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Achilles rupture - some pain during healing

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jonathan28999
jonathan28999

I had a complete ruptured Achilles during a game of football. Hospital put me in a cast for 4 weeks then a boot. After 1 week in boot, hospital removed a wedge. They did this without examining he Achilles at all. I am meant to remove a second wedge myself tomorrow. However, I have been having some pain in the area where the rupture happened and a little concerned. Is this normal? Should I still be feeling some pain there 6 weeks into the healing process? If anybody can help that would be great as struggling to get an appointment at the hospital

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  • rebekah04000
    rebekah04000 jonathan28999

    Posted

    Hey everyone! I'm about 2 months into everything and its been going well. I don't really have any pain when I'm moving around but occasionally when I sit and elevate it I'll feel it. Is this normal? Thanks!

    • rebekah04000
      rebekah04000 kurt04630

      Posted

      Yeah I still have a boot.  I am non surgical and went 4 weeks in a plaster cast and have been in the boot for almost 5 weeks now.
    • kurt04630
      kurt04630 rebekah04000

      Posted

      Mine aches aswell when it up . Prob because there is a bit of pressure against it . I wouldnt worry about it . When does the boot come off  and do you do any self physio ?
    • rebekah04000
      rebekah04000 kurt04630

      Posted

      I go back to the dr on the 19th and my therapist thinks he will take it off then.  I've been doing all of the exercises my therapist has given me to do in bewteen sessions

    • kurt04630
      kurt04630 rebekah04000

      Posted

      Good stuff .Sounds like they are looking after you . Its good that you have a therapist so early .  
    • JW11
      JW11 rebekah04000

      Posted

      Hi Rebekah, I was non-surgical and also in a cast for 4 weeks, then a boot for 7 weeks, and I'm now approaching 9 months. You shouldn't be experiencing *too* much pain at that stage, but there's bound to still be swelling and bruising that will cause some discomfort, both of which can be helped with ice and elevation, which I'm sure you already know. If you're on Instagram and interested in seeing my progress I've been posting updates (amongst sewing posts!) all the way through - you can find me @jowoods11  Wishing you a good recovery x

  • neil64709
    neil64709 jonathan28999

    Posted

    Hello All,

    Have not posted for a while. I checked and yesterday 2017-12-12 was 7 months since I ruptured achilles. I have been on tennis court for about 6 weeks (only playing Sunday morning doubles), and not chasing balls down. No pain, and everything is good.

    Still have tightness in my operated-on achilles, but it is definitely getting better every day. I still cannot do a 1 legged toe raise, but 2 legged is quite easy with no pain. I am doing at least 9 sets of 15 reps of 2 footed toe raises a  day (see alfredson's protocol), which is really helping calf development and strengthening. So 45 raises morning, afternoon and evening, wearing a trainer (not barefoot).

    Have not heard from Jonathan forever. Hope your recovery is going well !

  • christophe22284
    christophe22284 jonathan28999

    Posted

    I know this is a old discussion but I wanted to try anyway. I partially ruptured my Achilles 3 weeks ago playing volleyball. I was put in a splint at the ER for 3 days then went to the Orthopedic Dr. And was put in a boot with a single wedge and am supposed to be non weight bearing for 6 weeks. I use a knee scooter instead of crutches and its worked out OK. My question is has anyone else been put in a boot starting with only 1 wedge and not the gradual removoval of wedges and also how long should I expect swelling in the ankle and foot area? Thanks!!
    • JW11
      JW11 christophe22284

      Posted

      Hi, Christophe22284, sorry to hear about your partial rupture. I think I'm right in saying everyone here had a full rupture, so it might be hard for any of us to advise. I expect the single wedge is because it's a partial, so doesn't need as much 'help' reconnecting. As for swelling, I found it went on for a few months, but gradually reduced over that time. I also had a very skinny and red lower leg after I came out of the boot, due to muscle wastage and I'm still working on building it up even now (I'm nearly 10 months). Best advice is to be patient and listen to your body. It's a tough injury to go through and I wish you all the best with your recovery.

    • neil64709
      neil64709 christophe22284

      Posted

      Hi Christophe,

      Like JW I also had full rupture. Weirdly enough my brother had a partial rupture. His was very similar to you, and was also in boot with 1 wedge for 6 weeks. But his was weight bearing. My feeling is that in a snug boot, where the achilles is not moving, weight bearing is not a problem.

      2 things I recommend are 1) Take 1500mg of vitamin C every day, and maybe for a month get yourself a collegen supplement. Studies suggest that these things lead to stronger tendons.

      I am 8 months post surgery today. Have been playing tennis for the last 8 weeks, and my legs are feeling better and better. I hurt my other achilles, and still cannot do a 1 legged calf raise (either foot). I am doing a lot of Hakan Alfredson protocol exercises every day, and iam starting to see the benefit.

      My brother had a partial rupture 2.5 months ago. He stuffed around, thinking his initial injury would heal itself for 3 weeks. After no improvement, he went to doc, was put into boot (I think 2 wedges), and had immediate improvement. He can now do a painless calf raise  on either foot, which is miles ahead of me. 

      SO my feeling is that a partial tear is much better than a complete rupture, and your recovery should be much quicker.

      Good luck,

      Neil.

    • sandy29182
      sandy29182 christophe22284

      Posted

      Hi Christopher. I had a partial rupture as well. I think it really depends on the location of the rupture and the extent of the rupture. Mine was 70% at the end where the tendon connects to the calf. I did not have surgery as there were still a few strands of my tendon connected when my foot was pointing downward. It has been a long recovery. I was injured 9 1/2 months ago. I was placed into a boot with full wedges, but as my foot did not reach the bottom of the boot, the first wedge was removed. That made it much more comfortable. I was advised to not weight bear for the first 6-7 weeks. I was in boot for 8 weeks. During recovery I developed tendonitis in my other ankle due to overcompensation. Both ankles are still in recovery, but I put myself at around 85-90% repaired. Speed of recovery is long for almost everyone. But age and prior fitness and activity levels play a significant role as well. I hope this provides you with some help.  Good luck in your recovery.
  • Zack_d
    Zack_d jonathan28999

    Posted

    Hello, I know this post is old. But I see so much support and information. I recently completely ruptured my Achilles about a week and a half ago playing basketball. I knew it was torn because google literally described exactly what happened to me. Couldn’t feel my leg, literally felt 20 pounds heavier. Well luckily I was able to literally have surgery yesterday (I know really fast to get surgery.) When I woke up this morning I experienced a lot of pain and it felt like my leg was on fire. Keep in mind that I did have a nerve block which lasts for 24 hours. Do you think it was just me finally feeling the pain? Or more severe? Has anyone else have this happen to them? Anyways the pain has subsided now. And hopefully it’ll stay that way. I’ll keep more in touch with this post if people are still somewhat active. Thanks, I appreciate any input! 
  • jamie18458
    jamie18458 jonathan28999

    Posted

    Hi, I'm not sure if this thread is still active, but it was very useful hearing everybody's different experiences.

    I had a full rupture of my achilles 3 weeks ago playing Badminton. As others have described, it felt like someone hitting me in the back of the leg with a racket. I went to A+E and was put in a temporary cast. Then the next day I saw the consultant at the hospital, who confirmed the diagnosis and put me in a proper cast (non weight bearing) for 2 weeks, going down the non surgery option. After that I've had the boot for 1 week with 4 wedges. I'm going to have wedge removed every 2 weeks. I've been able to weight bear on the boot a reasonable amount and have had surprisingly little pain, which worries me slightly that it isn't healing, how can you tell?

    I've tried to stay active and have been to work, and even gone to London and the Netherlands for training courses.

    I've got bruising below the ankle and swelling , and still seems to be a crease from angling my foot all the time. Is this normal?

    Somebody did tip me out of a wheelchair which jarred the boot, so I hope it's OK!

    Has anybody else had little pain and how can you tell if it's OK or not?

    • JW11
      JW11 jamie18458

      Posted

      Hi Jame, sorry to hear you've suffered the same injury - you've done yours the same as me, playing badminton! I was non-surgery too, had a cast for four weeks, then a boot for a further seven weeks, starting on three wedges. It's interesting how different areas follow different protocols and timescales (I'm in Norfolk). I didn't really have a lot of pain throughout, unless I didn't have it elevated enough, then it'd swell and be pretty uncomfortable. The bruising is normal and takes ages to go away! The crease/indentation/lump is normal too - it'll go eventually. But the only way to tell if it's okay is to get it checked by a Doctor. I can't imagine falling out of the wheelchair will have done any harm if you were wearing the boot at the time - it should've protected your ankle. It's good that you're weight-bearing and staying active. I was advised not to weight-bear too much, which has certainly had a detrimental effect on my recovery, and I wasn't told to start gentle and careful ROM exercises while I was in the boot stage, which I've since learned is supposed to be helpful. I'm now nearly 15 months post-rupture and still have a lot of tightness in my ankle and it can be quite sore at times, especially if I've been walking on rough ground. Oh and my calf is still very atrophied, despite doing calf raises and stretches every day! It's a long-haul recovery and I wish you all the best with yours. 

    • jamie18458
      jamie18458 JW11

      Posted

      Hi JW11,

      Thanks for your reply, it's good to get reassurance from others! If is strange how everybody's treatment is different. Fingers crossed it works! I think I'm supposed to start some exercise before my boot comes off, but not yet. I seem to be able to weight bear on it quite well, so I'll check with the doctor that that is OK.

      I hope yours improves soon, good luck.

      Thanks again.

    • neil64709
      neil64709 jamie18458

      Posted

      Hi Jamie. Sorry for your injury.

      After I ruptured my achilles I went the surgical route. It was on May 12th 2017. I am fine. I do everything I did before with no side effects.. I have no pain, no flare ups, etc etc. I am in gym 4 times a week and normally play tennis twice a week. Achilles on injured leg is still undeveloped.

      The best person to hear from would be Jonathan as he had both the non-surgical and the surgery done.  

      All the best,

      Neil.

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