11weeks and counting

Since starting in two shoes, one point that I had not considered (until now), was the kind of shoes I could wear. Until now I’ve been pretty much wearing my trainers/sneakers which have a horseshoe shaped cut out at the top of each back. This has conveniently avoided rubbing on the wound site which I understand was/is about 3-4cms above where the tendon joins the heel. As I was to attend a smart casual do this week I thought I would give normal shoes a try. Not one pair could I find that didn’t give me hell by chaffing the wound.  The tendon has healed somewhat ‘thicker’ than it was before so I guess I’m stuck with posh trainers unless I can find alternatives. Anyway that annoyance aside, on the healing front I am continuing to walk almost normally now without any pain or ‘dragging’ from the tendon and since adopting two shoes I have been incorporating standing two foot heel raises into the daily physio. After gradually transferring more weight to the injured side I thought I would have a shot at a single heel raise on that side alone but no matter how much I concentrated I could not get my heel to budge one iota, it was as though the heel was nailed to the floor. I am assuming rightly or wrongly that even though my calves are pretty similar in size there must be an acute lack of strength as yet in my right calf. When can I reasonably expect to be able to achieve this exercise from other people’s experiences? Any comments would be gratefully received. My physio currently includes daily sessions on static bike, x trainer, rowing machine, treadmill and vibro plate total of 1hr.

7wks and 4days on

Saw the consultant yesterday for the third visit since the accident. He carried out some foot articulation tests and then gave the tendon site a good going over before announcing that as far as he could tell all was OK and it had healed exactly as  he would have expected at this stage. I fully expected to be re-booted for another 3wks until the new year but quite unexpectedly he said to go home then remove the boot and go into two shoes. When I inquired about physio he said that as my foot was able to articulate well physio was not needed and I should now just walk as much as possible to strengthen the leg etc.  I was given a 10mm wedge to wear for up to 4wks or until I could do without it and was discharged from his care. I am trying not to ‘overstep’ at the moment as I can still feel a slight ‘drag’ on the tendon. It feels strange to try and re-educate my leg to assume a normal gait instead of having the boot via my shin lift the heel of my foot. At the end of the last update by ‘gravity’ was a seemingly good physio protocol to follow and I may incorporate that into my routine so my thanks for that useful info. I also tried the car (on the drive) today for the first time and pressing the brake pedal hard causes no discomfort so that may be another milestone passed. The past 8wks have been a drag but looking back I can now see light at the end of the tunnel. Finally for the moment A very happy Xmas and New Year to all fellow club members and many thanks for your comments and the support from this fabulous site.

Sticking with the boot!

Hi everyone,

Many thanks to all who posted responses to my last update. In reality I think you are all perfectly correct that I should not try to rush things for a couple of weeks extra booted as It would be disastrous to cause a partial or full re rupture at this stage. By the time I see the consultant on Dec 12th it will be 7wks 4days from the accident so I anticipate he will want to keep me in the boot now until the new year return to work by which time it will be upwards of 11wks without starting physio. Walking in the boot is painless thanks to a small gel heel support that I have inserted as the heel was getting a little sore at times. I think I will follow the protocol involving mild physio of stretches etc with the boot removed that has been suggested as my Achilles feels fine and I have a good range of foot movement back without any feeling of tugging or pain in the tendon and no swelling that I can see. The only downside with the boot is that the height unbalance of some 75mm is taking its toll on both my knee and hip if I walk too far.For some reason I cannot access the protocols thar norm alluded to earlier nor can I access the Achilles profile update from the ‘user’ menu although I can access the ‘personal profile’. At least the crutches are a thing of the past.

Good luck to everyone on this tedious journey.

Should I be walking?

I have now been booted for the last 11days. I have been sleeping wearing the boot as advised but I have to remove it to put my sock on and off in the boot. Today I had the boot removed as usual and needed to get some items from the drawers at the other side of the room. I thought I would try to hop over without the boot and tenderly stepped out on my bad leg unsupported. To my amazement I could walk without pain although with a slight restrictive gait. I have been doing physio with the boot off at times by stretching and rotating my foot but I have not ventured forth without the boot before. Should I continue to exercise walking without the boot or is this too early to go unsupported at 6wks 2days.

‘Hello leg’

At last ditched the cast today and said hello to my leg again. After all that I’ve read on various blogs I was pleasantly surprised to see that there was hardly any size difference in my calf muscles. I was able to flex my foot into a rt angle position under the guidance of the consultant and am now in a walking boot for the next 3 weeks or so. I was told that physio would not start until at least week 8 and possibly week 10. When I walked out of the hospital to the car park my ankle felt a little stiff but otherwise walking was OK and not painful. The boot is set to lock at rt angles so as not to overly stretch the tendon as yet. I am told that the boot must be worn ALL the time, even in bed!!. What do you think about the time to starting physio and not being allowed to remove the boot. Comments gratefully accepted.

3 weeks on

Still in plaster no2 non-op with foot at about 20 degrees but found that I can push my toes down in the plaster and feel my calf muscle flex now. Also able to walk on tip toes without discomfort as I found out accidentally when I overbalanced on the crutches and took my weight on my bad leg. Should I continue with this when able or wait until the boot is fitted in 8days time?

Hello world!

Hi everybody,

This is my first blog even though the injury occurred on Monday 18th Oct. After a lifetime of playing contact sports without any breakages a simple slip in the garden puts me in plaster for the first time in my life. A quick trip to A &E verified what I already knew had happened having seen the same happen to my badminton partner some years ago. Immediately after the rupture the pain was intense for about 30 secs, rather like when you go over badly on your ankle. A back slab plaster was fitted and I was sent home with crutches and a follow up appointment for the Friday 4 days later. At the follow up on the Friday the consultant confirmed that I’d made a pretty good job of the rupture and offered either op or non op. Having previously read all the fantastically  helpful info on this site, especially from norm, I opted for non op and was put in plaster with my foot pointing down at some ridiculous angle and told to return in two weeks time (7th Nov). I couldn’t get on with the crutches at home so managed to concoct a walker made from a four legged padded stool with a frame attached that I can kneel on with my bad leg and this enables me to get around fine and have somewhere to rest my knee or sit and leave at least one hand free to carry things. Stairs aren’t too much of a problem on one knee and one foot and I come down backwards the same way. I find crawling the best way after getting upstairs. Had my second visit to the hospital today’s specialist says he can feel the tendon again where there was an empty channel two weeks ago. Plaster again for two weeks with the foot almost at rt angles now and then a boot at the next visit. Really looking forward to that. Luckily no pain or discomfort just frustration.

Following link will take you to your blog’s “command center” where you can write your posts:
http://AchillesBlog.com/yorkshirelad68/wp-admin/

Be sure to fill out your city, Achilles rupture date, surgery date, etc.. (if you know it) here:
Fill out my Achilles Profile Here

When you do, you can keep track of your recovery progress and see your information on the Marathon Tracker.

Here’s more info: using Achilles Timeline Widget

Please change this post’s title to something more descriptive. Just leaving it as “Hello World” leads people to believe that you haven’t updated your first post!

If you have any questions, don’t be afraid to ask! :)

Dennis