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post surgery ruptured achilles tendon

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james00723
james00723

Thought i would start a new discussion. Tore my right achilles nearly 3 weeks ago now. Had the operation about 10 days after rupture. I am in my late twenties and it came as a bit of a shock if im honest. I go to the gym regularly and exercise with weights frequently.

Anyway, had the op and im in no pain and have no swelling. I was expecting a lot of pain but nothing. The most discomfort i have is when i have to get up to use my crutches, as after about 15 mins being stood up i can feel the calf start to swell a bit. I am told i am in this cast for another week and then they will change the angle of my foot for another cast. Looking forward to getting back to driving and the gym. Feel free to post your own stage of progress and any tips smile

3 likes, 128 replies

128 Replies

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  • james00723
    james00723

    Posted

    so i am just over 14 weeks post op and 2 weeks into physio. i am nearly back up to normal walking speed and working hard to stretch the achilles and strengthen that and my calf.

    things i still get:

    moderate swelling at the end of each day from being on my feet.

    the odd dull ache in my achilles.

    stiff metertarsal tendons on the front of my foot.

    i am doing calf raises and1 leg assisted squats though.

    one piece of advice i would give anyone is to get a good physio and set aside some money. the massages and work i am doing with mine has helped so much. NHS would not even touch my leg and looking back at the appointment it was a waste of time. you could just google everything that they told me.

     

  • james00723
    james00723

    Posted

    2 further more weeks into rehab now. Heres how my achilles is holding up. no pain at all, but it is quite stiff. i am stretching it around 10 times a day and doing calf raises, both seated and standing.

    I have it massaged by a physio twice a week and the swelling is going down. when i walk about i still have a slight limp, but it does become noticable after an hour or two on my feet so i have to rest again. that is just fluid building up on my heel though which gives me a bit of pain to walk on sometimes.

    i have stiff metatarsals on the front of my foot which is normal and they are loosening up every day. i have started squatting my own bodyweight and doing some assisted leg exercises at the gym to build up my leg strength again.

    driving etc is no problem now and i hope (not tempting anything here) i am on the firm road to recovery.

    i shall post again in a few weeks with how my rehab is going. all the best folks

  • james00723
    james00723

    Posted

    Hey folks, 

    Here is how the recovery is going. 4 weeks out of the boot after 8 weeks in the boot after an operation.

    i have seen a private physio 10 times now. they massage the calf and the achilles. i find that all the welling has pretty much gone down. as the day goes on i get a bit of a limp. nearly full range of movement back in the achilles, but i have put lots of effort into recovery.

    i have been doing swimming (operated leg tires much quicker than other leg) and this allowed me to do single leg calf raises on the operated side. 

    I can squat and do other leg exercises in the gym now without much stiffness.

    If i was going to give any advice it would be to push for the operation and then get private physio.

    Will do another update in about a month. Light is at the end of the tunnel and i would say i have 75% completed rehab. no jumping yet.

    My only issue was my knee had become stiff but the physio sorted that out due to tight muscles, as it wasnt used for 3 months.

    feel free to ask questions if ive not covered anything. happy mending smile

  • taylorrae07
    taylorrae07 james00723

    Posted

    Hi James and everybody else !

    I saw this thread when I was searching for answers and thought I'd comment to ask a few things if you don't mind smile I just ruptured my Achilles and I am one week post op tomorrow . I'm just wondering how it has gone . I'm super upset as I was a semi competitive weightlifter and I can do anything now so I guess it has hit pretty hard . I have been doing upper body stuff at the moment to keep my strength up a bit . My foot gets really heavy if I've been on the crutches too long . And it feels like it's swelling most of the time . I go back for my 1st review since since in a week! Any tips or anything would be great! Thanks smile

    • james00723
      james00723 taylorrae07

      Posted

      Hello,

      I am 5 weeks out of the boot. upper body is fine and i can bench to a decent level without pain. balance on the feet when lying down is an issue. my knee muscles are tight because my quad muscle has gone really weak.

      it does come back eventually i am told. i am back squatting, but on assisted machines. i dont feel i have the strength to free squat yet. take your time with the recovery and dont rush things when you come out of a boot.

    • angela1913
      angela1913 taylorrae07

      Posted

      When you're not moving around, make sure you elevate. The swelling can be a beast and very uncomfortable. ELEVATE, ELEVATE, ELEVATE!
  • angela1913
    angela1913 james00723

    Posted

    Hello! Glad I found this, about 12 wks post surgery. Ruptured 8/18 (complete tear), surgery 9/8. Had 3 different casts over a period of 10 weeks. Still in boot and crutches. Also have a knee scooter to use when I go out, but can't stay on it long due to swelling and boot pressing into my leg. Starting 3rd week of rehab, only working on range of motion for the first month. I have a follow up tomorrow. Just started weight bearing with crutches this weekend. I'm starting to get wrist soreness from using crutches for so long. Other than that and swelling on occasion, I have no other issues. I still elevate my ankle a lot. I can sit for about an hour and a half in my boot before swelling starts again. Still not at work yet (teacher). I'm ready to walk unassisted again...and drive.
  • brian4109
    brian4109 james00723

    Posted

    I am now 30 weeks post op, most things are OK, ankle is still week as is the calf muscle, I exercise regularly but soon get fatigued (age has something to do with that at 67)still getting the odd leg cramp and swelling in the ankle region but not often, saw the ortho clinic for the last time a few weeks ago, they said the progress was good but could take another 6-12 months to get back to pre rupture stage but the probability was that I would only get back to 95%, Currently assessed as 80%, don't ask how they work out figures because I think it is guesswork or dark arts! I have been driving a manual car for about 18-19 weeks without too many probs as long as I was careful (Left Achilles Repaired) I do get the occaisional sharp pain in the outside of my ankle, was told that it was probably instability in the ankle caused by the tendon repair. I also had ulceration on the scar site caused by pressure from the first caste being creased, this ulceration has only just cleared despite weekly visits to GP for dressings and medication.

    Keep up the exercise and stretches but listen to your body, it will tell you when youve done enough, dont try to push through pain, that can lead to lasting injury.

    all the best to you

    brianj

    • brian4109
      brian4109

      Posted

      I cant spell weak, but forgot to say just like Angela, Elevation with the ankle above hip hight is essential for recovery, I saw someone who thought that it meant on a smal stool would be OK, I used a dining chair with a cushion to get as high as poss without being uncomfortable.
  • james00723
    james00723

    Posted

    just had a quick read of people commenting on here. sorry i havent been on in a while.

    a quick update on my rehab.

    came out of the boot towards end of september. paid for physio sessions to massage calf and general rehab. best thing i've done and it has certainly speeded up the process. i am usually walking without a limp.

    i am exercising and strengthening my legs and calf. they are still weaker than the other side but it is getting better everyday.

    i am doing 1 leg calf raises but only if i support about 40% of my body weight.

    the only problem worth noting for me is knee tendonitis. this was due to wearing the boot for so long. it sometimes gets really painful, especially if i turn quick. however, most of the time i do not notice it and massage it with ultrasound at the physio. there really is light at the end of the tunnel.

    horrible injury but i am nearly there

  • james00723
    james00723

    Posted

    its been a long 7 months but i am pleased to say i am finally able to do a single leg calf raise now on my injured side. its not as high as the other but i know im about 90% there now.

    one thing i would say is get to a good physio as soon as you can. i did twice a week for 6 weeks and still see him ocassionally now.

    i have knee tendonitus but i only notice it when i squat. my right leg is still weaker than my left, but i am in the gym training them both.

    i might do one more post in a month or so but i am soon going to 'discharge' myself from this site :D

    • jacob81492
      jacob81492 james00723

      Posted

      Hi James

      Glad everything is going well. Just wanted some advice (and reassurance hopefully)

      I ruptured my achillies tendon playing tennis on Oct 4th 2015, I went for conservative treatment because I had never had surgery before so was a little scared, plus was told that it could heal naturally. Anyway, came out of the boot after 9 weeks and starting walking in normal shoes, at week 10 I was in the kitchen and suddenly it went again. I head the awful 'snap' and was devastated - espcailly as it was just before Christmas and I thought I was on the road to recovery.

      Had surgery two days later (on 16th December), was back in a cast for two weeks and now in the boot. It has now been 6 weeks since surgery and I get to sleep (only) wth the boot off from tonight. Boot due to come off for good on 16th Feb (9 weeks) and then hopefully drive from 8th March (12 weeks). This week I have started to FWB with the boot and crutches 

      Does this timeline/progress sound ok? Its great to get feedback from someone who has recently been through it all. The re-rupture was horrible but in a way im glad because it made me get surgery, which in the long run might be best....

       

    • james00723
      james00723 jacob81492

      Posted

      Hi mate, Yes that timeline sounds fine. It takes between 8-12 weeks for it to heal. Depending on how good the graft was etc.

      Providing you do your rehab it will heal well. My only tip would be to see a physio twice a week at least. Mine did some great massages on it and my calf and it helped no end. I can do a single leg calf raise now and that was just before my 7 month mark.

      In all honesty I was driving 2 days out from the boot. It felt fine when i applied the break.

      I get the odd bit of pain in mine now and again when i ahve walked 15+km a day but nothing a bit of rest doesnt sort.

      Follow the instructions. They have a degree for a reason :D happy healing

    • jacob81492
      jacob81492 james00723

      Posted

      Thanks for the feedback and advice, so does the massaging make a big difference? Last week I was walking on my crutches and they slipped on the floor (it had been raining), I ended up putting all my weight on the toes of my bad foot and really felt a stretch at the back of the foot. Thought I had done some serious damage but dont think it had ruptured again, think I just over stetched it for a second. It was very scary though, just hope I havent done anything to delay the healing process

      So did you start driving a couple of days after week 9? I havent driven since Oct 4th and desperate to get behind the wheel again. I also need my car throughout the day so not driving has been a massive problem for me and my boss. I was told not to drive until week 12 - were you told the same? I dont want to rush anything but I would love to start driving again as soon as possible.

      Also, when did you start dorsiflexion movement of the ankle?

      Thanks again

    • james00723
      james00723 jacob81492

      Posted

      es it does as your foot will be stiff from all the scar tissue built up. get it massaged out. i had a similar episode and they said unless i have pain in my achilles it will be fine.

      i didnt have the boot off until week 12. 4 weeks cast. 4 wedges and 1 removed every 2 weeks for 8 weeks.

      i was driving 2-3 days after week 12. i did very slight movements whilst washing it from about week 6. nothing major but just a tiny bit of movement.

      when it comes off properly and you are walking on it that will be the best way to loosen it up. get yourself a good physio and save some money up for it. best advice possible i think

    • jacob81492
      jacob81492 james00723

      Posted

      Thanks James, very helpful. I will wait until week 12 before attempting to drive and take the doctors/physios advice. 

      Now at week 8 and it feels ok, I remove the boot in the evening and when I go to bed (but where it for any weight bearing). Boot should come off at week 9 and the have another 3 weeks of strengthening before driving

      Will definitely look into getting a good physio. Have been moving my ankle slightly and can feel the tendon moving. Just so worried about it going again, but having now had surgery im hoping that it will be strong enough

    • james00723
      james00723

      Posted

      Last post i think folks. tendon has healed well. i continue to have physio. i can do a mediocre calf raise on the repaired side. nothing amazing yet but i am getting a lot more push off power now and have a calf muscle which is about 3/4 size of my other one.

      i continue to work them in the gym. i cant really run yet. not that i do anyway.

      i still have knee tendonitus that comes and goes.

      happy with how its gone. i would say i am now 95% back to pre injury minus being able to run etc but i think that is more down to my knee.

      this is me over and out now. happy reading this post guys and i hope it has been informative for those who needed it.

      thanks

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