Still Feeling Fine at Month 9
9 months have past since my Achilles rupture and subsequent surgery. Three quarters complete, assuming a 12 month recovery. The tendon is doing great and I’m progressing along pretty well at this point. I’m still trying to regain the strength in my atrophied calf which has been quite a battle. Some muscle mass has returned, but I don’t have much power when trying to push off from my toes. This may be more of a mental issue, trying to get all the muscles to fire at the right time. Here are a few pictures to document my progress to date, not too much different from last month’s photos:
I just noticed I passed the 20 mile marker on the Marathon Tracker widget. I’m now in The Bronx just in time to say goodbye to Yankee Stadium!! The marathon metaphor was born early in Achillesblog development by several of the “old guard” and has been used over and over again. Speaking from my experience, it is true that the recovery is a marathon, not a sprint and requires overcoming both mental and physical anguish. However, there’s one area where I’m hoping ATR recovery differs greatly from running a marathon. It is commonly said that the last six miles are the second half of the marathon, requiring as much physical grit and mental determination as the first 20 miles. I don’t believe the final six miles of this virtual marathon called ATR recovery will be as difficult as the final six miles of an actual marathon. I’m getting stronger and stronger and I’m looking forward to cruising across the finish line 3 months from now.
Hang in there everyone. While this isn’t a marathon any of us want to be running, it is one that we will all finish.
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Tom - Excellent post as always! And I am glad to hear that your achilles is doing great. Wow, you’ve already hit the 20 mile mark, and it’s been great to see you trail blaze for the rest of us from day one.
Thanks for the great posts from the very beginning, and I am looking forward to reading your post when you cross the finish line! We’ll all celebrate then!
Tom: Those are really cool pics. It is also neat that you demonstrated a calf raise to show that your right leg does not go quite as high as your left. This is comforting to those at a similar point who are wondering if that is normal. I also have never seen anyone with the 3 little incisions like that. I bet one day you will hardly be able to see those. I never thought to take pictures as I went to be able to see the progress. When you do anything athletic, what is your pain level like?
Smish - I can report that I have no pain or discomfort in the achilles when I’m working out. There is some tightness in the morning and after a good workout, but no pain. My only limitation is the lack of strength in my injured leg. I just haven’t gotten the spring back in my step. My leg also get tired more quickly so my normal mechanics can get thrown off.
Tom: Thanks for the info. That is soooo encouraging to me. Sometimes I start to feel like the pain will NEVER stop.
-Smish