Mike’s Achilles Rupture and Recovery

I went to the doctor last Friday for the third post-op check up. Up till now I had been 9 weeks NWB. I thought the doctor would allow me to be PWB by now, but surprisingly she told me to go another 3 weeks in the boot NWB. That’ll put me in a total of 12 weeks of NWB.

I’m starting to remove the wedges in the boot this week, so in 3 weeks my foot should be flat. I’ve been trying to put some weight on the foot myself, since from what I’ve read on the blog, many of you have gone PWB way before this time. My left leg has shrunk to the size of my arms. I’ve booked a physio assessment next week and physio should begin in 3 weeks time. It seems like I’m getting close to the end of the journey, and will begin the recovery soon.

As of now, I’m justing waiting, being patient and hoping to walk again soon.

Hi Everyone,

I just went to my 6 week post-surgery check up. The hard cast was removed and replaced by an Aircast. The tendon felt tight getting into the Aircast, since the angle is around 60 degrees, rather than the 30 degrees of the hard cast. The doctor said to be NWB in the aircast for another 3 weeks followed by another check-up. In the meantime, I was to wear this like a normal cast and take it off only to wash the leg.

Just a few curious questions, would I still need to keep the foot elevated with this Aircast? Is the cast supposed to feel very tight like the hard cast, or could it be pretty loose like a shoe? Being a little paranoid, but is there a way to check if the tendon is intact? (The doctor said that if it was torn, you can feel a gap?) Should I be attempting to do some exercise, or just leave it alone? And since I’m going back to work on Monday, where do you keep the crutches in a car so that you can reach them easily when you’re getting out? (Passenger seat?) I would love to hear your experiences.

Thanks,

Mike