Joining the collective journey!
I had surgery October 24, 2013 for insertional achilles debridement and Haglund’s excision. The surgery came after two futile years of ART, chiropractic, physical therapy, custom orthotics - none of which returned me to running. I am 55 years old and have been a runner for 37 years. Even though I haven’t run for the past two years, not much anyway, I still call myself a runner because it’s an inextricable part of my identity. The stiffness, pain, and limping were constant even if I stopped running for months. Walking, cycling, swimming - all activities, ANY activity made it worse.
The information on this site gave me hope, but it also made me hesitant to embark on the journey. It was invaluable in helping me prepare to meet with surgeons (I sought three opinions), in selecting a surgeon, and in preparing for surgery. I’ve thought about how little prep time those of you with ATRs had!
My surgeon used an Arthrex Speed Bridge with absorbable bone anchors to reattach the achilles. Progress to date:
- Splint and NWB for two weeks. I live in the “house of stairs” - 3 floors, and two levels on each floor. It was like being in boot camp for two weeks. To think I was worried about being nonactive! (There are so many ways to navigate stairs, none of them involving crutches…)
- Boot, no wedges, and PWB at two weeks. Passive ROM 5x/day.
- PWB to FWB between 2nd and 3rd week. Continue ROM 5x/day.
- Stitches out at 3rd week,
- First PT appmt at 3.5 weeks. Added isometric eversion and inversion using a band.
For exercise I’ve been doing upper body weights, ab work, Wind Jammer (you pedal with your arms), recumbent bike (boot on, using only heel on the pedal, little or no resistance), walking in the boot (wish I had ordered the Vacocast!), and hip mobility exercises.
I saw the surgeon at 1 week, 2 weeks, and 3 weeks. My next appointment is Dec. 2nd, the 5.5 week mark. He said to bring shoes, and if all looks well, I will begin the transition from boot to shoes.
The first 4 1/2 weeks has gone better than expected. But I think that’s largely due to having a good idea of what to expect - thanks to the many stories and generous advice on this site. The hardest work, no doubt, is still ahead of me.
When people ask me about running again, I hear myself saying, ”That’s way down the road,” and “I don’t know about that,” or, “I had the surgery so I could have a normally active life. I was tired of limping all the time and curbing my activity.”
Certainly those words are true. But deep down I know it’s all about the running. The two years of not being able to run were perhaps the two most difficult years I’ve had - just the day-in-day-out kind of difficult. It was like I’d lost my best friend or an essential part of my daily compass. I hated how much it affected me. It made me mad that I couldn’t just get over it. It made me feel small to see other runners out there and wonder “why me?” Being human, I guess.
The surgery was a positive decision. I have goals and milestones in front of me now. All good. Yes, I’m afraid the running may not happen again, although my surgeon says it will. For now, it feels good to be moving forward. I’m so thankful for the information and support on this site. I hope, through my journey, that I’ll be able to pay it forward.
Thanks, everyone!
