Ruptured Achilles Tendon

Training Injuries
1

I ruptured my achilles tendon five weeks ago playing tennis. All these years playing ice hockey, weight training, doing plyometrics and I end up fully rupturing the tendon playing tennis of all things! I recall a popping sound during the actual rupture, and it felt like someone kicked me in the back of the calf.

There was absolutely no dorsi/plantar flexion in the ankle, which made the drive home all the more difficult since I was driving a manual stick shift, and could not even compress the clutch at the time.

Anyway, after doing some research of my own, I decided to have surgery to repair the ruptured tendon four weeks ago. There is a 15 to 20 percent chance of re-rupture without surgery. I have been on a cast and crutches for the past five weeks, and will finally be on a walking cast in the next few days. I will probably be required to remain on the walking cast for the next 3 to 4 weeks. I have started doing upper body exercises during the past week, but my physio therapist said any lower body exercises are out of the question for next 3 to 4 months. ( I’m currently doing PT two times a week )

Just wondering if anyone else has experienced a ruptured achilles tendon, and how long the road to recovery was before they were able to train again fully without pain or discomfort?

Cheers.

2

i’m not sure.

when you get your cast off (just need a walking cast for walking) as your physio about what exercises you can do to help your range of motion. the achilles is fairly crucial for ankle dorsiflexion and ankle dorsiflexion is fairly crucial for squatting and stuff. i’ve heard that it is important to do the stretching / massage stuff as early as possible (without reinjuring) so that things heal in a functional way. i’m currently trying to regain ankle dorsiflexion on injuries that are over 5 years old that i didn’t work hard to rehab properly around the time they recurred. progress is so slow and i’m really kicking myself that i didn’t do more at the time.

luck.