Help! Torn Achilles

I have a partially torn achilles tendon (down near the attachment point of my lower heel, you could feel a part of the tendon shifting as you rub it side to side with your finger and/or ointment.

The doctor prescribed a walking boot (with air bladder) to wear. The problem with a torn tendon healing is that it tends to shorten up overnight and/or tries to heal in a shortened form, and then the next day it's really easy to tear it because it is too short - even stretching the next day can tear what little healing has occurred.

Therefore, during the day I wear a walking boot (with a pressure bladder) to keep the heel at 90 degrees and to keep it immobilized. The item I have has an air bladder and has 5 wide velcro straps.

A friend with a similar problem got me a lightweight cast to wear overnight. The walking boot is like an electric heater strapped to your leg, I overheat really easily while wearing the walking boot. He was so concerned that he bought me a night splint (which is far easier to wear at night).

Emis Moderator comment: I have removed the links as we do not link to selling sites. If users want the details please use the private messaging service.

There are 3 types of boots - - -

1. The initial, expensive ($200-$300) heavy duty boot that goes all the way up to the knee and has 2 stiff pieces of plastic on each side and an air bladder. Mine has 5 heavy straps - 3 on the leg and 2 on over the foot. Also there is a soft piece of padded cloth that wraps over the foot and velcros, then you use the 5 straps. The 2 stiff pieces of plastic have velcro to attach to the soft piece of cloth. This is often used with a 1/2" - 1" wedge (for a fully torn or partially torn achilles) so that the heel is lifted like a high-heel with the toes pointing downwards, which shoves the tendon up in the back of the ankle, near the other part of the, so it can heal.

2. The light duty $80 overnight boot, that is a piece of plastic bent at 90 degrees, resting against the back of the ankle and underside of the foot, with one velcro strap on each side, making it look like a triangle from the side. The velcro straps can be tighened to change the angle of the plastic heel from about 100 degrees to 80 degrees.

3. The very light duty $40 overnight boot that is also a piece of plastic bent at 90 degrees, but it goes in front of the ankle and atop the foot, and your foot is attached to this plastic by soft padded velcro cloth, to keep your tendon from shortening overnight.

I have had better luck with #1 and #3 above. The item #1 is used for 4-6 weeks after injury, or the foot is otherwise immobilized and not stretched, in order to let the tendon heal. Then it can take months to get the tendon to stretch out again and regain full mobility (think 6 months).

systemBuilder, Pleased you explained about boot. My foot injury was in Jan in hospital, due to not having broken bone wasnt given treatment. It was extra painful so at home pain medication was required. After pestering for care the problem is now being looked into. A podiatrist mentioned boot to wear but as no explanation as to why or what help I refused. Thought I was being treated as elderly person and being fobbed of with invalid boot. At the moment still need pain medication, use a 3 wheel walker and hobble about in house. Have restricted upward movement of foot so unable to walk correctly which puts strain on other foot and rest of body. Am due for two more tests in December by mobile clinic. Was a suggestion

about spine but didnt agree, also MRI scan showed nothing wrong. Obviously there is so I let that pass.Recently have been able to reduce pain medication. After being very active am now semi invalid and had to pester to get help more than pain medication. All were happy to leave me housebound on pain medication. At least the injury is being looked into now.

The achilles moves with almost any movement of the foot, so a cast is what was traditionally used to help the achilles tendon heal. The boot is a type of cast, but it's a tiny bit flexible and can be removed for bathing, which is the only time it should be removed. But a cast leads to weakening of all the muscles in the leg, and other problems such as joint stiffness, lengthening recovery time. To guarantee that the torn ends of the tendon are pushed up against each other, a heel lift is used which causes the piece of tendon attached to the lower heel to be pushed up the back of your foot, against the upper, torn end of the tendon, where the fibers can reconnect.

As you know, the tendons in your body stretch out during the day (with use) and contract overnight. That is why it's especially important to keep wearing the boots overnight because any movement of your ankle might prevent the 2 broken ends of the tendon not to reconnect.

Later, after your foot has healed, it's important to keep the tendons lengthened to reduce tightening and allow the tendons to (over time) stretch out to the proper length for your foot.

As for back problems, I highly recommend a shim that clamps onto your other shoe, to keep both feet at the same level while walking with the boot. This will prevent your spine from being thrown off balance due to the mismatch in leg lengths induced by the boot.

I've had a similar injury years ago. I 'tore' my arch tendon. I later learned that the injury was due to improper stretching...I was a runner at the time. I ran on it, and there was a pop, then severe swelling. X -rays revealed that there was no damage to the bones, but it was easy to see that there was damage. A podiatrist said I had injured my tendons, and that it was likely but unable to confirm that I had torn them. The thing about tendons is that they grow back.. eventually. I was young so I healed, but it took a couple of years and physical therapy to regain full use of my arches. For the Achilles I could see why a boot might be recommended. You should wear that until it heals... at least a few weeks, then you should slowly work the foot and ankle so that you are not putting to much tension on it. Tendons grow back, but they grow back weaker. You will need to figure out what caused the tear and do whatever you can to prevent it from happening again.

Have just again reread the above two and now understand about shim ( not seen one) and arches. Nothing apart from arch support has been done for me and no explanation. Some stabbing pains lessoned but very difficult now as walking effects spine and other foot. barefoot is like treading on hot coals. Thanks systembuilder and rose77485. Just told cannot see anything wrong yet lack of full upward movement of foot and burning feeling should give some guidance.

Osborne, a boot truly is not that bad, and I have seen many people with broken bones use them. I wore a orthopedic shoe (it was a boot without ankle support) and arch support for a month after my foot injury. I was a teenager at the time. I then wore the arch supports in athletic shoes for another 4 years. It took 5 years for me to be able to walk barefoot without pain.

rose77485, Since January have been told in spite of tests later in year We cannot see anything wrong. Its unbelievable as have been in agony, aches nerve shooting pains unable to bear weight etc., strong medication. Physio wrote appears missed problem and stated what. housebound weeks. Inserts in shoe have prevented some shooting nerve pains, but other foot taking strain now. All this following fall. The lack of some upward movement of foot means something had gone wrong. Trouble is apparently misdiagnosed as sciatica...told them it wasnt. not understood sciatica nothing like this has been. I rekon it could have been sorted if sciatica hadnt been mentioned. Thanks for info about supports am much wiser now. Am elderly and some seem to think have always had foot trouble, this due to delay in treatment. If only had this information earlier but maybe not too late, fingers crossed.

I got an MRI in September and the radiologist said he could see some partial tearing of my achilles tendon. A close friend who got through this injury bought me a top-of-foot brace to wear overnight. He said ti's crucial to keep the tendon stretched overnight and I agree, as I can feel my whole leg from the lower back to the tendon is overtightend every morning and it's difficult to stand up straight and to lock my left knee.

Last night I used a boot and this morning elevated my foot, in the boot, which locked out my knee. My leg hasn't felt this limber and good in months. There is a reason why the story of "Achilles Heel" is such a famous story, it's a really debilitating injury and is almost guaranteed to happen to active people in their 40's, 50's, or later, because our bodies are changing, not because we are overdoing it.

The key with the arch/boot is to wear it for a few weeks, then increase the total stretch on your leg by either a lower heel lift or an adjustable overnight boot, and repeat, maybe 3-4 cycles of this. NEVER do any severe stretching, according to my podiatrist, use only a mild stretch and stop, to try again the next day. If it's tight, stretch it a little bit and keep doing that for a few weeks until you can stretch it a little further. Too much stretching too early will re-tear the tendon.

If you want to treat yourself, go to Amazon and check out "DORSI-LITE Foot Splint" and "Adjustable Heel Lifts, Small, Box of 6". You can start with 3x on each side, and every 2-3 weeks, take one out of you shoe. I had some urls in my earlier message but they got removed by this website.

Just looked up on google...Tendon foot. It came up with loads diagrames which makes it clear as to why foot is giving so much trouble and why it will not go flat now. Nothing to do with sciatic nerve.Bit late now as can only get shoe built up which will still cause problems walking. Also have head tremor and irregular jaw movement. must not grumble as lots worse than me.

I am looking for some info on the boot itself and post boot treatment info, my first question is, does anyone know if the wedges that are used on the boot are used for comfort reasons or as apart of the healing process? and when you go out of the boot is the heal raises that you put in your shoe important?.

Wow I am very surprised no one had to have surgery on here. I am 27 yr old American and tore my achilles playing soccer, I had to get not one but 2 surgeries because after the first one I got into a scuffle with my old roommate who tackled me and I tore it again. He is now going to jail probably , I hope. So I had to go through the surgery again and be off my foot for a month in fiber cast. I just got it off today and I am now walking in a boot. The Dr. Says it looks very good and with rehab I should be back to normal . This will be a very painful journey , but without the surgery my doc told me it wouldn't heal back. Be sure to check and make sure you don't need the surgery , because 3 months of not being able to walk is worth it in the end when you can walk normal and run again in your life. As for the boot it's an air cast with wedges in them that won't allow to 90 degrees yet. Now with the boot on my one leg does any one else find it hard to walk because your other leg doesn't have the right shoe since your so high up with the boot , and makes you walk like a zombie. I am searching for shoes with a huge sole so I can walk normal but no luck .

Hello Kezisawinner. I am wondering how your achilles tendon is feeling now. Did you follow natural healing or did you end up with surgery?  I completely ruptured my achilles tendon 5 weeks ago. At the time, I was in a regular cast due to an avulsion fracture. I was scheduled to get the cast off the following week when I fell and tore my achilles tendon. I could not even get up off the ground so an ambulance was called. The ER doc took ex-rays (without removing the cast) and no new breaks were seen so I was sent home with tramadol and instructions to call my Podiatrist the following morning. When I arrived at his office, my cast was removed. He examined my foot and ankle then informed me I had completely torn my achilles tendon and had the nurse re-cast it. He set a follow up exam for two weeks later. During that time, my heel pain never ebbed. Each time I lifted my foot the cast would bump and the pain was unbearable. I bought an aircast, removed the regular cast, and have been using the aircast ever since. When I went for my re check the doc ex-rayed my foot; and since he had been treating me pro bono for the original problem, called it good and released me with instructions to keep using the boot/aircast until I am pain free. I am still in pain and after any activity it gets worse. The swelling is ridiculous. I am wondering if it will ever be whole again.......Mary