the background- March 27th- complete sever (not rupture) of the right achilles near the top, where it attaches to the calf muscle due to being “stabbed” by a florescent light bulb. Surgery was on April 7th, achilles was repaired and stitches “weaved” into my calf muscle to hold it all in place for healing. 2 weeks in hard [...]
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I’m sorry. I have to ask. How did you get stabbed by a fluorescent light bulb?!
Good luck.
Hi MotoGirl,
Sorry to hear of your setback. My first PT appt went well. He worked my involved foot pretty good. Was a bit sore the next few days but that subsided. Had more flexibiity after my first appt. Was all good from there. Just takes time.
Good Luck to you.
Glen
San Diego
I (we) so know what you feel. Read my posts and you will see the apprehension felt along with feeling of freedom.
You are doing great. Be cautious but not overly cautious. One step at a time as they say!
Best of Luck..
Jim
It sounds like you likely have nerve damage. Was it numb only after the surgery, or right after the accident? There are several nerves which pass right next to the achilles tendon. Nerves do often grow back eventually, but it may take up to a year. The outside of my foot was numb for several hours after the surgery, so I thought they cut my Sural Nerve, but it turned out that it was just some anesthetic they had used.
Motogirl,
I had surgery on my right Achilles last July (2008) and most of my numbness did not wear off until about 7 1/2 months post-op. The leg still feels a little weird but I can at least feel my toes now when I touch them. I had surgery on my left Achilles at the end of January (2009) and the numbness wore off at about 4 weeks post-op. I still have a problem with my toes always feeling ice cold but I can live with it. I wouldn’t worry yet.
-Smish
Motogirl,
I went from cast to boot at pretty well the exact time frame as you. Taking those initial showers with the foot being so vulnerable is definitely sketchy, but in my opinion, the benefits of the boot far outweigh the cast. I would recommend getting a shower chair or stool. Being able to sit down while showering significantly alleviates the concern of re-injury. You only need to stand to adjust the shower head or clean those ‘hard-to-reach’ places at which time you can use the chair for support. Believe me, the boot is your friend. Soon you’ll have walking in it mastered as well. Take care.
Dennis,
I am now 12 weeks post-op on left foot surgery. I think I was told to start PWB at 4 weeks. I was in 2 shoes and FWB at about 6 weeks post -op (March 10) although I could not walk much and was only up maybe an hour a day before I had to get to the couch. I have been told to wait until mid-May to try any jogging.
The last week or so I have felt better than I thought would be possible again. I am in no hurry this time to start running or training. I am thinking about doing a spinning class this Fall but as for any other training I think I am going to hold off a bit. As I start to move more for the ENTIRE day, I find that if I change shoes every 3-4 hours my Achilles does better. Don’t know why this helps but I alternate between 4 different pairs of shoes. If I stay in the same shoes all day I tend to hurt more at night. Weird huh? Let me know if you need more info.
-Smish
smish - Just curious, are you still NWB, PWB, or FWB? Or are you 2-shoes? I am trying to get the most recent info on the Achilles Profile. Thanks! Let me know. (And the dates for those stages too.. if you can.) 
Motogirl: I am one of the people that was never put into a hard cast after surgeries #2 and #3. I was told to pull my foot out at least 2 times a day and just slightly rotate the ankle. This was to start the 2nd day post-op. However I was not allowed to get the incisions wet until around 3 weeks post-op.
Doing the immediate slight movement thing was painful but it paid off big for my rehab. My 2nd and 3rd surgeries were to make my Achilles longer (among other things) so immediate work on range of motion was important. By 3 or 4 weeks post-op I had FULL range of motion including the additional dorsiflexion I needed to obtain from the surgery. I wasn’t weight bearing yet, but I had full range of motion. In the early days and weeks post-op, whenever I took my leg out of the boot, I never got up from the bed or couch while the boot was off. This is just what happened with me.
Happy healing!
Hi Motogirl,
I think that the boot should provide you with just as good support as the cast. I think there’s a few people on this blog who have recieved the boot immediately after surgery. However, it’s vital to be careful whilst bathing/showering or when the boot is not on.
It’s possible to re-rupture if you don’t have the boot and you slip and place a relatively large and immediate force on bad leg. I would definitely be cautious and make sure you have the boot on most times, especially so early after surgery.
If you can be walking normal by July 4th that would be pretty quick and good news for you. Good luck with the surgery. I think you made a smart choice letting an actual surgeon repair the tendon.
