I ruptured my achilles tendon on on November 5th and did not realize it until I went to the doctor two weeks later. I have been dealing with achilles tendonitis for many years. This year it started in the middle of August. I went to dr. who is also a surgeon and he had me lay off for four weeks and take medicine to reduce swelling. Started back gradually after four weeks got to running three miles and achilles started swelling again and stiffness returned. Took two more weeks off and then back running. Got back up to three miles again and felt pain (not stiffness) on November 5 and tried to run through the pain but turned back after one mile and walked back. I was scheduled to play golf that morning and on the first tee when I took a swing, I felt extreme pain in back of right leg. This is obviously when I ruptured the tendon but I kept playing golf and as a matter of fact played golf for next five days as well as road biking ten to twenty miles per day. The next week I could barely walk but I did ride stationary bike every day. I basically could hardly walk at this time. Went to the doctor on November 19 and had surgery on Wednesday, November 21.
Problem with surgery is that I had waited two weeks, tendon had atrophy and had ragged ends. The surgeon had to take one of the two tendons that hold up the big toe to use to sue the two ends together.
My doctor is having me follow the “Revised Twaddle Achilles Prorocol.” Two weeks with cast, then boot but no weight bearing for four more weeks. I think my doc is very conservative with protocol. Some people are partially weight bearing at two weeks.
At six weeks I keep boot on and partial weight bearing for two weeks, gradually going to full weight bearing. Don’t know what happens after that. Start PT at six weeks.