Pressing on with Physio, but no progress to report

Posted on May 15th, 2017 by ricksterbc44

My set of six shockwave treatments on my achilles has completed. Unfortunately, I don’t see or feel that it has done anything. It still hurts, particularly in the morning, and I still have trouble walking over about a mile or two before it gets painful and I start to limp. That’s discouraging.

My next plan is that my physio has me doing all sorts of exercises such as heel drops, heel raises (all without weights), one legged balancing, sideways walking, backwards walking, and also taping. Which I will commit to doing faithfully. We shall see whether any of this has any effect.

So, right now, it has been nine months with achilles struggles that has kept me from hiking and even walking. And without any discernible progress. I sure hope I am on the right path to getting this fixed. I’d hate to find out five years from now that my achilles has been ruined and I should have done something else treatment-wise.

Oh well, I need to keep positive for now and keep plugged into the process. And try to be patient!

1 Comment »

Ultrasound results at least provide some more clarity

Posted on April 7th, 2017 by ricksterbc44

I just reviewed my ultrasound results on my achilles tendon (taken 7 months after my original injury). Here’s what it said:

The tendon is thickened, coarse, and hypoechoic throughout most of it’s length due to multiple ill-defined and defined partial thickness tears. The maximum thickness of the tendon is 1.5 cm. The superficial calcaneal bursa is thickened as well. A complete tear is not identified.

I guess the good news in this is that my injury was not a complete tear. The bad news is that I have a lot of healing of the tendon to do. And this also makes me doubtful that the shock wave therapy is going to change anything.

I guess a lesson for me in the future is that when I hurt something like my achilles, don’t assume it’s minor or inconsequential. Take it easy for awhile and assess it. I probably could have reduced the damage on the tendon if I had known how bad it was early. In particular, I would have avoided going on that multi-day 75 km hike.

3 Comments »

Shockwave Treatment #2, yet to see progress

Posted on April 7th, 2017 by ricksterbc44

It’s now been over seven months that I have been troubled by Achilles tendinosis and I have yet to see any meaningful progress, despite all the treatments and exercises and x-rays and ultrasounds. It’s definitely disconcerting. I get the feeling that this condition is never going to improve and that I’ll just have to give up hiking and even walking.

Yesterday, I went through my second weekly shockwave treatment on my calcific achilles. It is a very short treatment and mostly does not hurt, except for when he does it near the heel bone. The treatment only lasts for a few minutes and then I’m done. During the weeks that I am doing these treatments, I continue to avoid any excercise of the tendon and certainly I am avoiding the Alfredson’s Protocol eccentric heel drops.

This past week after the first SW treatment, my achilles pain was noticeable all week, every day. Not too bad, but definitely noticeable. After this second treatment, the pain is not as noticeable, unless I try to do something like a heel raise. The bulge on the back of achilles is still just as large as it always has been and I can’t say that I see any progress in the tendon itself.

That said, I will press on. And be patient. And try to be hopeful . . .

5 Comments »

Shock wave therapy started for Achilles calcific tendonitis

Posted on March 31st, 2017 by ricksterbc44

Last night was my first shockwave therapy session for my achilles. It should be the first of about six treatments. During this time, I was instructed to stop doing my Alfredson’s Protocol exercises, which is OK with me. After all, I wasn’t seeing any significant progress.

The way I understand it, the SWT will break apart the calcium deposits in the tendon so that they can be absorbed into the body. The benefit to this is that the calcium is apparently a source of the pain in the tendon and if we can get rid of that, my achilles can get back to normal.

I am hearing different stories on how effective this treatment is. My doctor said it is 80% successful, the SWT therapist said 90%, and the ultrasound technician said it is a very good treatment. I also found a study on this treatment as it pertains to achilles tendinosis and it said that it had an effectiveness of 52% (versus 60% for eccentric loading) (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3070010/)

1 Comment »

A new diagnosis from the Doctor, Calcific Tendonitis

Posted on March 27th, 2017 by ricksterbc44

After going for x-rays last week, I had another appointment with my Doctor and was informed that not only is my achilles tendinitis chronic (I already knew that) I have calcium deposits on my achilles tendon. And that could be contributing to the pain as I continue my Alfredson’s protocol exercises. So, to help get rid of these deposits, I am now scheduled for radial shockwave therapy (about 6 sessions are likely) whereby they will blast the calcium deposits and try to break them up such that they absorb into the body and go away. This is a similar therapy to when somebody has a kidney stone and they use this therapy to break up the stone and let it pass. So, all without needing surgery.

My Doctor says that this therapy is successful 80% of the time which is a good thing. That’s promising. At this stage, I am ready to try anything that can help get my achilles back to normal.

No Comments »

7 month visit to Doctor, still no progress

Posted on March 23rd, 2017 by ricksterbc44

The doctor thinks there could be some “calcification” on my achilles tendon so he sent me to get X-rays yesterday. I’m not sure what the implication of that. We will see soon whether that is the case.

I also have an appointment to get an ultrasound next week as well. I suppose the more information the better.

Still waiting for progress as I continue my Alfredson Protocol exercises. I’m finding very hard to continue when there is no improvement that can be seen or felt. Very discouraging!

No Comments »

Achilles Tendinosis recovery using Alfredson’s Protocol

Posted on March 21st, 2017 by ricksterbc44

I hurt my achilles tendon last summer (Aug. 20, 2016) while hiking the Grouse Grind in Vancouver, BC. I didn’t treat it too seriously and just figured it would go away on it’s own. After I hurt it, I went on a 75 km hike and I basically limped the whole way. That probably didn’t help matters. The problem has lasted now over six months. Basically, the tendon hurts on a low level all the time but I am able to walk normally, up until about one kilometer. Then my tendon stiffens up and I start to limp. The achilles has a noticeable lump right in the middle of the tendon that has been consistent from day 1.

I have gone to a couple of doctor’s appointments on this and several physiotherapy sessions (which I started in Dec. 2016). All without any improvement.

I am now doing the Alfredson’s protocol every day, with 90 reps of heel drops, and 90 heel drops with a bent leg. I am using a weighted backpack for this that is up to 50 lbs right now. For this protocol, I am on week 4, and the whole program is 12 weeks. Again, no noticeable improvement so far. While I am doing this program, I am avoiding walking and hiking which has been hard.

Anybody else doing the Alfredson’s protocol to fix their achilles?

2 Comments »

  • Achillesblog - Updated Posts

    • Check out AchillesBlog.com T-shirts.

    •   

      ATR Marathon Page

  • Recent Comments

  • https://windowsclassroom.com/how-to-turn-on-bluetooth-on-windows-10 | December 19th, 2018 | 6:14 am

    How to enable bluetooth in windows 10,this is common problem,sometimes i have facing same this problem,but here the all problem solution,now click here and get the one of the simple ways.

  • Bulk SMS USA | June 27th, 2018 | 3:06 am

    We trust Bulk SMS Service is a great channel, both for promoting and cautions and updates when utilized mindfully. Our item enables you to completely use this channel without breaking a sweat of utilization and intense list of capabilities. It’s an ideal opportunity to be a savvy portable advertiser and add Bulk SMS to your correspondence channels!

  • Coursework Services | May 30th, 2018 | 4:38 am

    I guess the coolest information in that is that my damage turned into no longer a entire tear. The awful information is that i’ve numerous recuperation of the tendon to do. And this also makes me dubious that the surprise wave remedy is going to trade whatever.

  • shell37 | May 15th, 2017 | 8:02 pm

    Good luck with physio. I hope you can find something that works for you.

  • ricksterbc44 | April 7th, 2017 | 5:19 pm

    Thanks Stuart for the comment. Yes, other than the high cost, there doesn’t seem to much downside to at least trying the shockwave treatments. I am really hoping though for some signs of improvement.

  • ricksterbc44 | April 7th, 2017 | 5:15 pm

    Thanks John. I’m sort of thinking this might be my story too. Oh well, it’s at least good to know that the surgery option can fix things that the other methods couldn’t. I figure I still have to give the conservative treatment options a chance, who knows, maybe I will be successful without surgery. My concern, of course, is that I haven’t seen any improvement after seven months.

  • John Viss | April 7th, 2017 | 4:45 pm

    I did the shockwave therapy and every other conservative method prior to my surgery. I spent a lot of money and hope that they were the solution and I was disappointed every time. The surgery worked for me, I am 53 and at 16 weeks post surgery. The results are good. I am finally able to walk without a limp and am hopeful to be active on my feet again.

  • Stuart | April 7th, 2017 | 3:54 pm

    I had 2 shock wave treatments a few years back on my non injured tendon as it was getting quite sore. It has resolved and I need no further treatment but that is not to say things were as bad as yours. I could not say it will work for you if the tendon is calcified but I doubt it will do damage. If the shockwave initiates a healing response then it could take some time for it to be effective. Can only hope for you.

  • shell37 | April 7th, 2017 | 11:51 am

    I hope you get some relief from the shockwave therapy. Have you considered surgery as an option? As much as surgery is horrible, if it can fix the problem, while recovery is miserable, it is short term. It seems a shame to give up hiking, and walking, presumably activities you love, for the rest of your life. I was faced with a similar decision: do nothing and live with the constant pain, and being able to do very few physical activities, or have surgery, and hopefully eventually be able to get back to everything I love to do. I had Achilles tendinosis and a Haglund’s Deformity, so I know what you’re going through. I’m 2 weeks post op. The prospect of spending the next 40 years (or however many I have) in pain, or trudging through 6-12 months of recovery to be able to enjoy the next 40 years, seemed like an easy decision. It was actually a really hard decision, but I feel it was the right one. I wish you the best.

  • cserpent | April 1st, 2017 | 12:56 am

    Hope it works for you!

  • ricksterbc44 | March 22nd, 2017 | 9:59 am

    Thanks for your comment. It’s encouraging to hear that you healed and have gotten better. I am doing the Alfredson Protocol on my own, it’s not something my Physio brought up at all. I started it because I was frustrated with the lack of progress with my physio. Yes, I am just one month into the program so I know I need to be patient. But, like anything, when you work hard at something, you want to see some progress. Every other injury I have had, there was always progress from month to month that was obvious. This one is different and it scares me that it will never progress. Oh well, I’ve just got to keep my head down and work hard and be patient. The time for serious complaining will be after I finish the 12 week program and see nothing!

  • agnesatr | March 22nd, 2017 | 1:38 am

    I cannot be of much help with tendinosis, since my achilles was ruptured and I followed non-op method. I, however, unofficially followed Alfredson Protocol. Once my PT told me to do eccentric calf raises, I researched it and decided to follow the numbers given in the Alfredson Protocol 2x(3×15 straight legs, 3×15 bent legs 7 days a week). I started on the floor and progressed to stairs with progressively increased weight in the backpack. I did that for few months and I know that this helped my calf strength a lot. As far as achilles, this supposed to help with it, but I cannot tell you if this was direct cause of my achilles healing better or not. I healed pretty quickly and my achilles is in pretty strong now, so I believe that had something to do with it.
    Hope someone here has experience with tendinosis to give you a better answer of when they felt results. The studies are based on 3 months results, so you still have 2 months to go… Hope it gets better along the way… What does you PT say about intermediate results during the 3 months.