Right leg in boot, left leg aches!
Crutch free October 5th, 2009So I am now walking around crutch free in my aircast boot. It feels great to be able to get around easily although I still miss driving and being able to get the kids from school. I am looking forward to handing the crutches back and never seeing them again - man I hate them!
Only issue now is that my good left leg is aching. All along, before my injury, I had what I thought was tendonitis in my left heel and was concerned that was going to be the one to rupture. I even went to a physio, had my running shoes re-checked by the store and all was confirmed to be OK. I guess being left footed its the stronger of the two but my right never ached or indictaed anything was wrong. Now, even though I am not running, my left achilles still aches and I wonder if its down the extra work its having to do! Has anyone got any tips?
To compound the issue I pulled a muscle in my left shoulder doing some weights at the weekend! Ah well got to get on with things.
I just want to go running again! My next half marathon I was in training for is this weekend 
I was hoping for a personal best in the 1hr30min range. Maybe next year?
October 5th, 2009 at 13:58
Uselessly all I can tell you is that you aren’t alone. I suffered from tendinitis in both achilles well before my avulsion and it had pretty much cleared up. Now of course it’s back.
The only advice I’ve found is that eccentric exercises help, which of course aren’t easy to pursue when you’re recovering from an ATR.
The body sucks sometimes.
October 5th, 2009 at 14:40
My good left ankle has been aching more since I went back to work last week. After some 11 weeks NWB I think it was suffering from the extra weight though I was quite careful to use the crutches/wheelchair/kneess as much as possible rather than hop around.
Now I’m trying to walk “properly” I’m conscious that I’m still favouring the uninjured side and it was complaining a bit on Friday.
Feels much better today after a weekend of less activity - elevated both legs for periods over the weekend and put my ice pack on the uninjured one to help. But I will mention it to my physio on Thursday and pass on any extra advice she may offer.
Have you read gailaj’s blog? - ultra runner back to doing up to 20 miles at a go, some 30 weeks post-op. There’s always hope.
Oh, and don’t forget you are still less than 3 weeks post-op, so your body’s still getting used to it all.
October 5th, 2009 at 14:54
Thanks Sam66 & assumptiondenied. I have seen gailaj’s blog yes. It gives me hope and at least the winter is on its way when I don’t run as much as in the summer. Obviously I am now worried what I am doing to my left achilles while it aches. I will try and ice it at night to see if that helps as I was doing this after my runs anyway. Having 6 months off from running might help it I guess?
Being an impatient old bugger I am looking at buying a road bike alongside my mountain bike for the winter’s training.
October 5th, 2009 at 22:51
Im 4 1/2 weeks post op, dude slow down just a little bit.
October 6th, 2009 at 01:57
Glad that my story is encouraging to you…and just remember, I had my surgery last February but did not actually run until June (four months later), and then was thrilled to do just a mile at first! So hang in there, Graham…by the way, I kept my sanity by picking up crocheting again, made one afghan for the living room, one for my son’s room…and am working on another for the master bedroom now, since I am running but still not racing yet, I will probably not do that until the spring if all stays healthy….:) So it may be time to pick up an old hobby or study to fill the running void
October 6th, 2009 at 10:04
Thanks gailaj. I have read your blog and was just wondering how your left leg was? Didn’t that have a ATR as well? Am pleased you are back to running so far after this nightmare injury. To read your progress gives me hope and although I don’t do anything like the distances you do, I loved to do 6-9 mile runs twice a week. At least the weather here in the UK is rubbish so doesn’t give me the urge! I am reading, catching up on some TV series and even doing some studying to pass the time. Still very bored being stuck in all day. I have always said this injury is more a mental thing rather than physical. All the very best.
October 6th, 2009 at 14:13
The left leg is still giving me some occasional soreness..After my surgery, I was also worried about being on the crutches, which I was for over 3 weeks (can hardly remember now), but it held up okay..The original MRIs they had done on both sides did show some partial tears on the left too, but the right is the one that really flared up and made it impossible for me to run anyway, so I went for the surgery…It is my hope that some of the left side’s problems healed on their own during my time off my feet…since the left side had never gotten as bad as the right one, and I didn’t ever get the heel pain (later diagnosed as plantar fascitis) on the left either….I am trying to help it out by also stretching the left side. But I admit I have been neglecting it, favoring the right, post-surgical side. My doctor had thought that he wanted to do surgery on the left as well (as you might have read in my previous posts), but of course I am trying to avoid it all costs!
Good luck with the mental side….I know it’s hard, but try and relax while you can so that your body can heal!
October 30th, 2009 at 18:00
Friend of mine ruptured his achilles on the same leg that he had a hamstring injury some weeks before hand, I have an achilles avulsion and six weeks before that injury I also had a bad hamstring injury. could they be connected?
November 9th, 2011 at 18:48
Amazingly I almost are in agreement with all you have stated. I guess it’s good to re-look at the way you think simply because you get into so many habits in the head. Appreciate the comments.
December 22nd, 2011 at 19:55
It’s remarkable just how diverse a range of ideas one discovers on the net. I might not agree with everything you say, nevertheless it does force you to perhaps sit back and re-think your personal bias and habits. So thanks for that.