I had run 4 miles each day before rupturing, however the weeks leading to the rupture I felt some tightness in both Achilles something I had never felt before. I chalked it up to normal aches and pains and ignored it, the Achilles felt fine the morning of the rupture.

I ruptured my Achilles on June 20 at about noon playing pickleball in Royal Oak Michigan. We had been playing since 10am and it was probably going to be our last game, to make matter worse we were losing two older men 8-0. I was playing with my brother-in-law who is visiting from Indiana. When it happened he said he heard something snap and he thought it was my knee I knew right away it was my Achilles tendon and I felt it receding up the back of my leg. I hobbled off the court sat on a park bench they tried to get me up to go to the ER but I felt lightheaded like I was going to faint so I had to wait a few minutes.  Coincidentally, my sister was on a rotation in the ER at a nearby hospital, St. Joseph Mercy in Pontiac. She was able to expedite the us through waiting room it was not that busy at 1pm on a Thursday anyway.

When I saw the ER doctor she did the Thompson test, confirmed it was  a rupture and said no X-rays or MRI’s would be necessary.  I was hoping to see an orthopedic surgeon that day and maybe even have surgery but the appointment was scheduled for the next Monday. They gave me a boot and crutches and sent me on the way.

I kept it elevated most of the time and kept the boot on, there wasn’t too much pain, I didn’t need to take any pain meds.  I was able to attend my cousins wedding in Detroit that weekend and was on feet quite a bit.  I paid for it in the morning with a swollen foot.

The ER said to treat the boot like a cast and not to take it off, I did take it off for showers and airing out because I knew was going to surgery but the boot did help me get around and I could use it as full weight bearing.