Achillies Tendon Surgery Pain Getting Worse 2 Weeks Post-Op?
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Hey all, my name is Ryan and I'm 31yo male. I ruptured my achillies on 10/5/17 and had surgery to repair it on 10/12/17. My surgeon said the repair went "perfectly". A few days after surgery I had pain (as expected) but then it began to feel great. I saw my surgeon 1 week post-op and he said that my swelling had gone down 100% (which I guess is rare only 1 week post-op) and that the incision site looked great, no swelling no infections, ect. Now I'm at 2 weeks post-op and out of the blue the last few nights have been experiencing excruciating pain, mostly and intense burning, but also intense heal pain. Last night the pain got so severe that I didn't sleep once the entire night. It's weird to me that I had almost no pain for 10 days and now the pain has all-the-sudden come on. I have been extremely cautious not to put any weight on my foot at all. Since my surgery I've only left the house a couple times, mostly to go to the doctor for follow-up. Where is this pain coming from out of the blue? Are the nerves regenerating? Is the tendon starting to "fuse" back together which is putting pressure on my heal? Thanks!!
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Sks1982 Bendine2
Posted
I done mine last year and went through the same.
It sounds similar and just part of the recovery process I’m afraid (as long as you haven’t Weight bared or done some to it).
You will get good and bad days unfortunately.... I would say just keep active and do basic movement ie leg raises and toes clenches etc. Main advise would be not to rush anything at all as it is a long process to heal. I still feel a twinge here and there and for me it has now been 18 months.
Patience is the key!!! Good luck!!!
Bendine2
Posted
Thanks for the advice. Pain doesn't normally bother me too much. I have a pretty high tolerance to it. I was somewhat confused by the initial lack of pain followed by the onset of intense pain 10 days post-op. I would have thought the pattern would have been reversed (more pain initially followed by improvement). I have been really careful, although I must confess that one time when going to the restroom my crutch slipped slightly and I tweaked my foot. Nothing severe but it had me worried that I may have re-damaged it. Following that day I had no pain at all, no swelling, everything seemed normal so I don't believe I re-damaged the tendon. My surgeon said the sutures are "very strong and so a slight tweak shouldn't be an issue". How would they know if there was any damage to the tendon? Would an MRI be the only way to tell? Also, any idea why the pain I've been experiencing only happens like clockwork at nighttime (I experience almost no pain during the day)?
Sks1982 Bendine2
Posted
Yes the only way would be an MRI otherwise it would almost always be speculation especially at such an early stage.
The nights tend to be worse as your leg becomes stationary- this happened to me too, nights were difficult. I would suggest whenever you are sitting and sleeping to always elevate your leg.... I was almost always doing this for the first 6-8 weeks.
DVT (blood clot) is always a serious risk for this type of injury so always try to keep your leg elevated where possible (I’m presuming you are off sick as I was off for 4 months) and always keep your toes moving and increase movement as you progress....