4 weeks post op
Hello all,
This is my first entry, and I plan on providing more documentation as I continue the achilles rupture journey. First, I’ll provide some background as to how I ruptured my left achilles, the surgical process, and where I am today.
Injury
I ruptured my left achilles playing basketball. I was in a crowd of people going for a rebound. As I proceeded towards the ball, it felt like someone stepped on the back of my left heel. I lost all power in my left foot and did have any lift. I hobbled on my right foot for about 8 feet before falling to the ground. At that point, I figured I had sprang my ankle and tried to stand. I was unable to stand and realized something wasn’t right. I was able to sit down, feeling for my achilles, and it felt like jelly.
I went to urgent care the following day. The doctor at urgent had me try to push up against his hand, which I could not. He then refereed me to an orthopedic surgeon, and I made an appointment two days later. The surgeon preformed the Thompson test and determined it was a complete rupture. I had surgery the following day.
Just to give you a timeline I injured it on Saturday July 30, Urgent care Sunday July 31, Orthopedic Appt August 2, Surgery August 3.
Surgery
My surgeon did a technique that I was unfamiliar with. He made a small incision ( ~4 cm) on the back of my foot and then two incisions on the back of my heel. He told me this technique allows you to recover much faster. I was looking online, but I haven’t found much information on this technique.
Post OP
I was placed in a splint after surgery for 1 week. After that week, I was placed in a boot. At the 3rd week mark, I was told to start doing band exercises. I’m currently in the 4th week, where I had my first physical therapy appointment. The physical therapist told me at 6 weeks I’ll be out of the boot and wearing shoes. He also provided me some exercises and stretches to do in between appointments. I’ll keep you updated as I make progress.