It’s been 9 months…
Posted on May 15th, 2012 by sspeed
It’s been almost 9 months since tearing my Achilles. At the time I really wondered if I’d dare do anything active again. It really is a mental game and you get over it. The complete strength takes a LONG TIME to get back and I still don’t totally have it, but I feel great…
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Awesome pic! Love hearing the success stories!
Thanks for the post, speed. I haven’t overcome the mental barrier yet but it’s still early. Glad you’re doing well.
-GK
Great Picture. Thanks for giving hope.
Great pic! Yeah the mental game is really tough at times, the 1st time it really caught me out after thinking all was getting better, I was 5 months post injury, walking ok, then I went to change an alarm on the ceiling I had to stand on a table to do it, a table I have stood on many times before. I stepped onto from a chair with my good leg and went to put my bad leg on it, would my brain let me do it, no! took me a full minute to convince my brain that it would be fine! now almost 7 months on I am back bouldering (low level rock climbing over mats without a rope) and I feel I have finally started to really feel “normal” again
What would really be inspiring is seeing a pic of what happened when you turned right side up and landed.
great
Speed may I ask how is the pain from the osteochondral lesion or has it improved lessened or healed? I face surgery soon f or paratenonitis which has thickened my Achilles and caused some possible tendonosis although the MRI per my foot ortho says there in none just the paratenon inflamed. Also I have a mild osteochondral lesion of the medial talar dome just as u have or had! You r the only post I have found with this how did u have it addressed if at all? Mine is from ankle sprains over the years from running and tennis although I have no fracture or lose bodies in the talar dome. I would be so interested in how you dealt with this and appreciate any response. My guess my doc whom I visit tues with proceed with a Debridement of the paratenon and wait and see on the talar dome which does cause some pain. Thanks so much!
My storyline goes…
2008 - Crashed skiing, pulled foot halfway out of my boot, tore some cartilage and chipped a piece of bone 9mm x 13mm off. I didn’t know it was that bad, thought it was another sprain (I’ve had lots). I put my boot back on and continued skiing.
Saw doc a few times over the next few months, thought it was a bad sprain, kind of forgot about it.
2009 - Referred to specialist, MRI shows cartilage tear and osteochondral lesion. Does debridement, but doesn’t seem to work.
2010 - Old doc moves out of state, see awesome new doc. He mentions the debridement couldn’t work because my ATF ligament is too loose and it’s allowing the bone of my lower leg to put pressure on the area of my talus where the osteochondrial lesion is. Recommends physical therapy to strengthen surrounding muscles to possibly bypass surgery.
2011 - Finally had enough and talk to doc about best time for surgery. Decide on after the summer as it just hurts, but isn’t limiting me any besides some fast direction changes.
Aug 2011 - Tear my Achilles, doc says it was 100% due to extra tension put on it by my loose ATF.
At this point the doc says he recommends tightening the ATF by a modified brostrum procedure. He said it may take pressure off of the osteochondrial lesion and let scar tissue develop and heal.
I asked about a bone plug to the osteochondral lesion at the same time, but he said that puts me under anesthesia for longer than he’s comfortable with. Plugging the bone would require splitting one of the bones of my lower leg to get to it, yikes.
So, in retrospect, I’d say figure out the cause of your osteochondral lesion first. If it’s due to a loose ligament (from all your sprains), just doing a debridement is likely to do nothing. Fix that first, then worry about the OC lesion if it’s still a problem. I wish that’s the way I’d done it.
Speed thanks so very much for your reply it’s actually very helpful going into my appt with my ankle surgeon Tuesday. It’s really interesting the loose ATF could be a big part of your problem my MRI also indicates mine is strained from prior ankle sprains. Makes me wonder as u indicate if that is what can weaken the whole structure down there. Was your 2009 Debridement a drill curettage and Debridement of the talar dome lesion? And how is your pain now from the lesion? mine is intermittant but does hurt badly at times after walking few blocks and coming out of a boot for 6 weeks recently it was incredibly painful at first. Mine is on the medial side as I think yours is. It sounds like you r considering the modified bostrum now rather than further talus joint work. if he offers Debridement I will question it as the bone edema you and I have might contribute to a poor result as drilling (if you had that or was it just Debridement?) into swollen bone may not provoke the desired response. This is such a helpful site I really appreciate your taking the time to note all this. Their r some docs using juvenile cartilage literally donated from deceased young children with good results on talar dome lesions and stupartz injections approved only now for knee issues once FDA approved for ankles promise help as well. As my Achilles tendon paratenon is going on 6 months of pain and after months of pt then a boot and other things I think it needs to be dealt with first. I will ask him if this can help with he lesion adding strength to the ankle once he Achilles heals although in your case sounds like ATF is still acting up.
Yep, I had the drill and debridement.
My ostochondrial lesion/defect doesn’t hurt that bad on its own. It’s the tendon running past it that hurts the most. I notice that tendon feels better when I use my muscles to do what the ATF should.
Let me know how yours comes out.
every little bit of infmroation and exercises being shown here can help. The key is to use these tips and exercises in moderation as is the case with everything in the world. When coming back from achilles injury, don’t do these exercises 7 days a week but rather 3 days a week. Walk and move around standing up-right walk with your feet pointed straight ahead. If you’re overweight or obese then lose weight. If you lift weights and you have a big .I injured my left achilles pretty bad
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