Great Recovery Stories
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Hi
Don’t think your world has come to an end because you have ruptured your achilles. I ruptured mine in feb 2004 and was told that was the end of my squash and tennis days. I was 40 at the time and had the traditional method of care. That is long incision and pkaster for 8wks with ankle angle changes. Four days after the plaster was off I went to Thialand on holiday with one crutch and hit a few tennis balls while away. When I got back from holiday I started playing squash and tennis again. I did have physio twice a week and did all the recommended exercise regularly. By the end of 16wks I was back playing sport and running. Not fast but doing it. When the squash season restarted in the september I was in the first team and played all the matches. While I was in plaster I went to the gym and did cycling. When I asked the surgeon if that was ok he honestly answered… ‘I don’t know. If you can do it, it can’t do much harm.’ guess what, I did it and it was fine. Four months may seem an eternity but in the bigger picture it is nothing. Get your mates round to take you out. When you’re in the pub with plaster you loads of attention. Enjoy it.
byrne_dermot@hotmail.com on www.injuryupdate.com.au
I did mine in July 2004. I had a boot on for 6 weeks, then gradually put weight on it after that. Toss the crutches as soon as you can - I kept them for 8 weeks, 6 would have been more advisable.
The biggest issue was muscle loss in the calf …you lose it easily and it’s tough to get it back. The trick is to get back to using the leg as soon as you are able (and allowed).
It’s important to do all the exercises the physio tells you. Wiggle your toes the first week. Point foot forward the 2nd week, then use therabands as much as possible.
Do heel raises (assisted at first and then gradually put more of your weight on it) as instructed by physio. Stretch that calf AND the achilles as well …very important.
Lots of massage on the scar (from the end of week 2) is important too. It didn’t really hurt ..phew.
As far as I can remember, after about 8 weeks or so I was on a mini-trampoline. Initially, just stand on one foot (the bad one) and balance …it’ll strengthen the ankle joint.
Apart from that I found walking was the best cure. After about 3 months, I was tiring myself out by doing heel raises but progress was slow. I couldn’t really step unassisted off the bad foot for about 6 months(although, by this stage I could jog - in fact, I started jogging - with a pronounced limp after 12 - 14 weeks).
I had a lot of trouble getting comfortable shoes that didn’t annoy the scar and the swollen achilles. Runners were ok but I had to cut the backs out of a few other pairs to make them comfortable.
Another thing to remember is not to forget about the other foot. Keep exercising and stretching that as well.
In summary, the main two issues I had were calf muscle loss and scar tissue being annoyed by shoes. It took a year before both were “normalised” but, really, I was back to fairly normal running after 6 months. I retired from soccer (I WAS 42 so I was planning it anyway) but would probably have written off one season if I was playing on. Someone who’s younger could probably play soccer after, maybe 8 months but I reckon that’s pushing it. Good luck …the good news is that normality DOES return.
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This site has renewed my hope for getting over this injury..today I decided to go out for a short drive…I hadn’t drove since Feb 19th…Just be careful in tight traffic the right foot still wants to go for the brake, even though I was using my left for that….Kevin
These recovery stories and yours in particular are very reassuring. I’m 64 and thought I was in good physical shape until I completely ruptured my right tendon playing frisbee! I am not a person who loves the sedentary lifestyle so this injury really sucks. I am 23 days post op and am walking with and without the aid of a crutch. My heel hurts like hell at times but my AT feels OK. I am wearing an Aircast pneumatic boot which restricts the motion of the AT. I can walk short distances without too much pain in my heel. I have had only minor swelling in the affected ankle. I see my orthopedic surgeon tomorrow. I would like to ditch the walking boot as soon as safely possible. Thanks for your great recovery story! I hope you are doing well now, Jim from Providence, RI USA
Hi Jim, Sorry about your ATR but I’m not far behing you in the age stakes. I am now 17 weeks since injury and 15 weeks since operation.
I have had considerable pain in my heel for weeks now but after talking to me Consultant on Wednesday he assures me it is nothing to worry about. He explained that my tendon was damaged quite badly so the section running from my toes right up to the back of the knee is very very taught, until that loosens up more I will have heel pain.
I was actually gardeneing today, and even cut the grass, that was quite a thrill for mee.
Good luck, hope all goes well for you
Annie
I raptured mine at a rugby session.I’m 30 now but very active.I had been doing weights includinding on my calves so rapturing my tendon came as a surprise.It all felt dark,had never been in crutches before.
These stories have given me mixed feelings.I dont think I will play rugby again.This has been the worst I’ve felt as a human being and getting used to crutches wasnt easy.I really wouldnt want to experience this so my boots are hanged.
I’m still in a cast and it will be removed in 2 days time.
Hi - i had a reattatchemnt surgery, the tendon did not rupture but was pushing away due to something called a fashitis. Anyway i am 45 and play regular soccer, run and cycle. My op was in May 09 - this weekend November i played my first game of competitive soccer / football. My tendon was very stiff for 4-5 hours after but hey i managed 1 hour on the pitch. I am still not 100% right, i have a slight pronation still and also sprinting off my left foot is not all that good, but its a great start - i will post again after Christmas and see how 2 games of soccer a week strengthens the tendon and legs - good luck all - rb
hey
I ruptured my achilles June25 playing tennis. Just running back and turning for a shot. Had the reattachment surgery 5 days later and learned the meaning of pain when the nerve block wore off.
I had a plaster cast on for 2 weeks and now am in the air cast boot. I was told by the surgeon not to put any pressure on the foot for another 3 weeks but have been balancing on it and it’s ok. I hear that it will be another couple of months before I’ walking normally….and can
Well, this may sound really pathetic (and it is),
but some aspects of being inactive are great.
no joke.
i am a nursing student, and the fact that I was sitting down so much, forced me to get into my books and read a lot, and do a lot of written work.
if it wouldn’t have of been for this focus on sitting down, and being forced to read……i was sitting down anyway…might as well have of been productive….then i think that i would’ve dropped out of my course.
im doing a fast-track nursing course short-cutted from 3 years to 18 months, yes it is full on.
im 4 months post op. but during all this time, i listened to my physician, listened to my physio, walked heaps (attended all my classes crutches or no crutches….just because you have one good leg doesn’t mean your mind is gone, adaptability is the human species greatest strength, and why us little monkeys survived the ice age, over big cats, and other big animals.
source of joy….is that after 4 months of recovery, im going to do the melbourne marathon (walking it……5 kms).
be focused on recovery….keep your mind focused on a target….
think that the recovery is purposeful and has meaning, as it allows you to reassess your life, for me it was getting stuck into my science books, which is and was a challenge, but without me doing this….i would’ve failed my course by now.
there is a reason why everything happens.
Truth hurts, but it will set you free.
failure is A FAR greater teacher than success.
and another favourite.
life is not a sprint, it’s a marathon.
I ruptured mine 100% on August 28th in Florida. Went to local hospital they put on full leg cast so I could get back to Virginia where I lived. Had surgery 18 days after complete rupture. It was open technique without staples, had a 5 inch incision. Wore plaster cast with toes down for 7 days, 4 days after I got cast off I went to dinner with a flip flop on, following week walked 1.5 miles unaided , no cane, crutch, walker, on sons college campus and drove 200 miles there and 200 mile back my rupture was my driving leg Right side, 2 weeks after cast off rode my bike in neighborhood, 3rd weekend post op drove 1700 mile to do a boat delivery with right foot. Have been doing double calf raises and am delighted to be so close to 95-100% again, I dont even limp when I warm up calf with a baseball bat handle. I did invest about 700.00 in a therapy items and use them daily, the best excercise you can do is walk.
truly an ironman
Gerry,
Thanks, I was very humbled by this injury and from the moment I realized what happened it all became a mind game to become 100% rectified and gain my mobility ASAP, I could not stand being in bed , or crutches, etc. I did also inject large doses of vitamin C for collegen rapair , as well as B12, and B complex, second week I went to workout with 45LB kettlebell wore boot, now I have been swinging the KB with sneakers on, just a touch of scar tissue buildup near the repair site, only thing I cant do is single calf raise with repaired leg, that will come with time, today was 6 weeks post op, I feel blessed , to be able to walk normal so quickly, never give up, and fight the urge to be discouraged, it’s a huge injury but you can all recover quickly with positive thinking and a fast track protocal.
Ok…I am new at blogging…I am 52 years old, semi active. Not an athlete by any means. I had a very large heal spur that totally ripped up my achilles. Heal spur was ground out and the bad part of my achillese was cut out & it was re-attached to my heal. I had my surgery 10-6-11. Today is 1-27-12. I began my physical therapy at week 8 and was released after 18 visits. I’m continuing with a very aggressive wellness program. I am jumping, skipping, hopping, biking, tread mill, rebound drills, UBE, bridges, and various leg lifts. I didn’t even do this stuff BEFORE I had my surgery. I am very happy to be able to be this active. The problems I an seeing are my outside ankle on my injured foot (right foot) is always very swollen, I have numbness on the entire top of my foot, my outside calf is pretty sore most of the time & my injured foot wants to roll out. I am actually surprised I am having NO pain on the actual achilles. My incision on the back of my heal area is extremely sensitive when I wear my shoes, but I push through it. I’m feeling (after reading several posts) that for a non-athletic 52 year old woman, I’m not doing to bad. I would love to read any comments. And are these other symptoms normal. I do see my surgeon next week. I’m wondering what he’s going to tell me???
ice,ice,and more ice.
2 months post surgery now and just wondering if anyone can give me an indication of how their swelling was doing at this point. Mine is still pretty swollen around the ankle and just above the ankle. My physio measured it on Wednesday and it’s about 2cm larger than above my good ankle. Have to admit the swelling and wearing socks over top of the swelling is driving me nuts. Also I’m curious if anyone else’s incision can be quite tender at times. It doesn’t hurt to touch the incision with my finger but as soon as I put socks on and then winter boots there’s a lot of discomfort, not sharp pain, just quite uncomfortable.
Other than that, I have to say I’m happy with the recovery so far. Range of motion is coming back fairly steadily so far (cast came off 2 weeks ago and started physio right away) and I think it’s about 50% of the way there. Strength is quite weak though - shocked at how impossible it is to do a heel lift. Same experience for other people? Can’t wait to be able to lift the heel a bit and stop limping everywhere.
It’s great to read everyone else’s blog posts. I know it sounds corny but it helps to know others are going through the same thing.
cheers
Ravi
ravi… same experience here. swelling is like a balloon it blows up around ankle..looks like a fish in sock..then i elevate and massage down until i see ankle again. the scar does have burning sensation. i think swelling pulls the scar…so its burning sensation at time has me use a lotion. it burns at times in certain shoes as well. it does pass…and it’s happened so much less at this point (week 16) but still does from time to time. what you experience…is what happens to us…FOR NOW. it too shall pass.
Hi Ravi, I had lots of swelling and it took a while to get under control. The best way for me to manage it in the end was to wear a compression sock or flight sock. I had tenderness in the scar area too, the best way for me to cope with it in my case was by touching it (massage) which helped to desensitise the area. If you are worried about the origin of the sensitivity (to rule out infection for example) ask your doc/physio. The single heel raise took a bit longer, at 2 months its still fairly early. Bcurrs blog is helpul in that he talks about slowing the gait right down and concentrating on quality of movement i.e. normal movement pattern over quantitiy. When you break the components down in the gait pattern, each various stage needs to be right. It took me a while to get a decent ‘push off’ which is why I was limping initially. I found myself practicing heel raises all over the place (and getting some odd looks
) I think it is often one of the last components to come back. Keep up the good work.
Hi Ravi, I had lots of swelling and it took a while to get under control. The best way for me to manage it in the end was to wear a compression sock or flight sock. I had tenderness in the scar area too, the best way for me to cope with it in my case was by touching it (massage) which helped to desensitise the area. If you are worried about the origin of the sensitivity (to rule out infection for example) ask your doc/physio. The single heel raise took a bit longer, at 2 months its still fairly early. Bcurrs blog is helpul in that he talks about slowing the gait right down and concentrating on quality of movement i.e. normal movement pattern. When you break the components down in the gait pattern, each various stage needs to be right. It took me a while to get a decent ‘push off’ which is why I was limping initially. I found myself practicing heel raises all over the place (and getting some odd looks
) I think it is often one of the last components to come back. Keep up the good work.
I was walking in May 2011 when I felt a pain in my right calf. Did not have surgery until Dec 27, 2011. I had soft cast on first 2 weeks then hard cast for the next 4 weeks. I went into a boot Wed Feb 8. Because of this site and my wonderful husband who has to drive me everywhere, I have survived this site. I am a teacher and went back to work 3 wks post op. I am really getting bummed with this now. I am guessing I must be about half way after reading this blog but I want to walk. I am told not to walk everywhere in the boot yet to use the scooter and not to walk at all without boot. I have to say I have walked a little without the boot and I feel fine but I am worried because I was told not to. I need advice and encouragement. Would love to check back and see someone else who is feeling the way I did or felt the way when they were there. Thanks for all your comments.
I had ATR on 12/20/2011. I’m walking now with a slight limp, but getting around well. The pain after spending the day on my feet is enough to keep me awake at night. For those of you that have been through this, how long should I experience the pain?
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Two weeks ago, Il was initiated into the ATR Club. Mother Nature took me down in a snow slide torquing my foot and blowing out my Achilles.
I was wondering if there are any cyclists out there who have confronted this injury? I’d like to know what I should (or should not) be looking forward to as far as most likely scenarios for getting back on my road bike, or even a stationary trainer.
I do quite a bit of cycling Charley: just getting geared up here (in Utah) for the spring season. I got back onto the bike pretty quickly: stationary trainer within 4 weeks, back on a real bike at 7 weeks. You can take a stroll through my blog: achillesblog.com/ryanb
Hey Charley,
Like ryanb I was on the stationary pretty early on… I got out on the road at around 10 wks post-surgery. I am at 15 wks now and riding around 90 minutes on road with some good climbing in there. I think cycling is one of the earlier things you can get back to… hang in, won’t be long…
Hey Ryan
I found your website hugely inspirational…and, yes, I have even included it in my “Favorites” so I can reference it frequently. Like you, I’m very much a competitive athlete, with a craving for aerobic challenge. I’m 63, but until the moment of injury, exceptionally fit. Three out of last four years, I’ve completed the 110 mile Tour de Tucson in sub 5 hrs. and always in the top five for my age group. I do Masters racing around here in Seattle.
And Pablomoses - relieved to learn that spinning on a trainer is someting that my recovering AT can tolerate early in the process. Fortunately, I left running behind years ago.
I may try to begin a website, however, it sounds as though this site’s promoter has grown frustrated with spam attacks and has limited the ability to launch personalized blogsites through this site.
Again, thx guys.
Hello. All these storiea.are.very encouraging. It has been two weeka since my surgery i am now in a cam boot. The swelling is really bad especially in the ankle. Ut easy to get down about it. But i am trying to stay positive. So glad i found this.website..
Maria, I had some pretty bad swelling too when I went into my CAM boot. I put on a compressions sock and the swelling virtually went away in 3 days.
Just live each day in the present knowing that if you do as you are supposed to, you’ll recover from this and your ATR is just a bump in the road. I actually did find something positive in the experience. I was able to catch up on a ton of reading and develop a better understanding of what is really important. Staying positive is a bit part of the battle.
Thank you for your response. I havent back.to.work yet even though i work in a office enviroment. I drive almost a hour each direction. I want to make sure the swelling goes down. I.dont want to go.back and have something go wrong. Anyways staying.strong and my.husbane.is.going to pick me up some 5 lbs hand.weights.
The swelling creates a vicous cycle where you don’t move and have to elevate and be chained to a bed all day which plays on your psyche which affects your whole healing.
Use motrin 800mg three times daily (really bomb it) but only after your surgical wound has healed decently (e.g. 2 - 3 weeks post op).
That got rid of the swelling for me.
Assuming you aren’t allergic to motrin, have kidney disease, or ulcers.
Tore tendon while playing tennis 5 1/2 weeks ago. Cast horrendous, was allowed to change to Aircast boot after 5 weeks - bliss…. Had following advice today from doctor…
“The old advice was to immobilise in a cast for 8 weeks - as per the
recommended advice from clinic. The newer advice is to use a moveable
cast which allows the foot/ankle to move downwards but not upwards, the
degree of movement allowed is then increased with time. The wearing of
the cast protects the tendon as does the limitation of movement so you
should be allowed to mobilise with it. It appears from my conversation
last week that the outcome is similar with both methods but the newer
one is much more user friendly! I think the only reason the hospital still
follows the older advice is through lack of sufficient equipment.” Amazingly I have no pain…. though ankle swollen.
I’m really thrilled to have found this blog..total rupture early this week. I’ve decided non surgical approach. I’m in a cam walker for 6 weeks @45 degrees.Brace cannot come off according to Dr. at all..I have electric stimulation device my husband uses for his knee..and ordered an ultrasound to help prevent excessive scar tissue. I’m massaging my calf and taking supplements of bromaleine, chondroiten-glucosamine and Vitamin C. Anyone else been this road? Any tips?
Hi all.
Nice blog with lots of usefull info. Had a complete rupture of my right achilles 9 months ago while playing team handball. The injury was consertively treated with a ROM walker for 8 weeks - followed by 8 weeks of physical therapy.
While in physical therapy my instructor asked my to sprint while accelerating/decellerting (16 weeks after inj.). This was not a god idea … I got a new minor rupture in the area of the original rupture. So …. back in the walker for 3 more weeks. After the 3 weeks in the walker I returned to physical therapy where I experianced yet another but smaller “crunchy” sensation around my damaged tendon.
This experience was apparently more than my mind could take an I had a minor panic attach lasting for 2-3 hours (Tony Soprano style).
From that point on I took control of my own training in the gym and I’m now doing heel lifts with 50 kilo’s on my schoulders, MTB cycling and starting to jog in the gym.
But my handball days are over.
Hello, My name is Tim.
I ruptured my achilles playing basketball by simply just jumping up for a rebound. I would consider myself as a explosive athlete I played college football at Cal U of PA and now I been in many basketball leagues before i had this injury. The doc said it was a very rare tear/ rupture from what they have normally seen. He said that the tear was really close to my heel and when in surgery he found that the achilles itself had tears in it. So he had to repair that first and then attach the tendon back together. He also said he put in 2 anchors to hold it there in my heel also with sewing it. The question that i have been asking myself is: Since this is rare from other ATR injuries does this mean that my recovery process will be extended?? Why and how so? I also want to get back as soon as possible to activity, i feel poopy about myself being only 8days post op and not being able to do anything. Considering i would be active in many activities at least 5 times a week. I do understand that I have to be very patient as well but i am just wodering if there are any secrets or things that helped others out to speed up their recovery.
As of now i am in a soft half cast and see the doc in a couple days for my first check up. I am wondering what goes on during that and what gets done. I have been elevating and iceing the back of my knee. Taking ibprophen to reduce swelling and aspirin for blood clots. I do have knee scooter and i really suggest that rather than crutches. The scooter is heaven compared to crutches.
ACCIDENT- i was getting out of my friends car and as i was trying to balance myself on one leg i was beginning to fall and quickly with out even thinking caught myself with the bad leg. i didnt feel instant pain but just a very very uncomfortable feeling through my entire leg going up to my calf. It was a sore and a little painful that night but went away the nxt day. Does this mean i am all good? Or might i have done something to myself?
I am new to blogs and everything so if this isnt the correct way, my bad. I am really curious and would love to know more information on my situation