An Ironman’s recovery from an Achilles Tendon Rupture

Everything seems to be coming along just perfectly. If there is anything I can say to those in the first 4-8 weeks it is one word - PATIENCE.

I (along with a bunch of other bloggers) wanted to rip that cast off and start the recovery process right away. But after going through 8 weeks in a cast I truly believe to you should be patient, let the body go through it natural healing process and once you get the last cast off, get going on the PT and active recovery process. You will not be running marathons anytime soon so take it easy.

This patience has paid off for me and I think my progress is fairly rapid. I’ve actually scaled things back a bit to make sure I don’t push it.

Right now:

• I walk with less of a limp every day (both feet straight ahead). Right now I can hide it well with some effort. The Achilles is still tight but that reduces every day and that leads to less of a limp.

• There still is a lot of left heel pain. This reminds me of my bout with plantar fasciitis. Whenever I’m on the computer I make sure to roll a golf ball under my foot and smush those areas out. I also ice my heels while watching TV and started ultrasounding it yesterday.

• I am riding my bike with more wattage every day. I’m up to 150 W (for 5 minutes). This was my easy pace wattage when I was healthy. But I was doing it for 4-6 hours at a time. I’m not going there yet with this injury. I’m still not clipping my left pedal in yet but it is getting there (no rush though).

• I’m drinking too much beer. That has got to stop. I think?

I think this progress all due to a bunch of factors:

1. My physio treatments - hydrotherapy, deep massage (extremely painful), ultrasound, and laser.

2. Staying consistent and doing my stretching, range of motion and other exercises.

3. Icing and ultrasound at home.

4. Wearing compression socks at night (sometimes during the day too) to reduce swelling while increasing blood flow in the area.

5. Riding the bike. This increases my range of motion big time, adds a bit of strength work, and burns a few calories too.

6. Reading everyone’s blogs and lots of insight and tips along the way.

I hope this is helpful. Happy healing to all. Thanks for reading.

Hoss