garyf’s AchillesBlog

16 weeks and can’t do a 1 legged heel raise!

Posted on April 10th, 2011 by garyf

As the subject line states I still can’t do a 1 leg heel raise unless I take virtually all my weight on a table top etc. At 16 weeks this can’t be right so I’m either doing the wrong excercises or not doing enough of the ones I am doing!!! Right that’s my moan out of the way, on the plus side the limp has virtually gone and this has happened over the last 4 days. I managed to take my daughter into the gardens of the restaurant we were at today and walk on uneven ground without panicking I was going to go over, don’t get me wrong, I still watched my step but to not worry was a great feeling and a sign I’m getting back to some sort of ‘normality’. I’m looking forward to what the next few months throw at me with a smile on my face 

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12 Responses to “16 weeks and can’t do a 1 legged heel raise!”

lsjoberg, on April 10th, 2011 at 9:01 pm Said:

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…
iski7b, on April 11th, 2011 at 12:54 pm Said:

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, but not really being so scared and super-over-cautious feels great. I love that you are appreciating all the things you CAN do now, that you couldn’t just a month ago! That’s 1/2 the battle, in my opinion…seeing the importance of cherishing the new successes! Happy Healing to ya!
garyf, on April 11th, 2011 at 6:55 pm Said:

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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garyf, on April 11th, 2011 at 6:56 pm Said:

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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normofthenorth, on April 11th, 2011 at 10:56 pm Said:

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.
garyf, on April 17th, 2011 at 5:50 pm Said:

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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normofthenorth, on April 17th, 2011 at 8:05 pm Said:

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. . .
ryanb, on November 23rd, 2011 at 12:41 am Said:

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?
normofthenorth, on November 23rd, 2011 at 1:00 pm Said:

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!
Jessica, on November 29th, 2015 at 5:57 pm Said:

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?
beanie, on November 29th, 2015 at 7:54 pm Said:

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?
Pete, on November 29th, 2015 at 8:03 pm Said:

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.