musicman’s AchillesBlog

There are many aspects of this article on which I concur with you. Thank you so much for sharing such an awesome blog.

I am interested to read these type of informative post.

Awesome post! Love the attitude, love the vitality! Great words of wisdom for those of us on the mend. Thanks!

Hey Norm
My two mates were both non-surgical and had the standard Wellington NZ protocol. Having said that, I think they were (statistically) bad luck. One says he didn’t have his foot pointing down enough in the cast - reckons that is why the healing long. The other, well it never healed properly and reruptured at about 12 weeks by banging his foot on a chair - so pretty unlucky!

@MM I have been going LOTS of leg stuff with my physio (and I am a PT as well, haha): single leg squats, lots of different kinds of squats and lunges, box jumps, squat jumps etc. I think my standards are pretty high, and its probably going to just take longer than the rest

Great story, MM!

Unfortunately, I’m now obsessing about Bronny’s two friends with the bad outcomes. That’s tough, for sure. B, were they also in NZ, and did they get the standard NZ non-op cure that you got, or did they go under the knife initially? (You say “BACK to surgery”, which makes me think they got the op.)

My Cardiac Rehab program just switched me from 2.5 miles of power-walking to 3 miles of “walk-jog”, 7/16 mile walk, 1/16 mi jog, rinse and repeat, 6X total for 3 mi. It’s definitely lots more work, it reminds me that I’m out of shape and gets me into a sweat unlike the power-walking, but my ATR leg has felt totally normal throughout, and glad to be running again. My 1-leg heel raise is still short and difficult, but there’s hope for everything else, even if it never comes back!

liverpoollass, you are absolutely correct about taking the time to value what is important. To me the injury was a mixed blessing in many ways. It made me realize how much we take for granted our health and how precious our time is with respect to our “day.”

I focused on being in a “healing” mode the entire time, and would try not to let any negative energy impact me. I treated setbacks as just one of those days, and continued to be positive. Mentally, I simply focused on getting better and I think that contributed to my overall recovery and psyche.

Glad to hear you’re on the mend. Be well.

Bronny, if you can, you might want to consult a personal trainer. The leg strength program I am on involves: band walks, seated straight leg raises (single leg), single leg balance with 1/4 squat, prone hamstring curls, calf raises (how I love doing these), leg press, single leg skaters, and body weight jumps (easy-soft landings).

Again, these I have progressed to over time.

Chuckp17, hang in there brotha! First two weeks are the roughest. In my prior posts I talked about mentally taking each day as a step towards rehab, and a sign of healing. So the first time I tried to curl my toes, it was less than 1/2 inch. The next time, a bit more, and so on, . .

The point is make each day a positive one by “improving” if ever so slightly. And, if you don’t have improvement, remember that it takes time and you’re just having one of those days.

Good luck and thanks for the post. Hang in there and stay positive. I know you’ll be focused.

Deana, thanks. Re PT, I had a progression post surgery. Don’t know your situation but in my prior posts I talked about taking the time to heal, i.e., I spent a long time doing PT, bit by bit. I was on able to bear weight 2 weeks post surgery but my balance was not there.

On the yoga side, I think it all depends on your situation. I “started” some time ago, but you can progress at your own rate. If you have been doing yoga for awhile, then you know the key is to allow the breath to take you on the journey. Some days you’ll feel great, and others you’ll feel like you know what, . . . So you should do yoga at your own pace. The balance stuff is great; just don’t push/rush it.

Also, on yoga, you can do the asanas (poses) with a block or strap to give you support. Just tell your yoga teacher where you are and they should be able to suggest some gentle adaptions.

I would avoid the “jump backs, etc.” as the sudden explosive movement is rough on the other parts of the body, in addition to the Achilles.

Good luck and thanks again.

@ Deana - i’m back doing yoga, the constraint for me was being able to do warrior positions. I’ve been back a few months now (i’m at about 9.5mths now).

@musicman - I did a lot of phys (still am) but still not got hte strength in my legs back. My cycling fitness is OK, but I lack power even with doing plyo etc.

I’d say i’m pretty much there, am back surfing, learning skateboarding (its my push off leg). A friend asked the other day what i’m not doing…I’m not playing squash or indoor football…not sure if i will either But other that that…

(Having said, I’ve had the dream recovery. Of the 4 friends who have done ATRs since I did mine, two have had poor outcomes (rerupture and healing long) so back into surgery. )

Great post. For one who is only a little more than two weeks past surgery, it is nice to see these posts on the back end of rehab. I too am a jock, probably too competitive for my own good, and as result, I am ready to throw the crutches down and start walking right now. I know I shouldn’t and my family reminds me constantly, in case I forget. (they know how stubborn I can be)
I can say that my injured leg feels really good, and except for the occasional iritation from the stitches and tightness in the achilles, I wouldn’t notice too much. Patience is not a virtue of mine, but I am going to keep trying. Thanks again.

A lovely post. The posts from people who are a long way down the line have always been so inspirational. I too am at a similar point to you and would echo all you have said. Patience is the key to this injury, sadly I think as most of us are the ’sporty’ types it is something many of us struggle with. Bizarely this far down the line I now look on my injury as a blessing, an opportunity to take stock and realise what is important. To all of you at the beginning, that probably sounds mad, but it really does make you stonger - physically and mentally, Carry on healing and thank you all for your support. LL

So great to read this!

Congratulations on a very strong-sounding recovery. Have you done PT the entire time? How often do you go?

I have been asking around about yoga, and no one can tell me much, but I’m happy to hear you are doing an aggressive class. Before my rupture I was doing quite a lot of vinyasa and hot yoga, and I’m wondering at one point yoga will be “doable” for me again. At what point did you start doing it again?

Thanks for your insight!

In the early “2-shoes” (or barefoot) stage, I think most of us limped by keeping our injured foot farther ahead than our “good” foot, rather than by pointing our toes out. That kind of limp is easier to leave behind as you heal and strengthen, IMHO.

You won’t move as fast, but you can strap on the boot for speed. You should also have a pretty gradual progression back to normal walking — and a visual measurement of progress — as it becomes comfy to step farther and farther ahead with your “good” foot, gradually leaving your injured foot farther behind, as it gets stronger and more flexible. In a few weeks, you’ll probably get your stride length back to normal. Then it takes some more strength building to lose the “dip” at the end of the stride. Onwards and upwards!

Make sure you’re walking straight — toes straight ahead — when you’re in the boot. Some people have trouble getting rid of that toe-out “gimp walk” later.

That bad alignment is bad, too. As your gait gets stronger and your walking gets faster, your misalignment will be even riskier or more harmful than now, at slow speed. I used a strap-on “cast shoe” to add height to something else (mine was a flip-flop massage sandal) to build up my uninjured foot to the same height as my booted foot. I think it was jla___ who got a shoemaker to build up an old shoe to match. HOW you do it is 100% your choice (Heck, it ALL is!!), but it helps a lot to DO it.

I wouldn’t do much on the balls of my feet just yet, either. That time will come, and pretty soon.

Everything else sounds great! Congrats on your progress so far, and keep healing and strengthening!

Steamboatin,

Sounds like you’re on your way. You’ve got the right approach, take it easy and listen to your body. I’m discovering that every day my foot/achilles feels different. Today, I had some swelling so I’m taking it easy. I wanted to take my road bike and hook it up to my new bike trainer and go!

However, after setting it up, my foot told me was not the day to “push it.” (pardon the pun). So I did my PT, iced it up, will veg out, and see where we go tomorrow. BTW - yesterday I had a great PT session so I don’t believe I took one step forward and two steps back.

Keep us posted on your progress.

Musicman,
your caution re: listening to your body and being careful when first putting your foot on the ground - so critical. So, But today cast came off and the boot went on and I was told to take it easy and move to 50% PWB w/ 1 crutch. I really didn’t want to put that heel down, but it’s ok, just tender at the incision site, which is mostly healed. Thanks again -I’ll continue to monitor everyone’s progress.

Steamboatin, I’ll try to answer your questions. First, the doc’s protocol which he gave me in writing said that there should be no weight bearing for the second week of PT; 20% the second week; 20-full the third and following weeks. What I found out is that (1) everybody is different in terms of healing, and (2) the PTs know more than the docs.

In fact the crutches that I got were so badly fitted from the doc’s office, that my PT grabbed them and adjusted them to fit correctly. My back thanked him, . . .

Having said that, what really began my PT was the lack of any swelling in the foot/ankle/leg. The PTs said they see a lot of swelling so PT exercises cannot be done until the swelling is reduced. Sure I had and still have swelling but it is minimal. BTW — today the scar is half gone (great I can now wear a bikini!!!).

So the PTs saw my lack of swelling, good flexibility with range of motion, etc., and we progressed accordingly. Everybody’s different and everybody heals differently. I don’t think you should compare apples and oranges. I think you should listen to your body. If it’s painful, stop.

I should

Musicman,
I’m so interested in your timeline as my doc is also taking a more aggressive approach. I had surgery 1 wk ago today. Cast comes off in 2 days. My question:
when you went into the boot, what were the weight bearing instructions? How long w/ crutches and/or a cane?
Good luck on continued great progress!

Pretty impressive physically AND mentally/spiritually! Way to go! You sound like a “poster child” for fast rehab, too!

If you can, install the ATR Timeline widget (linked on the Main Page). Makes it easier for the rest of us to know/remember your vital stats.

July 11th you might have torn your achilles…partial tears are rare, but sounds just like what I did. I had a similar event playing softball. After a few days I was walking fine..and went about my business. A month or two later whammy, down goes the achilles. Both felt like a kick in the calf.

My doc told me to elevate for comfort reasons. It’s not gonna affect how your achilles recovers, but it’s a whole lot more comfortable if you elevate. If you don’t, and you’re in a cast/splint like I was, you’ll notice the swelling cause that cast just seems like it gets smaller and smaller.

Best of luck

I’m about 50 days and went non-surgical

i cant believe how well it is healing

either way, get a “knee scooter” infinitely better than crutches, plus you bring a seat with you with the scooter

mine was covered by Insurance by way of Rx from the ortho;if not you might be able to rent on

good luck

I mostly stayed in bed on my back the first week with pillows and bolsters under my cast. Sometimes I rolled over on my side. If you’re on your stomach and your cast or splint falls off a pillow, it will probably land on the bed anyway.

Did you actually tear your AT near the calf in July, or was that “pop” just a muscle pull? Was this ATR also high up, near the calf? Many of us started out “blaming” our ATR on various prior events or conditions, though most of them seem to come out of the blue — pretty randomly, except for the high-stress activity.

Get surgery if you choose to, but don’t do it because it’s inevitable, because it’s not. Four new studies (all post-2007) have shown non-op results that are virtually indistinguishable from post-op results, in strength, range of motion, and re-rupture rates, with fast rehab for all patients. They’re linked to the Wikipedia article on ATRs, references 4-7, if you have any interest in seeing evidence at this busy, trying, and stressful time. A few bloggers here have canceled their surgery “at the 11th hour” based on the evidence (and are doing fine), and several others have reviewed it and gone through with the surgery (and I think they’re all doing fine, too). Most people do pretty well either way.

When I had my first ATR operated on 8 years ago, I mostly stayed in bed on my back the first week with pillows and bol

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