leder’s AchillesBlog

Leder!! Hey man nice to be back here and see your development getting even better. As for me I was discharge from my MD this July 13…last wenesday., and told me I can get into my shoe..I mean shoes…hehe..a milestone for us. That was my ninth week post op. I have been riding since week eigth with the boot around NYC and since they took off my boot I have been doing some milleage on the bicyles again..past weekend I did at least 40 miles. I feel preety good and have been massaging the ankle area for circulation but over all the MD seems to be amazed by my improvement. Doing all the execercises as well religiously and some. My PT told me that I was making her job easy. I feel good about the recovery now and found out in the process how impatient I am….being an avid cyclist the MD advised me to just take it slow and get strong by following the PT instructions. I have a few techniques that made my leg stronger one of which is swimming on my eight week. I will keep you up to date on my road to a stronger AT. Thanks again….DINO

I returned to soccer at just under 5 months. At this point i can run for miles, but am unable to reach a sprinting speed. my diagnosis leads me single leg calf raises. my inability for my bad leg to push off keeps me from being able to find an upper gear while running. it sounds like you are doing fairly well with the 1 legged calf raises, so keep up the good work. Get those calf raises close to normal and you should be ready for some serious work. I started focusing on the running too much and should have focused on the calf raises more. I am going to continue to run during soccer but will spend my training time working on the calf raises so that I can regain my speed. remember, for every workout you owe yourself 2 stretching sessions!! 2 to 1 stretching to exercising or tendon owner beware. good luck.

Hey Leder,
I am at 18 weeks post atr and our progress seems pretty close. I can do a slow jog; however, I am not a runner, so don’t really care to work on that. I am a cyclist and do find that to be helpful.

Lately, with the 100 degree heat, I have been hitting the gym and using the elliptical machine. These machines do work well since they don’t really stress the Achilles.

Yesterday I used the treadmill and set it at 2 incline and 4 mph. I found that I could use the cheater rails and walk clean with no limp. After about 15 minutes, I actually loosened up and walked pretty clean without touching the rails for another ten minutes.

As far as heel raises, I can press about 140 lbs on the scale and I weigh 175 lbs, so I still have a ways to go.

Blessings, pk

Hey Dino,

I did not do anything for my uninjured leg, it came back so fast that I don’t regret that decision in the least. The good leg probably did 70% of the work on the bike at first and after about a month I bet it is still 55-60%.

I actually emailed professional triathlete Brian Rhodes right after my injury, he too has gone through this and returned to the top 10 in many of the biggest races around the world. (he also won 2 Ironman races pre-injury). So this just goes to show you will get back, it is just time.

He told me that his biggest issue coming back was running and compensation issues, but 5 months post injury he was competing again and actually won the race!

Plan on putting the ss’s aside at first as you will want the gears to help you up hills. Maybe you will be able to, but I can’t get out of the saddle so I have yet to ride my ss yet, but soon…

I am actually in the city all the time, live in Red Bank, NJ. Have you ever done the ride up to Bear Mountain, I believe it is a century from Manhattan…it is on my list of rides to do.

Sean

Leder
Thanks for the reply…sounds promising and certainly gave me a moral boost. I live in New York City and I rely on my bike for transportation work and pleasure…I was riding at least 40 miles a day alternating 3 bicycles one road bike and 2 single speed before injjury…so you know how I feel. I basically try to avoid the subway 100% if I can but now I have no choice. I’ve been doin a lot of upperbody workout for the past couple of weeks and going around town on crutches is a good workout too. Do you suggest or did you do any leg workout with the injured leg while on cast or boot…? Thanks again..hope you’ll increase the mileage soon.
Dino

Hey Dino,

Sorry to hear about your injury, it certainly isn’t an easy one to work through, but you get there slowly.

I had asked my doctor at 6 weeks when he took off my cast and put me into the boot if I could ride indoors with the boot and he was worried about compensation issues that could occur so I waited until 10 weeks.

At 10 weeks I started with 20 minutes the first day and worked up by 2-5 minutes each day until I got to an hour, I also made sure to take off every 3rd or 4th day to not overdo it. I did this for about 3 weeks and then I was cleared to go outside.

I can definitely tell that my injured leg is much weaker than the other. My riding is nowhere near where I was, but the improvement is encouraging. This past weekend, just short of 14 weeks I rode almost 85 miles over the 3 day weekend.

If you read, I had a second surgery because I either had a stitch coming out or I tore it open by moving too aggressively…I lost about 2 weeks time from this so he may even start you earlier. Even when I was on crutches in the cast I went to the gym to do upper body workouts on the machines (no freeweights) or

Hi Leder…I’m a cyclist as well and just about 5 weeks post surgery…visited my doctor last week and told me to come back and he will take off the second cast June 22nd. I missed my bikes so much and all I think about is when I can ride again. When did you jump back on the bike indoor?

Yes, it was…right after riding where my left leg (good leg) was doing the majority of the work and probably stiffened up more than the right.

Now that I have loosened up from the workout, the flexibility in my left leg is much better than that of the injured leg.

My guess is that you were thinking about the tendon healing long…I have been doing a lot of stretching in PT, but it is no where near the normal flexibility of my left leg.

That extra flexibility isn’t extra dorsiflexion ROM, is it?

Good Job, I am at week 6 and starting my Physio Tuesday, since my therapist also goes to the same gym she actually has been working with me since the hard cast has come off about 2.5 weeks ago.

Its amazing how fast my comeback is, Last Saturday I could not even balance on my left foot, now I can at least balance with a bit of wobble. I can do toe presses, with no hyper extension so only lifts. With my toe against the wall I can now bring my bad legs knee to the wall with what amounts to just a very mild stretch.

Like you I have been biking and now use the elliptical as well, last week I could barely use the elliptical, but now I am almost up to my old speed, through I have to work on my getting my endurance back.

I did not want to start on more aggressive strength training until I formally see her in Physio. But I did meet up with the Ortho dr. in the pool, who said I can run flat footed as soon as I can do so comfortably.

So far I can’t do it comfortably, I figure may 4 - 8 more weeks. My muscle and tendon are to tight to get a comfortable stride at this point. But soon

Harry

~9.5 yrs after my first ATR (& surgery), I can still make the top of the nearly invisible scar “pucker” by pointing my toes hard. My adhesion is extremely minor, and affects absolutely nothing except my career as a foot model . Bigger adhesions have functional effects and need to be addressed.

I forgot to mention -

1. I can drive again!!!!!!!!!

2. I am so out of shape

Sounds like progress! Don’t forget to Watch Your Step through this vulnerable period. Most re-ruptures happen before 12 weeks post-whatever, so that’s a vague guideline for your risk. Some of us used our boot as a “shield” for high-risk outings even after 9 weeks, but you won’t have that protection.

Do control your swelling, with RICE. I concentrated on Elevation, but the other 3 are useful, too.

I’m a downhill skier, and the lengths some of us go to — with $$$ professional help — to get boots to fit well is remarkable, extending past simple padding into grinding and “blowing out” pressure points with little jacks and heat guns or torches!

Way to go, G! My fitness is on a serious up-tick (touch wood!), though nowhere near that level, in my first week of being 66!

I expect to start running soon (for Cardio Rehab), and I’m curious to see if my still-wimpy 1-leg heel raise is noticeable or not. I’ve already done some gentle jogging, and I didn’t notice any asymmetry. And I’ve power-walked many 10s of miles for C.R. without thinking much about the ankle.

One of my frequent (BORING!) routes is walking laps around the small urban park outside our door. I usually keep circling in the same direction for a mile and recently two — 4 laps per mile. Before long, I usually start noticing that the sidewalk is slanted for drainage, always in the same direction as I walk! I think I’ve found one direction makes me think a little about my ankle. . .

I successfully defended my age group gold medal in a road race in the Big Sky State Games in mid-July last year. My margin was almost the same as it was in 2009, about 18 minutes.

Thanks Norm/Gerry,

Gerry I read your blog, wow what an ordeal, glad to hear you are cranking again. I too am an avid cyclist so I can’t wait to get back on my bike.

I see the doc on Tuesday which is 11 days post op, my cast was too tight after last Friday’s surgery so I got a new one Wednesday and was able to see the incision. It looked good and I was told it was healing as it should. My guess is I will go back to the boot for a week or two then go to PT. The latest incision was 1.5 inches, but in more of a high stress area so I know to take it easy. Personally, I just want out of the cast, I hate the whole tightness feeling due to the lack of adjustability.

Gerry, once back on the bike how long did it take you to get back to where you were pre-rupture?

I had to look back at your earlier posts to find when you ruptured your AT. You’re at two months so the tendon should be pretty well healed. I had surgery to remove internal suture material, in the form of a huge knot, nearly 10 months after rupturing mine so there is a significant difference there, my tendon was as healed as it could get. When I had the last surgery, the doc told me he wanted me to be a “slug” for a week and then wait a week after he removed the sutures before resuming cycling and starting PT again. I followed his advice and had no difficulties with the incision at all. The surgery was on May 20 and what was left of the sutures were removed on June 9 and I started PT just about a week later. I was back on my bicycle for a 21 mile ride on June 14.
Make sure the incision is complete closed and remains closed after the sutures are removed. I can tell you it is no fun to have an incision open back up.

Check out GerryR’s blog. His FOURTH(!) surgery finally cleaned out the last mis-behaving suture. I think it was only one, so not identical, but still worth reading.

Percocets are just nasty…..so glad you opted for the new cast especially if you have to function at work.

take care and hang in there

Thanks for the support, I debated what to do…take the Percocets all day long or get the new cast, I figured a week on those meds is a long time (and I am at work during the day) so I opted for the new cast.

It is also about 2-3 inches shorter than the last one so I can bend my leg and it doesn’t pinch the skin behind my knee.

I had read about cast clausrophobia before, but once you have a cast that is super tight you totally begin to understand.

I feel your pain also. They had forced my foot so far down during the surgery and casted it that way that I was in so much pain for the first 4 days after surgery. The top of my foot throbbed. I couldn’t even touch my toes without screaming. I just took pain pills and put up with it until I went in 4 days later to get a new cast.

I had to get my cast cut while still in hospital the night after i got my operation, i feel your pain,it is unbarable.
the plaster cast got cut down the fron at 1.30am and that was an instant relief then got reinforced with fibreglass the followin morning

It sounds like you’re doing well and that you have a great relationship with your doctor.

One of my goals before my ATR was to complete a triathlon (still planning on it once recovered).

Good luck the rest of the way, leder!

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