An Ironman’s recovery from an Achilles Tendon Rupture

I just got back from the hospital and my 4^th post-surgery visit with my surgeon. He examined my leg (poked around, manipulated and checked the function of the Achilles) then said, “No more cast for you. You can start physio,” then walked away.

I was shocked. I’m thinking, “What, no boot?” I had a ton of questions but he already moved on to see another of his many patients. However, the way things worked was that I now had to wait for the physiotherapist to come and see me. My surgeon was going to give her instructions and I would get the run down.

I did manage to ask him where the rupture was, and he showed me that it was low. He then briefly showed me what he did. I decided to ask the physio all my burning questions.

I met with the physiotherapist a few minutes later and lucky for me, she is a fellow Ironman athlete (a fast one too) so she knows exactly what kind of condition I need to return to.

We had a nice chat about racing, etc., she answered all my questions about recovery, etc., and she put me through a bunch of exercises to do every day. I also got a referral note to start physio at whatever clinic I determined to be suitable and was on my way. I get to come back to see the surgeon in 4 weeks.

So what came out of my surgeon/physio visit today? Here are the main points that I can remember:

1. No boot for me. I am good to go with full weight bearing. The only thing I am not allowed to do is any pushing off motion on my left side. It was suggested I put some wedges/heel lifts in the heel of my shoe to help with walking.

2. I can get rid of my crutches at any time I feel comfortable. I will still use it to help me walk for at least another week. The Achilles feels tight and weak so when unassisted walking feels comfy I will slowly ditch them.

3. Be very careful when going up and down the stairs, etc. I am to make sure I have the whole foot solidly placed on the stairs.

4. Start physiotherapy ASAP. Lots of range of motion stuff, stretching, light strengthening with a towel, and no pushing off with the left side (such as heel lifts). I do get to try one leg balancing on my left side. Building up the time and confidence. I have my own ultrasound machine so I will give the area a few daily blasts.

5. I am allowed to ride a bike. Only indoors on my bike trainer for now, but that is huge for me since I love riding. Plus, I’ve put on a few pounds in the past few months due to my inactivity and it is time to start making a dent in that weight gain.

6. No running. No kidding huh? My physiotherapist said until I can do a bunch of one-legged heel raises on my left side, and then don’t even think about running.

7. The list of exercises I was given can be done as much I want throughout the day. I already started a bunch of these yesterday on my own and I know my range of motion has increased since yesterday. I look forward to trying a few of the new ones she gave me. The Achilles is a bit painful and tight but it gets better each day.

8. I inquired about the availability of a brace that the surgeon could prescribe for when I go back to regular activity. Apparently, there are a few that are available and they provide extra stability in the ankle area. I’ve seen a few on the internet but if I can get it covered by insurance that would be great.

During this recovery process, I will also be making use of compression socks to help speed recovery. Compression wear is supposed to encourage healthier blood flow and increased circulation. Undoubtedly, there will be swelling in the area due to the physio exercises do that will help control that as well. I forgot to ask the surgeon and physio about these but I’ll try them anyway.

I picked up a few types (Futuro and T.E.D) in a Pharmacy in Lake Placid last week and they were fairly inexpensive at $15-30 a pair. These are all the rage right now with triathletes. They wear them during races, and especially for aiding recovery after races. Those fancy versions cost $60 plus but these do the same thing.

That’s it for now. Thanks for reading.