Achilles nightmare UK edition

So I moved into week 4 post op a few days ago and things are moving on OK. My scar is looking very good (see attachment) and I can walk well inside the Aircast boot. I walked down to see my youngest son play rugby the other day, was standing for about 2 hours and walked home again and all was OK. Total distance was only about a mile but it felt good to be able to do that. My leg is strengthening all the time and I can feel my tendon gettting stronger.

I am doing daily workouts with some weights and concentrating on my upper body but also doing leg raises and another which is great for getting muscle growth (I only do this in an aircast boot and got this from another member on here - sorry cannot remember who!): Lie on the ground knees bent at 90 degrees. Raise good leg off the ground and push your other weakened ankle into the floor - dont lie it flat!!! Push your upper body and backside off the ground with your weakened leg pause for 3 seconds. Repeat as many times as you can. You can really feel your leg getting a great workout.

Apart from that the hardest part is living on my own in this state. I cannot drive so a lot of the time I am housebound and unable to get around. It drives me nuts as I am so active usually. I see my children fequently but as I am unable to drive to pick them up I have to rely on others which isn’t great and most of them are too busy so they cannot help. I see the surgeon in less than 4 weeks, I am praying he will pass me fit to drive so I can get some freedom back. Looking at the same 4 walls everyday is going to send me mad!

So I meant to be running in the Great Eastern Run today, a half marathon here in the UK, that I have been competing in for the last few years. I was hopeful of a time in the 1 hour 30 minutes and beat last years 1hr43m. But here I am on my computer with my foot wrapped in a aircast boot. A bit depressing really as the run is fantastic with 1000s of spectators. I know I should be grateful as my recovery is going well but it still very sad that I am stuck at home when my friends are all enjoying their run in the sun. Maybe next year?

All the best everyone.

Ah magic. 3 weeks after my surgery I had a full bath today. Sat in it for 30 mins and really soaked my leg and foot it felt great. Even got a pumice stone on the foot as it badly needed it with all the dead and hard skin! Picture below is what my scar looks like now and am very pleased really. Its only small and healed up well it seems. Need to work on that skin a bit more!

I am walking without crutches at all and only use them when I haven’t got the boot on but don’t tend to move around when its off as I dont trust myself! I take the boot off when sitting down either watching TV, surfing or reading and massage the calf. All is OK. With the boot on I can support 100% of my body weight on my bad leg. I can stand fully without the boot on but cannot walk yet and don’t really want to - the ankle and calf are still very weak.  I can feel the tendon is tight but am stretching it carefully all the time.

There is still a lot of atrophy on my calf but I guess that will come back with time as I walk around. I am still doing upper body workouts everyday and minor leg lifts. I am not due to see the surgeon again for another 4.5 weeks and want to see a PT asap. I am wondering if I should go and book one privately just to get some instructions on physio I could do now?

I have tried to eat properly and keep below the magic 2000 calories per day. Lots of fruit and veggies is the order of the day. I am also taking Arnica which apparently helps healing. Its hard at first but then you get used to it. So far I haven’t put on any weight which is great

I still cannot drive which is a real pain. Having to rely on others is so hard. I dont think my insurance would cover me to drive with a aircast boot on!!

All in all though, I am very pleased with my progress. It seems to be much quicker than I anticipated.

All the best for you fellow ATR sufferers.

Graham

So 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?

So here I am 2 weeks and one day post surgery and I don’t really need the crutches anymore. I can FWB in the aircast boot and walk around OK. I have been into my local town and can walk for around a mile with no pain or aches - although I am a little slow I am also working out at home with weights for my upper body and press ups/sit ups to raise the heart rate. I am trying to do some calf and thigh lifts as well to get some muscle back in my right leg. All seems OK. Its amazing though how much atrophy has happened in just 2 weeks of not using the leg!

One thing I am thinking about though is I am not seeing my surgeon for another 5 1/2 weeks and last time we met he mentioned nothing about PT.  I have nothing booked with a pro just what I am doing at home and what I have picked up on this fantastic site. Do people recommend seeing a pro physio sooner rather than later even though I am doing what I can at home?

One other thing, I have 3 support heels in my aircast boot. My surgeon said take one out every 2 weeks. This seems a little conserative. As I can now walk without crutches and can put 100% of my weight on my bad leg in the aircast what are people’s thoughts?

Thanks

So I went for my first visit to see the surgeon after my op on 18 September today. They took the cast off and I was amazed how little the scar was and the fact there was no swelling (you can compare the ankle in the photos attached). The surgeon then declared I am to move into a Aircast boot with 3 support heels (see photo) and to take one out every 2 weeks. He then stated I should go to full weight bearing immediately but still use crutches as it will be quite painful for a while. I can take the boot off whenever I like - especially when relaxing in front of the TV and excercise my tendon but not to bring the foot upwards too much - take it easy! I can also shower fully after the weekend but not have a bath until next week as the wound still needs some more time to completely heal.

I couldn’t really take all this in as I was expecting to be at least NWB for another 2 weeks and only then move onto PWB. I did ask what the catch was and he said nothing - just be careful. Because I had this new key hole technique the incision was only 1-2cm (see photo) and I could be more aggressive.

I am back in hospital in 6 weeks time for the final heel removal and checkup. I forgot to ask and he didn’t mention about physio so I guess it would be best to restrict myself to PWB/FWB and moving my ankle around although I did want to ask about cycling and forgot! I guess I should be able to do that in about 2 weeks or so.

All in all a good day - let’s hope this continues.

All the very best

Graham

When I sit around not doing much (i.e. watching TV or reading) to pass the time should I be encouraging blood flow to my achilles by not raising my foot but resting it on the floor? This obviously lets the blood flow down to the wound and encourage its healing? Sometimes my foot in the cast throbs but as I don’t feel I have any swelling surely the more blood in that area the better?

Appreciate your comments…

Thanks

So I am a week on from my Op and things are progressing well…I think. I have no pain, I can flex my toes, I am exercising my injured leg often when sitting on the sofa, doing some press ups and sit ups (avoiding putting my injured foot down) and sleeping well. I occasionally get a twinge every now and then and it throbs when walking around. All in all very pleased so far. I just thought this would be a lot more painful and restrictive than it is (from a suture point of view if you know what I mean!). Don’t get me wrong the crutches are a pain in backside and I cannot wait to ditch them already!! I hope I am not doing too much but everyone seems to be in agreement the more you do ASAP and safely, the better in the long term for recovery.

I am really looking forward to seeing the surgeon next week for my first check up and what he is going to recommend next. I firmly believe the biggest challenge of this injury is a mental one rather than physical. Coping with boredom, being patient and following instructions must be a priority. How is everyone else dealing with sitting around? I am using it to catch up on some TV series I haven’t watched before (The Tudors, Fringe and am looking forward to Flashforward) and even doing some studying. However, I would never say no to leaving these four walls and just getting out in the fresh air. Its amazing how you miss the simplest things. I went out for lunch today and it was the first time I had gone out since returning home from surgery - it was fantastic.

All the best to you fellow ATR sufferers.

So, my name is Graham and I ruptured my achilles on 16 September 2009 at the gym. I was in final training for a half marathon on 11 October and was at my best fitness for years. A couple of years ago I got into running to fend off the beer/wine and nice food and along the way got addicted to running around my local town and beyond. Additionally I joined my local gym to gain some muscle and strength. I was easily doing 10 mile runs in training and really looking forward to my 3rd half marathon.

Last week I went on one of my many visits to the gym and was being put through my paces by my trainer. On the last excercise he got me jumping left and right over a medicine ball (a large heavy football/soccer ball) and POP I felt my right leg go. I knew immediately what I had done. Hindsight is a wonderfull thing but I think jumping over a ball and landing at an angle was too much for my tendon. But I guess you have to rely on what your trainer is telling you!

My trainer drove me to the local hospital and the nurse confirmed it was either a full or partial rupture. I then had to wait and see the Orthepedic doctor in a few hours. He confirmed a full rupture and recommended surgery. I was then in a full cast up to the knee for the day or so until my surgery.

Friday 18 September, I went in and was in surgery at 1pm. After surgery I was in a new cast with my foot pointing downwards. I saw my doctor who explained he had used a new technique and the cut made was very small so hopefully this will lead to a smaller scar and quicker recovery time?? Can anyone clarify that? I am told not to weight bear for 14 days and to return at that time for cast removal and a new ‘beckham’ boot that has removable heels. I have seen some people on this blog with these boots which look OK.

Now at home on 23 September reading the many blogs on this site which are really useful - thanks all! I have many questions about when to start physio, when to weight bear and the boot I am told I will move onto. I am 37 and very active (I run, play squash, go to the gym, ski, play with my ever eager kids, etc) so do not want to be hobbling around for years to come! I can move my toes around very well and there is no pain. I am just getting very bored (which I will have to get used to!!) but more frustrated at being so immobile. I think not being able to get around will be the most frustrating point  (I am told I cannot drive for around 8 weeks, minimum) and after a recent divorce I am on my own for most of the day. My kids, bless ‘em, my ex and my family & friends help where they can.

I hope I can provide some assistance for others who rupture their achilles, especially in the UK under the NHS. I also hope some others on here can help with the questions I am sure I will have over the coming months.

Thanks all

Graham