Pain when sleeping without boot
Posted , 6 users are following.
Question for you all that have ruptured your tendon before: overall I'm healing well and both my doctor and physiotherapist are happy with the tendon. I'm 11.5wks post-rupture and can start sleeping without my walking boot (Aircast).
Last night was my first night trying it and I woke up with a lot of pain in the tendon. It subsided but when I woke up put my boot back on, I was walking with a pronounced limp from the pain.
Just wondered if this was normal? Do you think it will improve after a few nights? Or should I go back to wearing my boot at night? Any thoughts?
0 likes, 11 replies
mrjaffa1013 hj003
Posted
Hey. I'm now 9 weeks post injury. I'm guessing you didn't have surgery, like myself?
I started taking the boot off this week over night and I've been fine. Just very conscious not to move it and when I have a few times I think I have jumped with pain.
There's no reason I guess why it would just start hurting out the boot unless you're moving it, which maybe you're doing in your sleep.
Can I ask have you had the boot flattened? I know it's different at every hospital but I had mine flattened in stages but at 8 weeks it was completely flattened and was told to take it off over night, so sounds like you're a few weeks behind me.
For me, the probem is walking in the boot now it is flattened, it's just impossible as its so painful. How about yourself? I was hoping over the course of this week, as I stretched it more and more it would get better, but it doesn't seem to be.
I originally went private but have then been via the NHS for physio but because of this pain I'm in now I've made another appointment for next week with my specialist.
Are you even back at work yet?
hj003 mrjaffa1013
Posted
Thank you for your reply. In researching further, it seems that because your foot is pointed down in sleep, it has to warm up a bit when you put your foot into the boot, where it's flexed a bit more.
I started out with four wedges in my boot, but am now down to two. In another week or so, I'll take out another one I think. I haven't found it painful to remove the wedges, just feels funny at first.
I do move a lot in my sleep, so I may be tensing up my calf, which is resulting in pain. I'm going to try it for another night, making sure I warm up the tendon in the morning before putting in the boot. I don't now what I can do to help it not move at night, but we'll see!
hj003
Posted
Sorry I also meant to add that I did go non-operative. My doctor has been taking things slowly, so my tendon doesn't heal long (I'm a dancer and need lots of push off from the tendon).
Are you doing lots of calf strengthening? Ankle movement (no flexing upwards of course! But side to side, up on toes and down...)? That helped me feel stronger in my boot. I'm able to walk on my tip toes for short bursts on both crutches, but am getting so that I only need one crutch (until I get tired).
I've been off work since April 3 since I teach four year olds, and couldn't do the job in my boot. However, this has given me ample time to elevate my leg, take care of it and be diligent with my exercises I think.
erika28705 hj003
Posted
I wish I kept a better log of my progress so I remembered these things. I am a year and a month post injury and surgery.
I do remember that I felt safer with the boot on for a while even though its anoying to sleep with. I started slowly loosening the straps at night so that I had more freedom. I cant always say I was in a lot of pain, but I had the worry that if I were sleeping with out it and turn wrong, I could have some damage. I did not fully stop sleeping without it until I was starting to walk with out it.
Hope that kind of helps. Good luck,
Erika
Davo1982 hj003
Posted
Hi am 6 months post surgery and at 16 weeks I partial tore the Same achillies tendon further up got put back in the boot for 6 weeks am 5 weeks out of that boot and am walkin with a limp still am in the gym every day am in no pain but everytime I walk there is a pulling sensation but they say that's all normal I must say its a very long process so take your time am trying to strentghen my every day but there is only so much you can do it just guna take a long time
hj003 Davo1982
Posted
Oh I'm so sorry to hear that! How did you re-tear? It certainly is a fine balance between being diligent with the exercises yet being patient too!
Davo1982 hj003
Posted
I re tore it getting off the couch people don't relise how hard it is its bin 6 months and I don't feel any different than when I first came out my boot it's so slow it's a nightmare but ye have to be positive or ye will be in a bad way mentally
mortez hj003
Posted
Hi, I am sorry to hear that you are still in pain. Mine happened 1 week ago. I am on non weight bearing cast, I didn't have surgery. At night feels itchy (drives me mad!) and also feels like swallen. I understand you went private, how do you describe the difference with NHS? Were you put on the walking boots straight away? I am really struggling with the crutches as I have lots of other musculoskleton related problem. Which private clinic did you go to? I live near Oxford but I would travel anywhere.
Many thanks
mrjaffa1013 mortez
Posted
Hey Mortez. I have health insurance (Bupa) through work. A one off £50 excess payment gets me £1200 of cover. I'm in the North East. If you wanted to get cover with Bupa, you should try them. They sent me a link which I used to search for a specialist in my area and I then made an appointment.
This was after of course originally going to the hospital and having a cast put on, which incidentally, the specialist said they'd done wrong. But after getting the pot on at the hospital, I couldn't get an appointment via the NHS for 10 days with a specialist which is what made me go private. I got an appointment the next day and my ultrasound within 3 days.
Since then I haven't seen him and have just been going via the NHS for the boot and physio every two weeks. Which didn't include my physio yet, they've just been angling the boot differently. At 8 weeks though (Monday), she gave me an exercise to do where I sit on the edge of the chair and roll onto the balls of my feet. But that's it....
I'm so glad I went private, I had the pot on from the hospital for two days (which the specialist said was on wrong) and he then put a new one on. He also prescribed some injections which I had to do myself every day for the first 10 days to avoid a blood clot, which the hospital didn't do.
Its so important to see a specialist, which you'll eventually do via the NHS, but if you want to go private, and no insurance, I think my couple of appointments with him and my ultrasound where about £200.
mortez mrjaffa1013
Posted
Hi, thank you very much for your detailed reply. I am going back to hospital in 2 weeks time. They will remove the cast to check and put it back again. I am too injecting "Fragmin" for DVT prevention. I actually was seeing by a senior physiotherapis not a doctor. A consultant came to me and had a little chat (we know each other as I work there), he said luckily you don't need an operation, I said I want to be operated, bcause I thought it would make the healing process quicker, but he said even with op, I would still be on the cast for 6 weeks! I will contact the Bupa tomorrow to see if they can offer more. Are you able and allowed to drive? I have a manual car, thinking of changing it to the Auto, maybe will be able to do more! At the moment even making a cup of tea is a big challeng!
What I don't understand is, how and why did it happen?! I was just walking from one end to the other end of the room at work, not playing squash or tennis or even not walking walking fact! Although the ultrasound specialist said that I have Tendonitis.
mrjaffa1013 mortez
Posted
I did mine playing football. I play(ed) every week and it had been sore a couple of weeks previous. Thought it was better, but obviously not...
You certainly can't drive in the boot, it's too big really. I've sat in my car to test it out actually, and you need to be able to feel that you're touching the pedals, and with the boot, or even a pot, you can't. So really wouldn't be safe.
They told me when the boot comes off in about 10 days (10 weeks in total), I'll be able to drive straight away. But I'm thinking even that will be hard.