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Achilles Tendon Rupture Recovery Post Op

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injury65340
injury65340

Hello,

I had a complete rupture of my achilles tendon and had an operation to repair it in April 2014. I wore a hard cast for 5 weeks and a walker boot with wedges in it for 6 weeks (slowly removing wedges until eventually my foot no longer was at an angle). 4.5 months after surgery i was walking quite comfortably, no limp. Recovery continued fairly steadily up until 7 months after surgery. However, months 8-10 have had very limited improvement. My rehab has reached jogging at about 12kph on the treadmill (although not completely comfortably and hopping on and off a reebok step two footed (although quite lop-sided as my good tendon flexes a lot more than my injured tendon when landing). I am also able use a cross-trainer and cycle in the gym with no issues.  I would be interested to hear other people's experiences in recovering from this injury with regard to two main areas:

1) How much flex they have lost in their injured achilles? I've found that if do a soleus calf stretch (foot flat on floor trying to touch big toe and knee to wall) i can get my knee 5 cms from the wall. With my good leg, my knee touches the wall with my toe 3cm from the wall. So, i've lost about 8cm of stretch. I'm wondering what others have found and whether this will stretch any further (I'm at 10 months post op now). Also wondering if it will actually be possible to run naturally having lost so much flex.

2) Despite having done one-legged eccentric calf raises everyday for the past 5 months (and a lot of cross-training, cycling and jogging), my injured leg calf muscle is still tiny (not even 2/3 of my good leg)! This is quite baffling. Is there a point where this muscle actually comes back? Perhaps not until you can start sprinting?

0 likes, 4 replies

4 Replies

  • tim50stroud
    tim50stroud injury65340

    Posted

    65 yr old, active, left achilles rupture in sept2014, conservative treatment.

    1) No obvious loss of stretch or mobility, consultant and physios have been impressed at the range of movement. I did keep it wiggling as soon as i was out of no weight bearing in an aircast, but i think this is mostly good luck and good genes. Physio notes theres some scaring and nodules on the tendon, but nothing to worry about. Gym 3 or 4 times a week since december, but no running (I never did that) and walking about 6 miles on rough tracks at the weekend.

    2)Same calf experience :-( , regular leg curls etc but still unable to toe stand and the foot is still noticably swollen and the heel pad is still a bit numb. Am told this is expected but no explanation why the muscle recovery is so extended. The weak muscle doesnt pump lymph fluid back fromthe foot, hence swelling, and its pinching a nerve, hence the numbness. It will clear though maybe another 6 months.

    Hope thats some consolation... its a nasty injury! 

    • injury65340
      injury65340 tim50stroud

      Posted

      Thats interesting. From a couple of others i've spoken to, it seems if you have had a rupture (rather than a 'complete' rupture) you are much less likely to lose that flexibility. My dad had an achilles rupture 2 years before me and has followed a similar process to me apart from no operation. He is 60, is not a sporty person , but fortunately he has not lost any flexibility in the achilles. It flexes just as well as the uninjured leg. That calf is still small though, although he doesn't work on it anymore, so that is to be expected. I guess with a complete rupture there has to be some overlap when the two ends are stitched back together again, so loss of flex more likely.
    • tim50stroud
      tim50stroud injury65340

      Posted

      Thats probably right. I didnt get any x ray or ultrasound, just a manual grope by the consultant .. I assume it was just a partial, and if it hadnt have healed so well in the frist month, surgury was still an option...
  • odette06380
    odette06380 injury65340

    Posted

    Hi, I fully ruptured mine in april last year, walking still limpy, cannot kneel,squat, run jump hop and skip etc also noticed flexibility is much less and leg generally feels tight, I used to dance a lot so really notice the difference. Mine is naturally healed, didn't have surgery, and progress is now painfully slow.
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