New to the “club”
I’ve been reading the blogs and information on this website for about 5 weeks. It has been extremely helpful in terms of information but also in terms of support. It’s great to see the interaction of the many people on the site. I finally decided to start my own blog so that I could participate and not just view the site.
I ruptured my left AT on May 16, 2010 sprinting to first base while playing softball. I didn’t know it at the time and decided to use RICE and see if would be better in a week or so. After hobbling around for over three weeks, I finally saw a doctor who looked at my leg, did a Thomson test and told me I had an ATR.
I made an appointment with the surgeon who had fixed a full rupture of the supraspinatus in my rotator cuff a couple of years earlier. He looked at my leg and asked me when I had injured my AT. I told him the date (it was now more than 3 weeks) and he said he would not be able to do the surgery as I had waited way too long. He put me in a cast and then recommended that I go to a different surgeon who was much more specialized in sports injuries for a second opinion.
I went to the new surgeon the next day. He looked at my MRI and told me that he could do the repair despite the delay. It turned out that I did not have a complete rupture. It was near complete but there was a small bit of the tendon that was still attached. I was scheduled for surgery the next day.
The surgery was performed on June 11th. The surgeon told me that it was a very clean tear and that made the repair much easier. I was put in a cast and sent home. At three weeks, I went back for my first post-op appointment. The stitches were removed and I was put it a second cast with my foot at almost neutral.
I was very pleased that the surgeon took the time to talk to me and answer all of my questions during the follow up visit. He suggested that I learn to take it a little slower out of the batter’s box and also recommended not wearing cleats when playing next year (if I decide to play.) Apparently, when it comes to your Achilles tendon, the loss of traction from wearing sneakers is preferable to the solid grip of cleats during acceleration.
I will get my cam walker in less than two weeks and am really looking forward to getting rid of the crutches!
I have been very fortunate in that I have had very little swelling and have had no pain since the surgery. I took a couple of Motrin the first day after surgery to reduce inflammation but nothing since except for low dose aspirin to reduce the chance of blood clots.
I do leg exercises everyday that I found on this site as well as isometric exercises inside the cast pointing my toe down and also raising the toe. I’m hoping this will help lessen the inevitable muscle atrophy.
By far, the hardest part of this injury is the length of the recovery looming over me as well as a summer of softball, mountain biking, fly fishing, hiking and kayaking down the drain.
Being on crutches is also a real drag but that will be over when I get the cam walker. On the other hand, I have come to appreciate that this is temporary and I will be up and walking and running, etc. over time. There are many others in the world who have had injuries or maladies for whom that will never be true. So despite the disappointment of losing a few months of activities, it’s only a few months.
I know this is a long-winded first post but I’ve been reading the site for a while and am writing several weeks of info in a single post. This site is a source of inspiration for me and I’m looking forward to participating.
I’ve been skiing since I was five and continue to be an avid skier. I WILL be skiing this coming winter!
July 13th, 2010 at 3:20 pm
Jla, I’ve been up to my ears in the surgery vs. non-op issue around here — on the non-op side — and I think I’m glad you got the operation. Surgeons don’t like to operate on “stale” ATRs, but I think the prognosis for non-surgical healing after 3 weeks of walking around is probably worse! None of the scientific studies have dealt with those cases — or with re-ruptures, or with externally sliced ATs, either — so nobody really knows for sure. And it sounds as if practitioners of BOTH kinds of “cure” aren’t too eager to help, which is sad. (I don’t know how long I would have “bleeped around” after my first ATR, if my wife hadn’t insisted that it seemed serious enough to see a doctor!)
Your rehab sounds slow so far, and some studies have dealt with that, and there is either no benefit or some added risk from slowness — in addition to the nuisance, “crutch risk” and lifestyle disruption! So good luck (and get going!) with the next steps, and getting WB and then into shoes!
BTW, your surgeon is 100% right that good traction puts more strain on your AT. Whether that means you should hold back running to first base or not is another matter, and up to you. I did NOT hold back after my first ATR healed, and I had a blast for 7 years before my other AT popped. If I can, I’m going back and not holding back, again!
As Padawg just posted:
“Unless I grow another foot I think I am done with having my wheels fixed for a while.”
July 13th, 2010 at 4:01 pm
Hi Norm, Thanks for the comments. I’ve been following the surgical vs. non-surgical approaches comments on the site. It’s very interesting.
I was encouraged to go the the emergency room immediately but declined and decided to see if it got better on its own. Clearly not a very good choice. And after hobbling around on my leg for three weeks, it seemed that surgery was the best choice for my particular situation. The surgeon had to “clean up” the ends before he could attach them. The moral of the story is: If you even suspect you might have torn your achilles tendon, see a doctor as soon as possible.
July 13th, 2010 at 4:29 pm
Hi Norm, My rehab hasn’t even started. I’m at 5 weeks now and in my second fiberglass cast and still NWB. I get my Cam Walker next week and get WB and start a rehab protocol.
July 14th, 2010 at 1:34 am
Oh, it’s rehab, alright! It may not be fast or modern or aggressive, but if the clock is ticking, it’s rehab — at least the way I use the word. The UWO rehab protocol starts with 2 weeks of NWB immobilization. Make it 5 weeks or longer, and it’s still the first step of the rehab protocol.
Have you tried confronting your Doc with the faster protocols that produced good results in “my” four studies, or the studies that Dennis linked to that show the same or better results from earlier mobility and WB? The positives of “getting going” are totally obvious to all of us patients, and the negatives don’t exist according to the best evidence — just in the minds of “conservative” doctors. . .
July 14th, 2010 at 9:30 am
I see the doc next Tuesday and will move to a Cam Walker and WB. I agree that the protocol I’m on seems a bit slow. I will get the doc’s rehab protocol and then go over it with the PT. The doc knows that I’m highly motivated and will take my rehab seriously so I’m hoping for something fairly aggressive. I’ll update my blog as soon as I know more. Thanks for the advice and info.
July 14th, 2010 at 1:41 pm
If you can educate your Doc about the newer faster protocols and the studies that show they work as well or better than the old slower ones (instead of later trying to get your PT to “bend” the Doc’s advice), countless future patients will have a better rehab (and a better life!).
The evidence is all here, and so are you. Your Doc isn’t here, and he’s not Googling for new ATR studies or better ATR protocols, either.
July 14th, 2010 at 2:01 pm
Hi Norm, I’ve printed out the protocol from the link you provided for everyone. I’ll go over it with my doc at the 6 week check up next week.
Thanks.