like this:
- Build up calf-and-AT strength doing what you’re doing: 2-leg heel raises, shifting weight gradually to your right leg; Slowly build up to heel raises on low steps or boards; 1-leg raises. Theraband work can supplement heel raises. Eventually move toward jumping and pliometrics.
- Work on flexibility and ROM: If your ROM, either PF or DF, is much more limited than your left leg, the GRADUALLY stretch it, initially “actively” (using internal muscles) then increasingly “passively” (using towels, hands, walls, the floor. . .). Save FWB stretches for last, and treat them with caution.
- Work on proprioception and balance. 1-leg balance, initially in a doorway or other protected place. Build up to 1-leg with motion and/or distraction (bounce a ball, bend your knee, etc.). Some people like balance with eyes closed, me personally not so much.
- Start integrating, e.g., with an “agility ladder”.

I don’t think there’s a lot more to do, until you start getting back to the sports activities you love.

I was”raised” with two basic Rules of Thumb for intensity, which I still like:
1) Choose an int

as a lifelong sports addict I was a little skeptical about PT for the achilles, but the dude has been a savior so far, especially with helping me get over the emotional and mental hurdle of using the dang achilles again. do you have a local gym that you can ask around about PT? my PT was recommended by just everybody I asked…

Please find someone that can help you. I owe my swiftness of recovery to my PT. It’s hard to give advice as I don’t know your circumstances i/e health insurance,etc. But be assured that was a travesty. You can get great exercises on UTube but the guidance of a really good PT is invaluable in my experience. Ask around….good luck

That’s terrible! I hope you can switch to someone more competent, soon. Very upsetting to hear.

Well, I don’t know what PT is usually like in the UK, I would have fired that clodhopper on the spot. That is a joke. After my last surgery I went a minimum of one day a week and had been in two shoes for several months. Find someone else if you can, interview them and ask them specifically what their plan is, and if they don’t have one, move on.

WTH….I’m horrified…..I obviously haven’t started physio yet….but from everything I”ve read…ummm…should have been more than that.

You must be supremely disappointed.

Hey GaryF

I will be keeping a close eye on your progress as you are a little over a month ahead of me. Physio is just around the corner for me and although I can’t wait to start….it will feel like I’m moving forward but at the same time…..I’ve been warned….it hurts, it’s tough and you just gotta do it.

I’m glad you are getting some calf definition back….mine has completely disappeared….it’s just wrong. I’m hoping once I get moving it will come back quickly…is that wishful thinking?

Congrats on the 10 week milestone…..have to celebrate the victories!!!!!!

Good work, folks! And we didn’t even need to bother “the boss” with this! And yes, it’s working! (I’m editing now. )