maggie’s AchillesBlog

Well done maggie, great progress. I am nearly 8 weeks non-op. Been a bit naughty and just done 15 feet in “no shoes” with a horrible flat footed limp (-I should wait until next week when weening off boot begins). But boy did it feel good to stand unaided and feel the ground beneath my feet again !

Next short term goal is to move to 2 shoes next week.

My real longer term goal is to be fit enough to play badminton again with my daughters.

Wow that’s excellent! were you surgically repaired or not? Anyway setting sensible goals is definitely the way to go. I am 7.5 weeks post op and have been in two shoes since week 6 with heel wedges and crutches, started walking (limping) around the house 3 days after going into trainers now 7 and half weeks on walking and going up and down stairs crutch free (in the house only) Still feel the need for crutches when out and about, uneven pavements and other such hazards! First physio last week mainly ROM exercises and some strenghthening which I aim to do 3-4 times a day, always mindful to ease up if the achilles starts feeling very tight/painful. My next goal is to walk without the limp which I can albeit very tiny steps for short periods, It is very heartening to see the progress you make daily and helps to keep you focused on what a journey us ATR’s are now on.

Congrats on the progress. I’m just now switching over to 2-Shoes and 13 weeks.
My personal goal is to increase my walking distance / endurance for the next couple of weeks. I’m still not quite up to 1 miles, but I’m close. Happy healing.

Darryn,

Thanks for your reply It sounds so daunting but reading this is a light way at the end of the tunnel! I will look forward to reading about your continued progress.

Spizzas, I am only 8 weeks out from debridement so cant say what will be like at 4 months. However, I am already walking in shoes. Only short distance walks at he moment and Not yet ready for Paris like trip. But hope I will be in 2 months. Actually have a trip to Buenos Aires in 8 weeks, so will find out.

Hi. the reason i am limping in a boot is because i only started partial weight bearing in a boot, with crutches 1 and a half weeks ago. This is was PT’s instructions. I always use the crutches unless i urgently have to use one of my hands to carry something else. When i start physio again next week i will be taught how to walk properly in the boot., hopefully without a limp, i dont want to attempt anything else until my physio says i can…thanks for your feedback and advice…All the best to you as well..

First time on this site. So much info to take in! Just talked to a surgeon yesterday who recommended debridement surgery. He said 4 wks NWB at a minimum. (yikes!) I know no one has a crystal ball, but I am planning a vacation to Paris mid-June. If I have surgery mid Feb should I change my vacation plans? Obviously it will be a lot of walking.

Lynn, why are you limping when you walk in your boot crutch-less? If your boot fits properly, you should be able to push your knee forward to roll your weight from its heel to its toe, all without using your calf or AT at all. That should produce a normal stride. Why not for you?

You do raise an important point about body weight. We tend to talk about various successes — 2-leg and 1-leg heel raises, a non-limping stride barefoot or in shoes — the way we’d talk about pushing with 50 pounds force with our calf-&-AT. But those moves DO take more strength if you weigh more. While we were losing the long-stride “dip”, many of us tested our strength by pushing down on a bathroom scale with the ball of our injured foot. That gives an objective & weight-independent measure of calf and AT strength. It also can show some progress when it seems like there’s none!

I wouldn’t call 8 wks in a boot conservatve (or slow). It’s consistent with bit.ly/UWOProtocol , and very few people here go significantly faster.

Lynn, our injuries may have been different and I’m sure your doctors are in the know on your injury. I walk with a limp, slowly may I add, but am up to 2 miles/hour and able to get up and down stairs (down stairs not as elegantly as up them, but I’ll take it). I have a friend who is an orthopedic surgery and she admits that she leaves her patients in the boot until the 8 week mark as she too is conservative.

Every day is a day closer to recovery! Hang in there, you’ll be walking before you know it.

This is an awesome post. I wish i read it sooner. I am from South Africa and am 8 weeks post op, am still walking partial weight bearing on crutches in boot, sometimes without crutches with a limp i might add. My physiotherapist is very conservative and wants to start the hard foceful work of forcing me to walk next week when she returns from leave. My orthopedic surgeon was also quite conservative. I think it might be because of my body structure, am big built and overweight..maybe its safer then to do as they say. I have also lost weight during this time as i ate better and used my body differently, felt many other muscles working. I just hope that trusting my physio and surgeon did not hinder my progress…

kkirk, you’re doing awesome! If you have a 12″ incision I expect your injury and surgery were more involved than mine. Stay safe on the icy sidewalks and roads!

ryanb, appreciate the comment. I anticipate 6 - 12 months for “full” recovery (jump rope, jump squats, wearing my 6″ stilettos etc), but I am loving the little victories. I drove my car today for the first time in over 2 months, I can get myself to the grocery store and work and walk without the boot. Once I can walk, comfortably, in something other than a gym shoe without a limp, I’ll be a more than satisfied woman - I’m expecting another 2 months until that happens. All that said, I consider regaining my independence pretty darn recovered

And amazing about your recovery milestones! I am just over 8 week post surgery and there is no way I could hike right now.

Thanks to everyone for keeping the positive energy coming! I definitely have days where my own pep talks get old, so I appreciate the kind words.

Some perspective from another old timer here…

I went quickly through the first post surgery phases too. Two shoes at just over 5 weeks. At 7 weeks I was cycling outdoors. At 8 weeks I was hiking in the mountains. At 10 weeks I was skiing. It was great to regain bits of an active lifestyle, and I really think being so active was VERY beneficial in the long run.

However, while those were all great milestones to make- in hindsight, I don’t feel like the *real* recovery started until much later… I wasn’t able to really start rebuilding lost strength until 12 or even 16 weeks. And, that recovery process (at 16 months) is still not fully complete.

I guess it’s how you define it. If recovery means getting back to doing the things you were doing pre-injury, then yes (depending of course, on WHAT you were doing pre-injury), it’s often possible to “recover” quickly. If recovery means regaining the pre-injury function, strength, endurance, and explosive power of the calf - then the unfortunate truth of this injury is that you can’t (safely) start working the calf muscle effectively, until the (Achilles) tendon thr

Love your attitude Maggie and sounds like your recovery is going great. We are about at the same time 11 weeks, I think? Although, you are probably 2-3 weeks ahead in progress. I’m still in the boot until next week, per my surgeon (I also had an extensive surgery with a 12″ plus incision.

I give credit were it is due, and you staying on top of your exercises is amazing, I did something similar everyday (ROM, leg lifts, and Therabands) minus the last week (holiday laziness). Anyway, happy healing it sounds like you are doing great. Watch out for the Winfrey conditions also.

Thank you for the positive energy! Great to know about the earlier recovery option, but hopefully I will never have to go through this again.

I love the attitude, Maggie! The exercising is great, too — we should all do ‘em while we brush our teeth etc.! Ironically, your actual rehab protocol could have been weeks faster — e.g. bit.ly/UWOProtocol gave up the crutches at 4 weeks or a couple of days later (”as tolerated”) and got excellent results. They had the advantage of a boot, exercise, and PT all starting at 2 weeks post-whatever, instead of the old-school multiple casts. But getting to the goal line is the key, and your recovery sounds good. Don’t Stop!