Stephen’s Achilles Blog

Knowing immediately from having seen other b-ballers do it and from prior internet research that I had an ATR, once in the car (no problem driving since the injury was to my left foot) I called the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopedic Hospital. K-J is one of the best in the world, work on all the L.A. pro and college sports teams, and had treated my ankle tears and done my wife’s knee. Our regular doc wasn’t listed as an Achilles specialist, so I was referred to another one their docs, who lives in my neighborhood, but I had never met. When they heard I was a rupture, they squeezed me in for the following day, Tuesday at 2 PM.
The doc was great. He knew right away, but gave me a quick Thompson’s test to confirm. Meanwhile, I  had gotten use to the condition, was not feeling pain, and was able to put pressure on my foot and even walk. I asked about simple casting, but upon quickly realizing that I was in good shape and intended to go back to sports (hopefully even basketball even though I will be nearly 54 when this treatment process is over), the doctor talked out of that and into surgery. I found it odd and discomforting that in the past I had experienced left ankle injuries marked by exquisite pain, which was usually abated by medical treatment, but here I was with an injury that didn’t seem so bad yet I knew was going to get worse before it got better and that the pain would come from the fix — the surgery. Nevertheless, of course I opted for the surgery, asked to have it ASAP, and was slotted in for Friday morning.

I was fitted for a CAM boot, and the doc ordered and MRI for me, which is conveniently in the building, but was inconveniently booked solid until 6:30, so I hobbled across the street for coffee for a couple hours. After the MRI, the radiology tech invited me to have a look, and it appeared to me that although their was a clear rupture, that there may still have been some strands holding the Achilles together. The tech said he couldn’t tell, and that the radiologist wouldn’t read it and offer a diagnosis until the following morning. Still, I went home thinking this is good news, it would be a simple surgery and hopefully a speedy recovery. 

On Wednesday, I called K-J, and my doc wasn’t able to return until late in the afternoon. When he did, it was to tell me that yes, while there were some strands still held together, and the ruptured ends did not roll apart like “window shades,” the damage was actually much more extensive than he had anticipated. He told me that the chronic tendinitis had been wearing down the Achilles fibers for years and that what I had was a plate of “spaghetti,” which would be difficult to suture together. He cancelled my Friday surgery, and told me to consult with the clinic’s foot specialist, who was recommending a tendon transfer, and would perform the surgery with him the following week. I made an appointment so see the foot man the next day.

(To be continued in Part Four…)

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