Oct 08 2013
About Hopalong
OK. A bit about how I managed to join this prestigious club!
Background: Active 44 year old male. Jogging for 50 mins twice a week. No previous probs with heels/tendons.
Whilst holidaying at a French seaside resort during the summer, decided one afternoon to have a wee jog to run off some of the good French food and wine. 40 mins into the run and coming up off the seafront, slipped on the steps. Hyperextension. Felt like I had lost control of left leg! But as in mid stride/ascent, more intent on keeping balance, so used hand rail to haul myself up stairs. At top inspected ankle, intuitively knowing what it was. However foolishly decided to hop the last 2 miles back to the house. Bang went any chance of recovery from a partial rupture! No pain remembered at the time and nothing major subsequently.
So I went into the French system. Due to a French holiday there were no surgeons available and despite advice from the dinner party set was pretty much set on a conservative approach from the beginning. To add to the complications, we were in the process of moving to Singapore! So on arrival there, got directed to a well known surgeon who after viewing MRI results opted to continue the conservative approach. Not normal for Singapore where the medical approach to a complete tear is surgery!