nielsmurph’s AchillesBlog

Hi all, I suffered a full rupture (4cm above heel; 2-3 cm apart) that Dr said was fairly standard. I’m in my thirties, male, and active, so Dr. said surgery was the way to go and he mainly uses the PARS Speedbridge method. Haven’t been able to find much online from others, so I am glad I found this. My main minimal concern or curiousity was with the heel anchors - what if it gets loose over time or heel pain in the future? Overall though, sounds like people have had great success with it within the first year?

Great topic of discussion, really didn’t know there was a couple different techniques being used. Pretty sure I had the PARS and am 10 days Post-Op. The biggest thing I take away from the Speedbridge technique is “early motion”. I’ll be talking to my doctor about that topic, which seems to be a very common discussion point in a lot of these forums.

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Hi Jeannie. Glad to hear your recovery is going well. I similarly went from PWB to FWB within a few days. I am went to 2 shoes FWB at 7 weeks without problem. Of course, the tendon was and is still super tight so I am limping a bit while I work on loosening up the tendon and strengthening. The incision is now almost healed (it is horizontal to the ground/across my leg), which is probably why it took awhile to heal since walking in the boot tends to pull at the incision. What I found though was keeping a bandaid with gauze under it helped a lot at the end to get it healed. My surgeon tells me I am cleared to return to golf and other sports at 12 weeks. I feel like I could return sooner, but want to be careful as well.

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And curiosity question, nielsmurph, did you have a horizontal or vertical incision? Thought I had read that it’s typically horizontal, but mine is vertical.

I also had the Speedbridge repair done. I’m only 3 weeks post-op so I don’t have a lot of feedback on it yet, but I too feel fortunate to have had it. Incisions are minimal, relatively speaking, so the pain was not bad.

I started pwb in the boot (3 wedges) with doc’s approval a few days ago. Surprisingly, weight bearing “as tolerated” meant I stopped using the crutches two days later! I am not trying to rush it and I don’t feel like I have something to prove; rather quite the opposite, I am trying to follow directions like I never have before so I get through this with no complications if at all possible. It’s just that once I got used to the sensation of weight bearing, I felt virtually no difference between partial and full. I completely understand that the scariest steps are still ahead of me with wedge removal and eventual two shoes. I am just so happy to be able to make a cup of tea AND carry it to the couch, that I’m enjoying this milestone that gave me back some independence!

Sorry, got sidetracked there with the celebrating…
Are there other Speedbridgers out there?

It took me 11 weeks to get to two shoes - the surgeon made me wait longer than normal because my rupture was at the top end of the tendon (muscle on one side, tendon on the other) and those take longer to heal. I got pretty good at power hobbling with my boot on while I was waiting though!

I totally agree that minimally invasive is a good thing. Very small incision, shorter surgery, and fewer complications. My understanding is that your PARS procedure and the Speedbridge are actually not that different. The “jig” you mention was probably made by Arthrex. See this link - https://www.arthrex.com/foot-ankle/pars-achilles-jig-system

The PARS jig pulls the broken ends of the tendon together using fiberwire, but there is no stitching the broken ends together like with an open traditional repair. This avoids a lot of scar tissue and potential nerve damage and allows the tendon to heal naturally. The Speedbridge just avoids tying any knots at all by placing two anchors in the heel bone and wrapping the fiberwire around the anchors instead of tying them together.

Both procedures are pretty brilliant from a simplicity and effectiveness standpoint. I am surprised there is not more discussion about it here. Maybe it is not yet mainstream.

How long did it take you to walk in two shoes ? Curious b/c I am hoping to get there very soon.

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I had the PARS technique surgery last August - horizontal incision about 1.5 inches long, then a jig to pull the pieces together and stitch them up. When I researched it after my injury, I only found conservative treatment, classic vertical incision, and PARS. I don’t understand how the Arthrex surgery would have people doing backflips at 4 months, but minimally invasive is a good thing even if the recovery is the same as other methods.

My doc used the speedbridge on for my surgery as well. I didn’t even read my operating report until a year after the surgery when I found out that’s what he used (and that’s what he always uses if he can). My surgery was to remove a large bone spur as opposed to a rupture so it was a bit different than some.

hi there - i’m 2w2d post op. i had a “mini-open” surgery but that is all i know about the procedure itself. i’m sure i did not have what you described. he talked about sewing the ends together. i’ve been through a lot of this site and have to found anybody describing what you are describing in terms of operative technique.

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