Matts Arghhhcilles Non-Operative Tendon Rupture Blog

I am over 4 weeks since my achilles rupture and in the last few days I have started walking around the house without my crutches. I actually find it easier than with 1 crutch and I only take small walks so as to not over stress my achilles.
So far it has been quite pain free thankfully and it has not really swelled much at all as I am keeping it to a minimum but I have a few questions for people who have been through the early weight bearing:-

1- Do you feel like the boot moves around your foot despite it being as tightly done up as it can be. I think it is just paranoia but wondered if anyone else had found the same when they first started walking.

2- Is there anything I can do to help with the pain in the bottom of my foot, I have read that the foot can hurt when walking and I am finding that myself and was looking at getting gel cups for my heel and wondering if they would do any good.

3- I am going to neutral on Wednesday (all things being ok!) and wondered if the 7° my boot is at now will make a big difference to how easy/difficult it is to walk in the cam walker.

Are there any other pointers that people who have been through this could let me know as I am trying to get back to some form of a normal life but do not want to risk rerupture if I am rushing things. (Saying that I only do what I feel my body can handle and will rest if the tendon feels tight or aches)

I had my physio appointment today to change the angle of my boot, while I had my boot off I asked the physio what my range of movement was like and she asked to me to some stretches and point my foot down and up and side to side.

She was shocked at my range of movement and said that she had not seen non operative movement this good this early. (I felt it was good but wasn’t sure)

I will record some of the movement I have later on today and add it to the post.

I am now nearly at neutral and can use one crutch for a while until it aches and then rest it. I have to relearn to walk again which is really strange, but hopefully it won’t take too long.

Here is the video I was talking about, it is hard to show the movement as I was filming it myself. but you get the gist:- (Excuse the leg hairs as my boot kills my leg hairstyle! Ha)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxCnyUTNwHE

I left a comment on one of ejbvmi’s posts but thought it was worth a main page. I am currently nearly 3 weeks from when I was fitted with the boot and nearly 3 1/2 since the rupture and I am currently doing only exercises to strengthen my injured legs hamstrings and hips and my back and am not doing any actual work on the ankle/heel.

What I was wondering is it too early to get on an exercise bike in my boot to get a little bit of movement happening? Has anyone else used that this early in their rehab and will it be of benefit or detrimental?

I will speak to my Physio on Wednesday anyway but would like some real world cases on uses an exercise bike for overall exercise.

I always wiggle my toes when I take the boot off to shower and today I noticed my calf was moving when I was doing it.

Could that be due to the tendon being joined or has it always happened and other muscles are causing it to move?

Also is it normal to feel more discomfort when changing the angle of the boot as I’ve felt more yesterday and today since its been changed.

I am trying to limit the movement of my toes as I’m concerned it’ll cause issues with the tendon healing, am I being overly cautious or is it advisable?

I went back to see the OS this morning for my 2 week check up. He is very happy with how the achilles is healing and he said that there are signs of the tendon being attached already as there was tightness when he pushed at the bottom of my foot and he could feel the tendon.

He surprised me by saying he wanted my boot to go to neutral today and sent me to the Physio to get it changed. The physio had other ideas and is changing the boot slowly over a few weeks. I went from 30° to 22° today and will go to 15° next week and less the week after.

By the time I go to the US on the 15/8 I will be full weight bearing in my boot and be able to actually walk around somewhat.

I am glad the Physio is taking a more conservative approach as I can feel the 8° less in my ankle so would have thought that it would have been too much too soon if I went to neutral straight away.

I have weekly appointments with the Physio for the next 4 weeks and have an appointment with the OS in 2 weeks time (29/7/15)

*As a footnote I got the OS to fill out my insurance forms and he put that I am able to resume playing October 2015 (Very optimistic and my wife was not happy at all hearing that! Ha)

I am due to see my OS tomorrow and was happy with how my ankle was behaving.

I have been using a knee scooter around the house and today I slipped when getting on it and landed on my foot which was still in the boot. I sort of landed toe first and I am feeling pain in my ankle for the first time.

In 2 weeks the tendon would still be apart wouldn’t it? If so could the pain be more swelling or something more sinister?

I’m really freaking out and am hoping someone can advise what the outcome was if this happened to you.

My ankle feels warmer too and hoping it’s just I’ve used some muscles/tendons that have been resting for 2 weeks.

Fingers crossed!

Hi I am just over 2 weeks since I ruptured my tendon and I am going the conservative route. I have been in a Hinged cam boot for just under 2 weeks and am going back to the Specialist on the 15/7 for my 2 week check up.

After my shower this morning I was drying my leg and felt a lump which is approximately where the tendon would be after rupture, I was wondering if that was normal at all? It is not uncomfortable although I can feel some tenderness in the back of the ankle that was present earlier.

I was hoping it was normal and a sign that something is actually happening. I have been non weight bearing and keep my boot on at all times apart from my shower so am following orders as I am supposed to. I may call the physio today and see if it is normal as I cannot get a call into the Specialist so want to make sure it is normal or I need to have someone look at it. I am hoping that this was there since I did it but the swelling is much better than it was so I may be able to feel it instead of it being hidden under the swelling.

Hope someone who has been through this can lead me in the right direction.

Overnight I had a cramp in the arch of my foot and it also felt like I was going to get a cramp in my calf as well. Is this a normal occurence or is it just as usual as getting a cramp any other time?

If you did get a cramp in the calf does it do any damage to the tendon repair process? Thankfully I never actually got a cramp in my calf but the one in my foot was bad enough but thankfully it was fleeting.

Anyone on here got a cramp in their calf at all?

Apologies for the length of this. I am updating my initial injury, Doctors appointment and Surgeon & Physio appointments in the one post.

I have played football since I was 5 years old and love it (Im now 39) and most of that has been as a goalkeeper (First 6 or so years was on the field) and I had the odd injury in the past but nothing too major and when I got to my game on Saturday 26/6/15 and the opposition had not turned up I thought nothing of it. I live in Sydney Australia and I had booked a trip the US for the 12/7/15 and my wife was worried I would injure myself and not be able to go so maybe I should have sat this out!

I made the fateful decision to play the training 5 on 5 game we had and I played on the field (Big mistake) but I was having fun and had scored 2 of our goals when out of nowhere I felt like someone had kicked me in the back of my left leg and I fell to the ground. I looked back to see no one there and thought a ball from the game on the field next to us had hit me, at the time it didn’t really hurt, just felt strange. (Still doesn’t really hurt now, it just feels tight if that makes sense)

I sat down for a minute or two and was helped across to the sheds and I put weight on my foot and it felt like my foot was at a 45 degree angle, it was the weirdest thing I had felt. I went to the Doctor who did not even touch my leg and told me I had torn my monkey muscles in my calf and to rest it. I pushed it a little as I was due to fly out in just over 2 weeks and she said that I could have an ultrasound on the Monday. I was walking around all Saturday night, Sunday and Monday before the ultrasound so thought it was all good!

I had the ultrasound and that was the first time I was given the Thompson test and found to have ruptured my Achilles tendon and had a 48mm gap where my tendon should have been connected. I saw my proper Doctor and organised an appointment at the hospital to have a cam walker fitted and an appointment with the surgeon for the following Monday 6/7/15. (Thankfully I was able to get in on the 1/7/15)

When I saw the surgeon I had been on here reading up and all over the internet and had made my mind up to avoid surgery and at that stage I was hoping to still be able to hop around in Hawaii and LA! The surgeon checked my ankle and how I walk and agreed that he would be willing to try the non operative way for me and if it all turns sour we would need to do a reconstruction. I am now in a Hinged Cam Walker with a 30 degree angle and most of the time I am pain free (The boot sometimes irritates my foot but it passes quickly)

I am 10 days post injury and we have now deferred our holiday until the 15th August so I will be 6 weeks into this by the time I leave and will hopefully be able to just use the cam boot and not need crutches still. I have a good range of movement anyway so my other ankle muscles must have picked up the slack and I am hoping to be able to lower the angle my foot is on when I go back to the Surgeon on the 15/7/15.

I will update after my next appointment.