re: I just tore my Achilles’ tendon

quote:

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driving foot

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Right at about two months of no driving due to the cast(s).

Also, as another poster mentioned, get a knee scooter- they are most helpful.

I had mine rupture during a basketball game....

The post surgery for first couple of weeks , unless ur taking serious pain killers will hurt. I was prescribed mepergan(sp). First 6 weeks you'll be on crutches, then next 4 or 5 weeks you'll be in a boot to walk with. While on crutches do not put any weight on your foot, you can tear it again or pop the stitches . I had to use a trash bag on my leg to shower to keep cast dry. Also, you'll have stitches from back of foot up to bottom of calf in a zig zag but not sure how they do it these days. After 3 months you'll be able to rehab it(your calf muscle will shrink). In closing, you'll have more flexibility tbh on the surgically healed Achilles then the other healthy leg. Good luck, you'll be fine, do the time....next year at this time you'll look back and be all good. take your time to rehab for a yr or two and be very selective about what u do...stay off of basketball courts or any sport that makes you have to run and cut imo...I train regularly running/jogging and weights and my A. heal is fine

The way the doctor explained my rupture was both ends look like a mop and he had to bring them together and inter-twine the Achilles in a bunch of spots and stapled the rupture back together in many spots and while it heals(no walking), the tendon will "mend" back together. Staples dissolve I guess...

Definitely trust Jimmy the Leg!

Sorry, guy, still on my first cup of coffee.

Hope you heal well and get back into sports as soon as possible.

Surgery isn't a guarantee, even with a complete rupture. The literature is pretty evenly split on the long term success of surgical versus conservative treatment.

That said, if you are in your 30s and relatively active doctor will most likely recommend surgery.

My biggest suggestion is compliance in the post op period. I repaired one a few months back on a guy who was convinced he "always healed quicker than most." He decided to start walking early without his boot. He reruptured it, and earned himself a second, and much bigger, surgery.

Lots of good and bad info in this thread, I have 3 comments/suggestions.

1) At your age take your time with the rehab and PT. Yes some professional athletes who can rehab as a full-time job come back 100% in less than a year, but that's unrealistic for most working folks.

2) Don't think that normal activities (walking without a limp) means you are 100% recovered. I was walking fine in 4-5 months and even jogging a little, but it was another 6-9 months before I recovered "relatively equal" strength in my right leg.

3) Set honest, middle-age athletic goals moving forward. Its different for everyone....I still run, lift, play low-key basketball, and semi-competitive beach volleyball. But I've given up playing sports that involve wearing cleats with a lot of hard stops, basically soccer and flag football. Also done with intense full court basketball against 20 year olds. Those sports just aren't worth the risk anymore at my age while needing to work and support a family.

This is why I stay home and drink beer instead of run around and act like I'm 17.

It's gonna be a while. You'll most likely be on crutches for 2-3 months at which point they'll probably try and make you go to PT like 9 times a week. I'm guessing it was probably like 6-12 months before I could walk without nagging discomfort.

I was mid 30s when I tore mine. Now in my 40s I've had no real issues since and I'm still very active, but I did give up a few things. Very rarely I might feel a little Achilles soreness if I'm overly active.

I would add I've spent a lot of time the past 5 years working on lower body mobility. I don't lift crazy heavy, but my squat depth is lower now than when I was younger.

I tore mine a couple of years ago playing in an alumni basketball game. It was pretty much how you described. When it first happened I thought someone stepped on the back of my foot. It wasn't super painful, but I knew right away something wasn't right. Recovery isn't too bad, just takes a while. Even to this day that foot will just cramp up on me out of the blue.

Yea, everything I am reading and hearing says a minimum of 6-9 months. PT twice a week for a good 3-4 months after surgery.