Is this a good idea? …I am going to a wedding in Colorado, I mean I am getting dragged to a wedding in Colorado, and one of those days out there I am thinking of trying snowboarding w the SO (who is already proficient at it)…isnt the AT locked in a 90-degree angle in the ski boot? In that regard the AT might be protected..I dont know. All you Boarders help me out, I’m clueless.
From Wednesday’s Cape Cod Times:
There was a tie for fourth after both Louie Rivers of Foxborough Country Club (and formerly an assistant at Hyannisport) and Cape Cod National’s Matt Walsh each posted a 73. Walsh logged his best round since rupturing his Achilles tendon in the spring. He started playing golf again in late summer. “This is the first round I’ve had below 80 since I hurt the Achilles,” he said. “I guess I can take my clubs off e-bay now that I proved I can play a little bit.”
I know I’m not bragging b/c all of you in this community know what we’ve been through w this horrible injury. Im posting this for everyone who is in a cast or NWB who think they will never be the same again (at least thats how I felt).
I still have tightness and the AT area is still not at 100% but it feels pretty strong and stable. Theres hope guys…keep working out, push that AT everyday, it gets better..a little bit everyday.
Hi everybody!
I havent posted since the 4 month mark so heres an update on my beloved AT. I was told by the good doc at Mass Gen that my tendon would be completely healed at the 6 month mark, so I guess I made it finally.
It feels good. The swelling is gone, there is no pain, even after walking 18 holes. I have been doing my therapy on my own for awhile now and am gaining my strength back albeit slowly.
I can get my heel off the ground when I try a single-legged calf raise but not very far and for not very long. I can jog but not run or play hoops or softball yet, its just not there strength-wise. I’m not there yet mentally either.
Welcome to all the newbies and congrats to all the vets on their continued progress…I follow the posts and the comments as much as I can.
…oh and I proposed to my girlfriend at Fenway a few weeks ago…and she said yes!!! …and the Sox won too, which was just as important IMO…hahaha
Well friends heres my 4 month update. Its been a month since my last one and things have been improving, albeit slowly.
I can manage stairs, both up and down. I no longer limp, but I do when I jog/run. I can walk on my toes, but only in the morning and only about 10-15 strides before fatigue brings that heel right to the ground.
I entered then withdrew from our Section Championship Aug 25-27th, it is being held at The Country Club too, the site of numerous US Opens and Amateurs. I’m really just not ready to compete at the level I know I can compete at, and thats been a really tough pill to swallow. It was the goal that I set for myself as they rolled me into the OR and it was the one thing that pushed me through all the monotonous and tedious PT. I’m just not strong enough yet, and my swing shows it.
On a brighter note heres a pic from our recently completed junior golf school. Theres more rugrats running around somewhere but we couldnt gather them all up at once.
So I haven’t blogged in a while so I needed to give my peeps a quick update.
I have been doing PT for over 2 weeks now, going 3 x’s a week. It makes all the difference in the world, esp the deep tissue massage…ahhhhhhhhhhhhh. It really helps the swelling, which seems ever-present.
We had our big 3-day Member-Guest over the weekend, I was at work for 39 hours for those 3 days…ugh. I scored all the matches w calligraphy, over 120 matches in all. The board went from just over my head (I’m 6-2) to just about my thighs. Needless to say I did a lot of squats and one-knee manuevers all weekend long. My foot blew up! It was sooo swollen and I didnt have much time to ice it down…miserable! I was finally able to get the swelling under control later in the day but I literally thought my ankle was going to bust at the seam/scar.
All in all I’m hanging in there. I walk w just a slight limp and have started cranking up the treadmill a little bit, so my wind is getting a little better. I am slightly worried that the swelling never seems to go away, esp after work. I have some scar tissue that is quite tender at times as well. The progress/improvement has slowed to a crawl…the vets on the site warned me of this but dammit I didnt want to believe them!
…for all my ATR golf buds heres a little trivia: What famous clubhouse is this?
…and yes, I played there.
Hi guys, just some pics my fiancee took this morning.
Click the pics once for close-up, twice for full-screen.
AT feels good, really good. Went to see Pearl Jam last night (20 plus shows now…best band of my generation, IMO)…was fantastic! Was moving pretty good for a white boy w one good wheel I must say. The black strap is the brace (footsmart.com) I have to wear for 2 more weeks. It gives me a sense of increased stability…it is not very comfortable at times tho.
For my Ablog friends just out of surgery or in the middle of NWB purgatory just remember you will get your normal life back sooner than you think…hang in there!
I had my 3rd post-op appt today at Mass General w the good Dr Theodore and after much tweaking and twisting and prodding he gave me the green light to ditch the boot. Amen doc, amen.
I am to wear the achilles brace for 3 weeks (he was suprised I already had one…kudos to Matty and Doc Ross…I recommend reading all of Ross’s posts, he has been spot-on information-wise, a real asset) and then I can ditch that too. I was told that the compression socks will help manage the swelling so continue w those. I was handed a script for PT 1-3 x’s a week, 5-8 weeks total. I am to see him Aug. 23rd for my last appt.
So I tried to ask him some of the questions that have been raised on the blog, but of course I could only come up w a few:
How far along am I in regards to tendon strength at 8 weeks? Answer: ”About 60%…6 months 100%…1 year all is back to normal.”
Am I at risk of re-rupture? (I even mentioned the 2 recent ones on the site) Answer: ”I’ve never had a re-rupture occur. Never. You can still do it but it would take something very extreme.” (Gotta love a cocky Harvard doc)
When can I play golf? Answer: ”You can chip and putt for now but no full-on swings for weeks.” (DAMN!)
When can I start running? Answer: ”4-6 more weeks.”
So yes I’m out of the boot and yes I feel great but I still cant do the one thing I love to do this time of year: play competitive golf…oh well, it could be worse.
I limped back onto the subway, boot in hand, ready to face a new phase of challenges…thanks to all my Ablog buddies, you’ve really helped me!
Anyone elses doc tell them that Nicotine inhibits the body from repairing microtears in tendons? He saw that I checked off nicotine use on my pre-op forms and strongly recommended that I stop using immediately. Actually he pretty much ordered me to stop. I googled it and found some rat studies that did indeed support my doc claims. The studies dealt more with tendons removed from the bone, not ruptures though. Needless to say I have stopped using smokeless tobacco (old baseball habits die hard) in fear that I’m not giving my body a fair fight against this injury.
On a side note I went to a softball buddy’s house last night and he told me he thinks I came in contact with the 1st baseman of the other team when I injured myself. He was coaching 1st at the time and is almost positive that I was tripped (accidentally) or that somehow we got tangled up as I rounded the bag. A couple of my other teammates who witnessed it also agreed. The kid wasnt used to that position so he was all over the place that night. I had a feeling that I made contact with him but it happened soo fast I wasnt sure. Then I read on here that it feels like someone kicks you when you rupture it soo I just figured it went on its own. It was all such a blur.
I almost feel better now, in a weird way. I dont feel like my body failed me anymore.
And one more thing: Heres a big “thank you” to Dennis for this website and to all the others who contribute their stories on here. One of the things I really look forward to after work is reading all the new posts and comments as I take that boot off and ice and elevate. It feels good to know that others are going thru the same challenges, frustrations, mini milestones and successes, trials and tribulations. Its easy to feel like youre the only one whos ever suffered this injury and this blog gives me a real sense of community…Thanks guys!!
