This is many years further on, but I am in a place where all of the doctors want to go surgical. I decided not to and so am on my own. Your videos are most helpful. I am in week 5. Thank you so much!
Thank you so much for the videos Agnes. I am on my 8th week and ı am following your videos from the beginning. They were so helpful for me. Thanks a lot. Take care.
Today is March 19, 2017. I ruptured my Achilles playing tennis February 8, 2017. About 9 days ago (~4 weeks after injury occured), I felt my Achilles reattach which was big news. Two days ago (3/15/17 ~5 weeks) I started working on light stretching and very very light workout to strengthen my calf muscle without my cam walking boot. I have been doing lots of icing and messaging as well to reduce the swelling and to promote better blood circulation around the Achilles. It hasn't been easy working it out my calf muscle as it is literally jelly. May 2, 2017 is my next doctors appointment where he will check on the status of my Achilles and there he will arrange PT. I am trying to get a small ahead start on the light light workout to bring back strength in my calf muscle. TBH, I am so happy to take the non-operative route because I did not watch to go under then knife and risk surgical complications. Thanks for the inspiration and tips you have provided.
Looks like you are doing well in your recovery so far! I know what you mean about trying to avoid surgery complications. That was also my motivation for going non-op. It's amazing how the body can heal on its own when following proper protocol of recovery. Btw, with the exercises you are doing, just make sure not to stretch your foot past neutral. With non-ops in the initial stage it is important not to stretch your achilles as you would risk healing long, which would prevent having full strength back. Is there a reason you cannot see a PT earlier? PT would be the best guide to give exercises that are appropriate for each stage depending on individual's progress.
Thank you so much for posting your videos Agnes! they have been very much appreciated as I fully ruptured my Achilles 6 weeks ago. I started range of motion exercises about two weeks ago when I came out of the cast and slowly can see improvements everyday. I am also able to place more weight on my foot without pain every few days. I am almost transitioning to one crutch after about 6 and a half weeks. Fingers crossed I can do full weight bearing soon. I definitely found i need to concentrate and take shorter steps in order to walk without a limp.
Thanks for sharing ur recovery journey. I'm at week 2 surgical treatment... I'm just wondering, what video should come next after #4 week 6-7?! Cant seems to find it?
Sou brasileiro, rompi o tendão de aquiles em 8/8/2018, fiz cirurgia com corte de apenas 2cm, estou em recuperação há 29 dias, gostei de seus videos, fico feliz com sua recuperação, e desejo felicidades...
Congratulations Agnes on your recovery. Just wanted to say thank you very much. I've learnt a lot from your videos, I also went non-op and on my 3rd week. Just got the cam boot today, which I'm so happy because its much lighter than the cast.
Hi Agnes, Thank you so much for your videoes. They have really helped me with my recovery. I have been six weeks since my rupture (entering week 7). I am almost FWB now with no pain. I have been using a PEMF machine which has helped my healing as I am 63. My goal is to get back to golf and running sometime in the future. When did you start massage therapy? My doc was dead set against any massage therapy or PT until the boot comes off.
Robert, I checked my blog and I started my physical therapy at week 7. In that session the physical therapist massaged my calf after doing all the required measurements of my foot. As far as I remember some sort of massage was always part of my physical therapy sessions. It looks like I went to massage therapist at week 14 as I say in my blog that's when I got the referral to go to one. I made sure I went to massage therapist that knew sports injuries. My first appointment was not a good experience, as the massage therapist actually aggravated my tendon. I changed massage therapist and found few that were excellent and helped with my healing. I would say talk to your doctor and find out why the wait. There might be a valid reason as every rupture is different. However, if you do not hear a valid reason maybe it is worth it to check with another doc. Please note that many doctors use different protocols unfortunately....
Thanks Agnes. My therapist is well versed with sports injuries and was thinking that very minimal massage would be beneficial to stimulate blood flow. Again I would like to thank you for your very detailed blog. I find myself very close to your timeline in healing. I will continue to consult your blog during my journey.
Thank you so much for the information regarding the shoe lifter. Great idea!! I had my second PT session today, guessing I will not even be thinking of wearing my heals or my boots for the rest of the winter!! I developed a heel spur in the injured foot....ugh!! Still non weight bearing. I think I've been in the house too long😳 snow and ice!!! I see my Physician on the 27th and see what she recommends. I know it's a slow process and it's a day at a time....
Hang in there, this will pass as well! It might feel now like a forever, but once you do start partial weight bearing, things will improve and go slightly faster as there will be more work to do on that injured leg. For now try to enjoy the forced slow down in life! Happy healing! :)
hi. iam at 7 weeks after snapping my Achilles tendon. ive been watching your video which has been very helpful. I can walk now without crutches. but very uneven walking. so I have just ordered my even up shoe balancer from ebay. so hopefully it will really help. live in uk. thanks for you videos so far. been very helpful. lou
EvenUp should definitely help you with walking easier and your hips will thank you too. Good luck with re-learning a proper gait! Slowing down and making small steps, each with proper gait is the key.
I'm currently recovering from a similar injury and had also taken the non-surgical approach. Thanks for sharing your experience on recovery. How long after you have returned to full weight bearing that you began to drive again?
I am at week 5. Where did you get the shoe lift for you other foot? Full tear Nov.9 slipped on wet leaves. No surgery. PT doing slight weight on injured left leg. I'm 66. I'm guessing it's a long slow recovery...
@daryle532 - Sorry about your rupture. Yes this injury has a long recovery time, unfortunately, but thankfully time passes quicker as the recovery progresses! I got the shoe lift on amazon: www.amazon.com/ProCare-Evenup-Shoe-Balancer-Medium/dp/B00YBP7N9Q?th=1 It has been really helpful with walking normally when I was in the boot. It helps a lot from the moment you are partial weight bearing. I believe it helped me with quicker transitioning to full weight bearing and I had no hip/knees/back issues because of uneven walking.
hi agnes , i just came across you videos, im going through3 week postop achilles rupture, i justa wanna know how yo make those polyethylene foam platforms for your ankle , it was just your imagination or you get the model from somewhere or somebody else. i will be needing one of those in a few week when i go into the boot , tight now in in a hard cast. nice to know you fully recover from yout ATR.
I'm at week 86 since the surgery and the tendon still swells after I walk like a mile. Still tense in the morning. Still have naggy discomfort with some pain. Any exercise that you would suggest?
Maybe therapy? I’m on my first week with the boot but possibly therapy may help, try contacting the doctor for mire help in the matter, just a friendly suggestion.
Hi Agnes. Next week, I will have my cast removed and the Dr told me I would on a boot and will start weihht bearing. Did it hurt when you started to walk? Were your nervous?
Hi Bball930, I was more excited to start to walk in the boot than nervous and nope, I did not have pain when I started with partial weight bearing and initial full weight bearing in the boot. Then when I started walking much more the heel pain started. I was more nervous to start walking in the shoe with no boot on! You will be fine, just listen to your body. You might need to elevate more after walking if you have swelling. Start with the help of the crutches and see what your leg can tolerate. I am sure your doc will have some instructions. Enjoy this new chapter of your recovery!
Was there anything that could have been done to prevent the sciatica? I have previously has surgery on a disc and that re-ocurring during ATR recovery is worrying me! Great video
No idea Barry. My problem is that we are not able to locate the nerve impingement. It is either in the hamstring or in the lumbar region. Another theory is that my intense glutes work in rehab left my lower abs weaker in comparison, so I am now doing lots of specific lower abs work to re-balance. Basically no clear answer from my situation that might be helpful. Your situation might be easier since you know which discs were impacted by the surgery. I would just talk to your doc and PT and make sure you address that region of your back in recovery as well. ATR recovery being so long creates lots of imbalance in the body, unfortunately and unexpected things pop up. Hopefully your back is something you will not have to worry about though!
Hi Agnes, when you started full weight bearing, did you just walk like you would normally walk or did you change technique for the boot. I've read elsewhere that you're meant to start with the heel and then thrust onto the shin to make sure you roll the boot. Did you do this or did you just walk like you normally would? Reason I ask is when I try and walk normally, I do feel the tendon pain so it doesn't seem right. It could also be because I'm only just finishing week 4 so maybe it needs another week or two of healing before I can walk with full weight.
I was trying to do heel to toe movement from the beginning. I do not remember consciously pushing with my shin though. I was just rolling my weight forward after touching with the heel. To do so initially I had to walk slowly and take small steps. That meant thinking about walking all the time to train your mind and body. You eventually get used to it, but initially it makes it for really slow movement. I used EvenUp which helped me a lot with smoother walking. I remember I got discomfort (read pain) in my heel after I started walking more in the boot. I was advised by my doc and pt to add back one wedge and/or a heel lift (I was given a silicon one by my doc). That helped with the discomfort and allowed to walk more. Maybe try to gently self massage top of your calf a bit to see if you have any trigger points. It might be the muscle tension building up after lack of calf use. Tensed up calf can cause tendon pain. That was something that was showing up for me a lot once I started walking in the shoes.
Thanks, I finally managed to start FWB today after some help from my physio. The other question I wanted to ask was when did you start getting soft tissue massages from your physio? Did you wait until you were out of the boot?
My physio was doing massage from the beginning. Hand massages plus Graston tool messages for scar tissue. There was no correlation to having the boot or not. Good luck with further fwb.
Hi Agnes. Just another question. How many times per day were you asked to do these new exercises? ie the soccer ball and towel exercises. Did you do them as part of your 5 minutes every hour or was it just once a day?
Hi SJ, as far as I remember, these were done 1 or 2 times a day as they were given to me by my physical therapist. The range of motion exercises specifically were once an hr as per protocol.
Great information on the video although there was one thing i wasn't sure about - maybe you covered it in another video. I am 5 1/2 weeks into my tendon rupture (complete tear) and no one really describes how to slowly come off the heel inserts. I just started the same thing with my crutches (noticing I didn't need them) and can now do FWB on my leg and foot. I still have one insert in but find it uncomfortable and will likely take it out. It seems this is pretty much up to the person's discretion. My healing is going really well and one of the videos I saw online also included how to pinch massage the tendon. This is also very good for healing.
Glad to hear your healing is going well. Keep it up. As far as wedges, it should be in your protocol when to remove them. Your doc/PT should also be adjusting it based on your progress. For non-ops that can be a bit slower as you do not want to go to neutral too soon (non-ops have a slightly bigger chance of healing long if tendon is overstretched too soon). When I was FWB I still had one wedge plus silicon pad in. Evenup on the other foot was making walking comfortable. I think my blog describes the angles vs. weeks bit better. Then, when I went into shoes I was still having inserts in them to ensure that the tendon is not stretched out.
My boot doesn't have heel inserts but has a hinge that I change the degrees like a heel lift. After week 6 my protocol says my foot should be at neutral.
Do not worry, the pains in different part of your leg are normal and everyone experiences them at different times and slightly differently during this recovery. That's quite normal. Good luck with your walking and be patient.
You will get there Joe. Just keep trying to walk with no limp not to develop a bad habit. I had to think about every step for a long time in order not to limp. It will happen with lots of thoughtful walking.
Thank you for all videos. Im now 7 weeks after surgery of atr. I have range of movements in my foot nearly like you. Can i answer what kind of exercises did you do in week 8-10. I walk not so good whitout cruches. But i have 94 kg and 186 cm - for that im more carefuly. Thanks for all information.
Hi Peter, in week 8-10 I was still wearing the boot, so I continued doing the same exercises with the ball and towel as in week 6-7, but my PT also added some more ankle exercises to them. I do not have video for them, but I have photos for them in my 8-10 blog entry at: achillesblog.com/agnesatr/2016/08/16/week-8-9/ . I also started doing toega (photos are also in that blog entry) to work on my feet to get them ready for walking in shoes in the following weeks. Btw, these toega exercises are good even now, when I am at the end of month 8. I still do them occasionally when I feel my feet are stiff from PT or exercises. Hope your recovery continues going well! You will get there with your walk as your muscles get used to the walking motion again. EvenUp platform helped me a lot with the even walk in the boot. Good luck!
I had a full rupture. I used Twaddle protocol, which you can find at: www.sportsmed.net.nz/foot_and_ankle and click on Achilles Tendon Rupture on the left.
Todd, we got it many years back and I cannot recall where exactly we got it. It is WaterRower brand and I just checked and see they sell it on amazon and on their site as well.
I was in neutral, however due to heel pain my doc and PT suggested to add back 1 wedge. I also added silicon pad on top of the wedge, so was not really in neutral per se. Then I removed the wedge, but always had the silicon pad in the boot and then later in the shoe. I went to true neutral in shoe after month 6.
my Dr told to take all wedges out at 6 weeks. so iam neutral already walking. and its ok. still in my boot 24/7. so each Dr advices different. iam in the uk.
I had a boot whose angle was adjustable, so had no wedges in my initial weeks (but the boot angle was placing my foot in angles like the wedges would). In week 6 my boot was adjusted to neutral and 1 wedge was inserted. I was supposed to remove that wedge in week 7, but that was causing me heel pain after walking for 2-3 hrs, so my PT recommended to put the wedge back in and that was helping.
Hello Agnes , is it possible to get in contact with you with e mail or social network ( FB ) , I d like to ask you some questions about your recovery ? Thanks a lot
6 weeks is still very early on. I hope you mean walking in the boot. Just take small steps and try to roll your foot from heel to toe. Being slow and thinking about every step is very important. Use crutches as per your doctor's and physical therapist instructions. Good luck!
This is many years further on, but I am in a place where all of the doctors want to go surgical. I decided not to and so am on my own. Your videos are most helpful. I am in week 5. Thank you so much!
By the way....5 minutes ROM every hour! Ouch! It takes me about 20 minutes to get the boot off and on lol!
Thank you so much for the videos Agnes. I am on my 8th week and ı am following your videos from the beginning. They were so helpful for me. Thanks a lot. Take care.
Glad the videos helped Deniz. Good luck with your recovery!
Today is March 19, 2017. I ruptured my Achilles playing tennis February 8, 2017. About 9 days ago (~4 weeks after injury occured), I felt my Achilles reattach which was big news. Two days ago (3/15/17 ~5 weeks) I started working on light stretching and very very light workout to strengthen my calf muscle without my cam walking boot. I have been doing lots of icing and messaging as well to reduce the swelling and to promote better blood circulation around the Achilles. It hasn't been easy working it out my calf muscle as it is literally jelly. May 2, 2017 is my next doctors appointment where he will check on the status of my Achilles and there he will arrange PT. I am trying to get a small ahead start on the light light workout to bring back strength in my calf muscle. TBH, I am so happy to take the non-operative route because I did not watch to go under then knife and risk surgical complications. Thanks for the inspiration and tips you have provided.
Looks like you are doing well in your recovery so far! I know what you mean about trying to avoid surgery complications. That was also my motivation for going non-op. It's amazing how the body can heal on its own when following proper protocol of recovery. Btw, with the exercises you are doing, just make sure not to stretch your foot past neutral. With non-ops in the initial stage it is important not to stretch your achilles as you would risk healing long, which would prevent having full strength back. Is there a reason you cannot see a PT earlier? PT would be the best guide to give exercises that are appropriate for each stage depending on individual's progress.
use heat if you want better circulation. ice makes things worse.
Thank you so much for posting your videos Agnes! they have been very much appreciated as I fully ruptured my Achilles 6 weeks ago. I started range of motion exercises about two weeks ago when I came out of the cast and slowly can see improvements everyday. I am also able to place more weight on my foot without pain every few days. I am almost transitioning to one crutch after about 6 and a half weeks. Fingers crossed I can do full weight bearing soon. I definitely found i need to concentrate and take shorter steps in order to walk without a limp.
Great going! Good luck with transitioning FWB and then shoes!
You are really inspiring to me Ms. Agnes🙏🙏
Thanks for sharing ur recovery journey. I'm at week 2 surgical treatment... I'm just wondering, what video should come next after #4 week 6-7?! Cant seems to find it?
hi thanks for the videos, i watched them after i had snapped mine two years, awful injury isnt it, not being able to walk for 6 weeks and the recovery
Sou brasileiro, rompi o tendão de aquiles em 8/8/2018, fiz cirurgia com corte de apenas 2cm, estou em recuperação há 29 dias, gostei de seus videos, fico feliz com sua recuperação, e desejo felicidades...
I love your videos, thanks for posting. Have you recovered fully by now.
Yep, fully recovered.
Congratulations Agnes on your recovery. Just wanted to say thank you very much. I've learnt a lot from your videos, I also went non-op and on my 3rd week. Just got the cam boot today, which I'm so happy because its much lighter than the cast.
Best of luck with your recovery John!
@@KIMJOHND 8o
Hi Agnes, Thank you so much for your videoes. They have really helped me with my recovery. I have been six weeks since my rupture (entering week 7). I am almost FWB now with no pain. I have been using a PEMF machine which has helped my healing as I am 63. My goal is to get back to golf and running sometime in the future. When did you start massage therapy? My doc was dead set against any massage therapy or PT until the boot comes off.
Robert, I checked my blog and I started my physical therapy at week 7. In that session the physical therapist massaged my calf after doing all the required measurements of my foot. As far as I remember some sort of massage was always part of my physical therapy sessions.
It looks like I went to massage therapist at week 14 as I say in my blog that's when I got the referral to go to one. I made sure I went to massage therapist that knew sports injuries. My first appointment was not a good experience, as the massage therapist actually aggravated my tendon. I changed massage therapist and found few that were excellent and helped with my healing.
I would say talk to your doctor and find out why the wait. There might be a valid reason as every rupture is different. However, if you do not hear a valid reason maybe it is worth it to check with another doc. Please note that many doctors use different protocols unfortunately....
Thanks Agnes. My therapist is well versed with sports injuries and was thinking that very minimal massage would be beneficial to stimulate blood flow. Again I would like to thank you for your very detailed blog. I find myself very close to your timeline in healing. I will continue to consult your blog during my journey.
Glad to hear! And all the best with your recovery!
Thank you so much for the information regarding the shoe lifter. Great idea!!
I had my second PT session today, guessing I will not even be thinking of wearing my heals or my boots for the rest of the winter!! I developed a heel spur in the injured foot....ugh!! Still non weight bearing. I think I've been in the house too long😳 snow and ice!!! I see my Physician on the 27th and see what she recommends. I know it's a slow process and it's a day at a time....
Hang in there, this will pass as well! It might feel now like a forever, but once you do start partial weight bearing, things will improve and go slightly faster as there will be more work to do on that injured leg. For now try to enjoy the forced slow down in life! Happy healing! :)
hi. iam at 7 weeks after snapping my Achilles tendon. ive been watching your video which has been very helpful. I can walk now without crutches. but very uneven walking. so I have just ordered my even up shoe balancer from ebay. so hopefully it will really help. live in uk. thanks for you videos so far. been very helpful. lou
EvenUp should definitely help you with walking easier and your hips will thank you too. Good luck with re-learning a proper gait! Slowing down and making small steps, each with proper gait is the key.
Agnes S thanks for the reply. Hope get them tomorrow. Slowly slowly. 😀
I'm currently recovering from a similar injury and had also taken the non-surgical approach. Thanks for sharing your experience on recovery. How long after you have returned to full weight bearing that you began to drive again?
Congratulations. I’m very happy for you with your recovery progress. I like your accent, and you are a very pretty lady.
Thank you.
I am at week 5. Where did you get the shoe lift for you other foot? Full tear Nov.9 slipped on wet leaves. No surgery. PT doing slight weight on injured left leg. I'm 66. I'm guessing it's a long slow recovery...
@daryle532 - Sorry about your rupture. Yes this injury has a long recovery time, unfortunately, but thankfully time passes quicker as the recovery progresses! I got the shoe lift on amazon: www.amazon.com/ProCare-Evenup-Shoe-Balancer-Medium/dp/B00YBP7N9Q?th=1 It has been really helpful with walking normally when I was in the boot. It helps a lot from the moment you are partial weight bearing. I believe it helped me with quicker transitioning to full weight bearing and I had no hip/knees/back issues because of uneven walking.
hi agnes , i just came across you videos, im going through3 week postop achilles rupture, i justa wanna know how yo make those
polyethylene foam platforms for your ankle , it was just your imagination or you get the model from somewhere or somebody else. i will be needing one of those in a few week when i go into the boot , tight now in in a hard cast.
nice to know you fully recover from yout ATR.
I'm at week 86 since the surgery and the tendon still swells after I walk like a mile. Still tense in the morning. Still have naggy discomfort with some pain. Any exercise that you would suggest?
Maybe therapy? I’m on my first week with the boot but possibly therapy may help, try contacting the doctor for mire help in the matter, just a friendly suggestion.
Hi Agnes. Next week, I will have my cast removed and the Dr told me I would on a boot and will start weihht bearing. Did it hurt when you started to walk? Were your nervous?
Hi Bball930, I was more excited to start to walk in the boot than nervous and nope, I did not have pain when I started with partial weight bearing and initial full weight bearing in the boot. Then when I started walking much more the heel pain started. I was more nervous to start walking in the shoe with no boot on! You will be fine, just listen to your body. You might need to elevate more after walking if you have swelling. Start with the help of the crutches and see what your leg can tolerate. I am sure your doc will have some instructions. Enjoy this new chapter of your recovery!
According to other vids from docs, she should be using the crutch with her good leg, not her injured leg.
Was there anything that could have been done to prevent the sciatica? I have previously has surgery on a disc and that re-ocurring during ATR recovery is worrying me! Great video
No idea Barry. My problem is that we are not able to locate the nerve impingement. It is either in the hamstring or in the lumbar region. Another theory is that my intense glutes work in rehab left my lower abs weaker in comparison, so I am now doing lots of specific lower abs work to re-balance. Basically no clear answer from my situation that might be helpful. Your situation might be easier since you know which discs were impacted by the surgery. I would just talk to your doc and PT and make sure you address that region of your back in recovery as well. ATR recovery being so long creates lots of imbalance in the body, unfortunately and unexpected things pop up. Hopefully your back is something you will not have to worry about though!
Thank you Agnes!
Thank you for this I was feeling kind of sad cuz I'm not used to nothing like this
Hi Agnes, when you started full weight bearing, did you just walk like you would normally walk or did you change technique for the boot. I've read elsewhere that you're meant to start with the heel and then thrust onto the shin to make sure you roll the boot. Did you do this or did you just walk like you normally would? Reason I ask is when I try and walk normally, I do feel the tendon pain so it doesn't seem right. It could also be because I'm only just finishing week 4 so maybe it needs another week or two of healing before I can walk with full weight.
I was trying to do heel to toe movement from the beginning. I do not remember consciously pushing with my shin though. I was just rolling my weight forward after touching with the heel. To do so initially I had to walk slowly and take small steps. That meant thinking about walking all the time to train your mind and body. You eventually get used to it, but initially it makes it for really slow movement. I used EvenUp which helped me a lot with smoother walking. I remember I got discomfort (read pain) in my heel after I started walking more in the boot. I was advised by my doc and pt to add back one wedge and/or a heel lift (I was given a silicon one by my doc). That helped with the discomfort and allowed to walk more. Maybe try to gently self massage top of your calf a bit to see if you have any trigger points. It might be the muscle tension building up after lack of calf use. Tensed up calf can cause tendon pain. That was something that was showing up for me a lot once I started walking in the shoes.
Thanks, I finally managed to start FWB today after some help from my physio. The other question I wanted to ask was when did you start getting soft tissue massages from your physio? Did you wait until you were out of the boot?
My physio was doing massage from the beginning. Hand massages plus Graston tool messages for scar tissue. There was no correlation to having the boot or not. Good luck with further fwb.
Hi Agnes. Just another question. How many times per day were you asked to do these new exercises? ie the soccer ball and towel exercises. Did you do them as part of your 5 minutes every hour or was it just once a day?
Hi SJ, as far as I remember, these were done 1 or 2 times a day as they were given to me by my physical therapist. The range of motion exercises specifically were once an hr as per protocol.
Gracias bendiciones estoy pasando por lo mismo y tu video me gusto gracias por con partirlo animo si se puede
Great information on the video although there was one thing i wasn't sure about - maybe you covered it in another video. I am 5 1/2 weeks into my tendon rupture (complete tear) and no one really describes how to slowly come off the heel inserts. I just started the same thing with my crutches (noticing I didn't need them) and can now do FWB on my leg and foot. I still have one insert in but find it uncomfortable and will likely take it out. It seems this is pretty much up to the person's discretion. My healing is going really well and one of the videos I saw online also included how to pinch massage the tendon. This is also very good for healing.
Glad to hear your healing is going well. Keep it up. As far as wedges, it should be in your protocol when to remove them. Your doc/PT should also be adjusting it based on your progress. For non-ops that can be a bit slower as you do not want to go to neutral too soon (non-ops have a slightly bigger chance of healing long if tendon is overstretched too soon). When I was FWB I still had one wedge plus silicon pad in. Evenup on the other foot was making walking comfortable. I think my blog describes the angles vs. weeks bit better. Then, when I went into shoes I was still having inserts in them to ensure that the tendon is not stretched out.
My boot doesn't have heel inserts but has a hinge that I change the degrees like a heel lift. After week 6 my protocol says my foot should be at neutral.
Thank you!!
Hello, how many inches was your rupture and how many weeks have passed since you had the accident so you could walk without crutches?
My gap size was minimal as told by my doctor. I do not have the actual measurement though. I started PWB at week 6 and FWB week 7 post rupture.
Wow how lucky you were, I started with the therapies and even my ankle hurts a little when walking, thanks for answering.
Do not worry, the pains in different part of your leg are normal and everyone experiences them at different times and slightly differently during this recovery. That's quite normal. Good luck with your walking and be patient.
Good stuff! I'm fwb but I can't walk anyway near as smoothly as you.
You will get there Joe. Just keep trying to walk with no limp not to develop a bad habit. I had to think about every step for a long time in order not to limp. It will happen with lots of thoughtful walking.
Thank you for all videos. Im now 7 weeks after surgery of atr. I have range of movements in my foot nearly like you. Can i answer what kind of exercises did you do in week 8-10. I walk not so good whitout cruches. But i have 94 kg and 186 cm - for that im more carefuly. Thanks for all information.
Hi Peter, in week 8-10 I was still wearing the boot, so I continued doing the same exercises with the ball and towel as in week 6-7, but my PT also added some more ankle exercises to them. I do not have video for them, but I have photos for them in my 8-10 blog entry at: achillesblog.com/agnesatr/2016/08/16/week-8-9/ . I also started doing toega (photos are also in that blog entry) to work on my feet to get them ready for walking in shoes in the following weeks. Btw, these toega exercises are good even now, when I am at the end of month 8. I still do them occasionally when I feel my feet are stiff from PT or exercises. Hope your recovery continues going well! You will get there with your walk as your muscles get used to the walking motion again. EvenUp platform helped me a lot with the even walk in the boot. Good luck!
Off topic but the title to your book caught my eye.. Wonder what that book is about?
www.amazon.com/Death-SeaWorld-Killer-Whales-Captivity/dp/1250031257 When recovering for some reason I read a lot about whales...
Did you rapture your AT totaly or partialy ? Where can i find protocol witch you used ?
I had a full rupture. I used Twaddle protocol, which you can find at: www.sportsmed.net.nz/foot_and_ankle and click on Achilles Tendon Rupture on the left.
Hey Agnes... where can I get one of those laundry rowing machines? I couldn't find anything when doing a search.
Todd, we got it many years back and I cannot recall where exactly we got it. It is WaterRower brand and I just checked and see they sell it on amazon and on their site as well.
In one week u got big change
In that week, yes, the changes were quick, but in most weeks the changes were not that big.
when u started full weight bearing, what degree of plantar flexion were you in?
I was in neutral, however due to heel pain my doc and PT suggested to add back 1 wedge. I also added silicon pad on top of the wedge, so was not really in neutral per se. Then I removed the wedge, but always had the silicon pad in the boot and then later in the shoe. I went to true neutral in shoe after month 6.
my Dr told to take all wedges out at 6 weeks. so iam neutral already walking. and its ok. still in my boot 24/7. so each Dr advices different. iam in the uk.
Hi Agnes... at week 6 did you still have wedge in your boot?
I had a boot whose angle was adjustable, so had no wedges in my initial weeks (but the boot angle was placing my foot in angles like the wedges would). In week 6 my boot was adjusted to neutral and 1 wedge was inserted. I was supposed to remove that wedge in week 7, but that was causing me heel pain after walking for 2-3 hrs, so my PT recommended to put the wedge back in and that was helping.
Hello Agnes , is it possible to get in contact with you with e mail or social network ( FB ) , I d like to ask you some questions about your recovery ?
Thanks a lot
I got cut from glass on my tendon i am on week 6 and i still cant walk good what must i do
6 weeks is still very early on. I hope you mean walking in the boot. Just take small steps and try to roll your foot from heel to toe. Being slow and thinking about every step is very important. Use crutches as per your doctor's and physical therapist instructions. Good luck!
Ok thank you i never used walking boots but i will do what you said thank you
I’ve hurt my tendon and I have to fill weight bare after one week with a boot
Wow that's impressive my first week my foot was pointed at 20 degrees so it would be hard to walk with a pointed toe.
Week 7 and still can't walk without crutches :(
You will get there. Be patient and keep practicing!
Mira L same as you.. 8weeks from now cant still not walk😣
Oh yeah send me that shoe I need the shoe joke