Hi Scott, so lucky I came across your video. I just ruptured my Achilles a week ago and the doctor also gave me options of surgical and non surgical, saying pretty much the same you mentioned. I also chose non surgical and have been struggling every single day with only one leg being able to bear weight. It was really devastating to me at first cause I could hardly do any daily task. Taking shower and using toilet are huge workouts. I was so desperate in the first couple days that I was emotionally unable to do anything. But several days later my friend came by and brought me food and I gradually figured out the tricks of doing things with one leg like routine place to lean on and places to hold. I had got a little used to my disability. When watching you talking about slowing down, sitting more often and the way you did laundry, I felt so related to all of them. It really helped to know I'm not alone and people like you were doing well with recovery, which gives me a lot more confidence. Also your advice based on your own experience is of great value for people like me. Hope you are living a happy life right now and won't be bothered by such things ever again.
Hey Jiacheng, sorry to hear about your rupture, but I very much appreciate your kind words and how this video helped you. When I ruptured my achilles I did a lot of googling, reading, watching videos, but there wasn't much information at the time. So I made these videos in the hope that someone like yourself would one day find them and have their journey made just a little easier. It's nice to hear that you also realised you had to just slow down and get used to things (at first I was still trying to be efficient with my time and not let the injury slow me down), but eventually I realised that my new disability wasn't going anywhere any time soon. Even worse was the possibility of re-rupture or rupturing the other achilles! It's coming up to 5 years post-rupture for me pretty soon. Thankfully these days this injury barely bothers me - if anything my main complaint is that my affected calf muscle is still smaller than the unaffected one. But that's also my fault for not putting in the time and effort to bulk up my calf! Wishing you the best in your recovery. Keep me updated with your progress and feel free to ask if you have any questions along the way - I'll do my best to answer them :)
@@achilles_rupturewhat do you recommend on building back the calf? I’m about 8 weeks in non surgical. I’m 25 and started putting my foot in a lifted heel as soon as the injury happened. Hopefully you’re able to update , thank you!
@@ChatoHD Hey Chato, that's a tough one, to do from where you are now at 8 weeks and because I haven't been able to do it myself. As far as I know, to keep as much calf muscle as possible, the more you can keep up your exercises as prescribed the better (obviously without causing damage to the tendon and then ending up regressing instead of progressing). When you are more able to move your ankle and calf, then I think the usual body-building/weight training ideas around hypertrophy would apply. There are two muscles in the calf - the soleus and the gastrocnemius. My understanding is the soleus is activated more whilst seated and is more suited to endurance (for things like running), whilst the gastrocnemius is activated whilst standing, will provide more power and - importantly - will be more suited to bulking/hypertrophy. So I imagine that working on standing calf raises with weights - say 8-10 reps, for 3-5 sets, maybe 2-3x a week might do the trick. The calves are rather stubborn when it comes to hypertrophy in most people, though, so your mileage may vary. There are a tonne of resources on YT if you haven't watched any of the body building stuff. I personally like some of the advice given by Athlean-X or Jeff Nippard.
Hi Scott, fellow Aussie from Sydney and I've ruptured my Achilles tendon about two weeks ago. My orthopaedic recommended non-operative treatment too. I was sceptical but your videos gave me more assurance and hope. Thank you!!
Hey man, sorry to hear about your rupture, but glad to hear you have the option of proceeding without surgery! I was certainly sceptical at the start myself, but it's hard not to be when you don't even know the option exists. Glad to hear you now have more assurance - 3.5 years later, I have no regrets. The best advice I can give is to get a good physio - but I think you've probably already heard me say that a few times in my videos :) Best wishes with the recovery and let me know if you have any questions along the way!
Such an informative video, Scott. I have a couple of 5 mm tears but it was misdiagnosed and took 18 days to get into a cast. No surgery required. Meanwhile, I was doing 5000 steps on the flat each day! Very reassuring advice from you. I had an idea as soon as it happened that my summer would be quite different from what I had planned, but fortunately, I have a Zen approach to life and have stayed cheery enough. Just started week 7 but have been bereft of physio advice due to the early diagnosis of a pulled calf muscle and then the Christmas period and me visiting family for a few weeks. Took my moonboot off for the first time yesterday, which was scary, but I will start sleeping with it off next week. Just want to start on some exercises before I lose that security blanket. Thanks for your video; I'm one of 10,000 for whom it has been incredibly useful.
Hey GJ, thanks for letting me know this video has been helpful - it means a lot, truly. Sorry to hear about your rupture, but glad you have a cheery attitude towards it and you are now getting the actual healthcare you need. Getting the boot off is great and scary at the same time, isn't it? At least, that's how I felt, and even when I was sleeping without the boot, I would put it on in the middle of the night if I needed to, say, go to the bathroom. Wishing you the best in the recovery ahead and let me know how things go!
Many thanks Argie, you're exactly the kind of person who I was hoping to reach. Sorry to hear you have recently ruptured, but the long term prognosis is usually good. Keep up the exercises and you'll see yourself improving week by week :)
Really great video. Currently in week 4 of my torn right achilies recovery. The crazy thing is I tore the left achilies 5 years ago, so I definitely relate to what you said about slowing down and not putting to much pressure on the uninjured foot. Considering my left is uninjured now but has previously also had a torn achilies, I’m very weary about putting to much strain on it. Easier said than done, but from my experience 5 years ago and now, a torn achilies can really teach you patience and appreciation for the small everyday things like showering and washing dishes/clothes etc that we take for granted. Hope your doing well now and have had no further issues since🙏🏿
Hey Dan, really sorry to hear about your second rupture. I really never want to experience that process again and so it always hits me hard when I hear that someone has ruptured an achilles again later in time. That said, thank you for your kind words. Totally agreed that it does teach you patience and taking things easy. A guy I know locally recently ruptured his achilles and I bumped into him the other day with his moon boot and crutches and back pack. He said "I'm now the back pack guy... I just need to carry this back pack with me everywhere!" It gave me a laugh but also a reminder that we take certain things for granted, like the ability to carry objects or have quick access to our pockets. In any case, I hope your rehab process is smooth and less painful than last time. Wishing you all the best and thanks for leaving a comment. Keep me up to date as things progress!
This us a great video. I can relate to everything you’ve said. Glad to know I’m not the only one going through these struggles... keep up the great work!
Thanks Volkan. Sorry to hear that you've ruptured your achilles, but I'm glad to know that this video was helpful. It's been about 2.5 years since the day I ruptured, but I can safely say to you there's light at the end of the tunnel - just keep at it, treat your achilles well, but also do the work to make it better :)
Hi Scott ! Charles from Sydney here mate 🙏🏽. Im a 34 year old weekend warrior that's ruptured my left achilles tendon playing recreational basketball 5 days ago and went home instead of the ER when it occurred. I went to my GP the next day and he sent me to get an ultrasound straight away. And as I was getting the ultrasound I asked the person doing it if it was looking bad and she said she’ll leave it for my GP to explain from the report they’ll send him the next day, and for now just keep it iced and as immobile as possible. I didn’t realise the severity of my injury until my ultrasound results came in the next day (two days after the rupture). I reviewed the report with my GP and he broke me the news (Had I known it was a complete rupture earlier, leaving it for two days wasn’t a very good move at all as I was actually walking/limping on it days after it happened..). I felt great pains in the morning getting up but it went away after a while, but I knew I definitely couldn’t put weight on it at all. So reading the report two days later, I was referred then by my GP to go to the hospital. We arrived there and they took an X-ray and later told us that their orthopaedic surgeon looked at my ultrasound report and X-ray and said they weren’t going to do surgery on the tendon because it was an “invasive” procedure.. They decided to push the non surgical route for me and the RN’s fitted the moon boot on us, then gave us a pair of crutches and told me to keep immobile and have my leg elevated as much as possible. They then booked us to see their fracture specialist in two weeks. Coming to grips with everything like you said was really hard for me, the lifestyle changes towards work and other important events ahead took a nosedive and I’m really gutted, but I’m glad I have support from my wife, family and friends. However my mind is still unsettled as to why they didn’t choose the surgery option or why they didn’t give me the option to choose myself, I didn’t get much of a thorough explanation at the time of their diagnosis. I’m also getting so many different opinions from friends who work in this field and have also had this injury who’ve had surgery and recovered well. It’s quite overwhelming and stressful to try figure out what will work for my recovery journey. So I’m planning to get a second opinion from another hospital’s orthopaedic surgery team tomorrow just to see what they think. Right now I’m just looking for assurance that the non operative way is effective and your videos have really been a great insight. Thank you for posting them, I really want to recover the best way possible and not have major complications in the near future.
Hey Charles, sorry to hear about your rupture. Given you're in the early stages I thought I'd get back to you quickly, but I'm currently at work so it will be relatively brief. In short: there are no issues from my perspective that the non-operative option is inferior. I'm pretty much at 4 years post-rupture and my only regret is not keeping up my calf exercises because my right calf is still smaller than my left. I've been wanting to write letters to both my emergency doctor (who put me in a cast with plantar flexion) and my surgeon who gave me the option of going non-operative. Avoiding surgery means avoiding having to go under GA and no potential complications from the surgery or scarring. Are there advantages to getting the surgical option? I'm not convinced there are, although it is the "tried and true" method for high performance athletes so they stick with it. As another surgeon said to me "Either the surgery or the plantar flexion do is simply force the broken ends of the tendon together mechanically." The healing comes with rest and not pulling the tension apart (I.e. keep it in plantar flexion!) and the strengthening comes from weight bearing exercises. I'm sure you can find a surgeon who will tell you that surgery is your only option and happily charge you for it. But I'm not convinced it's necessary if your rupture is mid-tendinous with minimal retraction. Hope this helps :) Hang in there... it's really rough at the start, so many things have to change in your life, like your said. But you'll get there, just follow the process and keep up your exercises, no matter which option you choose :)
@@ello.c Hey Charles, How has your progress been so far since your last update? I am going for Non surgery after a rupture last week. Hope this has been progressing well for you.
Full snapped my left Achilles at the gym 9 years ago, went the non surgical route & couldn’t afford proper therapy so I went to UA-cam for help. 2 months ago I ruptured my right Achilles at kickboxing, an am going down the non surgical route once again. I hope to find an affordable Therapist to help me get up & running. Thankyou for your informative video. If it wasn’t for your video, I’d be lost again.
Hey ladytee, sorry to hear about your most recent rupture. Everyone who comments saying that they have ruptured hurts my heart, but those who say they have ruptured a second time are even worse. Thank you for your kind words - thankfully there seems to be a lot more achilles rupture content on youtube these days, including the non-surgical option. There wasn't much around when I ruptured mine about 6 years ago, which spurred me on to making these videos in the hope that I would reach people like you. Have you been to a hospital and/or seen a surgeon? I only ask just in case the rupture isn't suited to the non-surgical method this time around (e.g. if the rupture isn't in the middle of the tendon, if there has been too much retraction, or perhaps something else that only surgeons really know about!).
@@achilles_rupture I’m due to see the docs tomorrow to get my cast off. I’ve had it on for 8 weeks now. Then it’s into a moon boot for another month or so, then I’ll be referred to a physio I believe to start rehab. Thankyou for your content. The days go by so slow when you can’t do much, if it wasn’t for your video/s I’d be lost.
@@ladytee6440 Thank you for your kind words :) How are things now that you are in the boot? Another four weeks of waiting until starting rehab seems like a long time to me. Is there any way of getting in to see a physio before then?
Thanks Walter - your comment came through as an email the other night whilst I was having dinner with friends, and I had to let them all know what you had just said. Very much appreciated! How far along in your recovery are you?
@@achilles_rupture Scott. apologies for late response. I am in Houston, TX and I was not armed with alot of info. I am in week 3 and still looking for a physiotherapist like you did. Knee rover my wife got me is very helpful. But my orthopedic doctor merely had me in boot and asked me to only take it off at night when I sleep or shower. And follow up with him in 6 weeks since I went the non op option. I have got the most info from your video playlist. I wish I could personally speak with you, but so would 100 more people. SO that may not be practical for you. Again Thanks. I do not have pain. I still fail to elevate my foot when in the boot. Not sure if the REST protocol is applicable and if I should see a physiotherapist before starting the slow weight bearing exercise. I checked one location and they said my doctor has to clear me first. But, I am confident that I will be good because you have set a detailed guide to that path. I was skeptical about proper recovery under Non Op until your videos. Again, thanks on behalf of myself and I am sure 100s of people out there for giving us hope. I am doing the toe exercises and might start putting weight after seeing a physiotherapist. Just do not know how to find one.
@@Oritz7 hey mate, good to hear things are progressing. I'm pretty sceptical of leaving it until the 6th week unless there's some other issue (e.g. the bone is broken). I'm not a physician so I don't know the kinds of things that would warrant waiting 6 weeks. That said, I'm confident that early exercises (that start gentle and ramp up over time) are better than waiting for a long period of time before starting. Meanwhile taking the boot off to shower and bathe comes with risks. If you can shower sitting down and look after yourself that way then I think the risk there is reduced. Separately, sleeping without the boot this early could be bad if you were to fall out of bed or have a bad dream and kick the wrong thing etc. Ultimately it's up to you - I know it's quite relieving to take the boot off. I'm not sure what effect it might have on your insurance etc, but you always have the right to refuse medical treatment and you should be able to discharge yourself from your doctor's care. Obviously you'd have to look into what that entails and whether it's the right course for you. As for seeing my own physiotherapist, there was no issue with respect to whether my doctor had cleared me or not. I would suggest googling for a sports rehabilitation physiotherapist near you and asking what they would require, doctor's clearance or not. Phone calls to receptionists to enquire are usually free :) An experienced physiotherapist who gets injured athletes back on track has probably seen many ruptured tendons, and could be more knowledgeable about the rehab process than your doctor. Thank you for your kind words. I hope this reply helps!
@@achilles_rupture Thanks for this info. I might have made a mistake. I got too confident and was walking on foot with no issues very lightly. But I am back on the boot to be cautious. So far still trying to a physiotherapist. I am in week 4 and doing some of the motion. I consulted a chiropractor to get a recommended contact. Do you have the same strength on both achilles as far as jumping or is the affected achilles slightly weaker.
@@Oritz7 yes I think walking without the boot (and more specifically - bending the foot out of plantar flexing beyond 90 degrees) at week 4 is a bad idea. I didn't start waking without the boot until around Week 8 or so, and that was work all the exercises and the physio's analysis. To answer your question: my right (affected) calf and Achilles aren't as strong as before. But they are strong enough to do the things I want to do with no issues. If I wanted to play basketball again then I would have been training all kinds of hops and jumps, and then my calf/Achilles would be stronger now. But overall, I don't think that many people get their full 100% strength back.
Thank you so much for taking time to create these informative videos week by week, and then all the valuable advice. I appreciate you so much as I am 9 weeks in and worry constantly about healing long and over stretching. But so far so good, healing at the same timeframe as where you were those years ago. Thank you!!
Thanks Kieu, I very much appreciate it! Glad to hear your rehab is progressing well. Keep up the exercises and I'm confident it will all fall into place in time :)
Did you ever earn your black belt post recovery?? Coincidentally, I ruptured my Achilles tendon in December while training and preparing for my 2nd degree black belt in Krav Maga. Looks like this is the year to rehab and recover, then I will go after it in 2025 when I am at my best!
@@kieuwong3940 I sure did :) I think it will be 2 years in May. Nice to hear you are a fellow martial artist! I think you're right that it'll be a year of rehab - at least, that's about how long I took before I went back to training, and I didn't do sparring straight away. That said, looking back, I probably could have gone back to training earlier, it's hard to say.
Really helpful. I see myself in your story:). This brought some support, levity, and critical decision making information. 3 weeks in - still awaiting an MRI. What a nightmare this waiting game.
Hey Deryck, sorry to hear about your rupture but thanks for the positive feedback. Yes, waiting around and not having enough information or ability to take some kind of actions is really tough. I hope that after the MRI you have some good information to work from and get to the process of healing and strengthening. Let me know how things go!
Thank you mate! I broke my Achille's two weekw ago and your video has been more helpful than many proffessional medical videos, You r really good at this! Warm Greetings From Argentina, Scott!
@@achilles_rupture yes. I have decided non surgical. I am not sure if I took the right decision. It is a total rupture with a 2 cm gap. The doc told me that my tendon will be a bit elongated but that I will be able to walk and run normally, although I don t know if I will feel comfortable with an elongated tendon... I don t know if 2 cm is a long distance or not...And I ve heard a later operation may not be as practical as if you do it early... I have entered my 3rd week now...
@@Rolando-m9k Ok gotcha. I would say that the initial period is difficult because there are so many unknowns. Have you considered a second opinion? I can't say I know what sized gap is too big - my physio said as long as the rupture is in the middle of the tendon and that there is "minimal retraction", then the non-surgical method can be appropriate. Are you in plantar flexion with wedges in a boot? I had two wedges to start with, 1cm each... which, if you look at it simplistically, should close a 2cm gap.
Hi Scott and guys out there Thanks again for such awewsome videos My doc had asked me if I had taken antibiotics prior to my Aquilles T Rupture. I know it seems very odd but I thought that it might be useful to some of you know that certain antibiotics may have a negative effect on that even If taken as long as one year and a half before the rupture. He even ordered me a blood test... Chers and good luck!
Well researched, Scott. Excellent videos. I'm 65 years old, and still exercising my fractured Right wrist. Need to persevere with my physiotherapy. Thank you for support, Scott. Keep up with the Kenpo.
Such a good video. I broke down on day 4 and cried because of inability of doing anything and yet no timeline in sight (since I have MRI tomorrow and doctor's appointment the following day). I am in the US and they hardly ever go non-surgical way... I ruptured my Achilles next to a hospital so I was in a boot with wedges within 20 min after the injury. Hopefully that will allow non-surgical approach.
Hey Anna, sorry to hear about your rupture. Thank you for letting me know you appreciated this video, though. How did your MRI go? Fingers crossed you had the option of going non-surgical. Keep me updated!
@@achilles_rupture MRI showed a complete rupture but no gap between ends of tendon therefore I will I won't have surgery! I need to follow procedure which in my case is boot with 4 wedges for another week, no weight bearing and slowly bearing and getting rid of wedges and doing PT. 🙏🏻❤️
@@WandaBliss great to hear no surgery required! Best wishes with the PT ahead. The road is frustratingly long, but you will get there in time. Keep me updated with how it goes :)
@@achilles_rupture I started fo take blood thinners on the 3rd or 4th day after the injury, do you know according to your research if that is fast enough to lower the risk of dvt?
@@WandaBliss sorry, unfortunately I know very little about DVT + Achilles injuries, even though I did take aspirin for a few days myself. If you find any good info please let me know :)
Hey Man , great video im on my 3nd day . I did mine snowboarding in japan. I'm stuck in a hotel room in furano for another 5 days before flying back to Sydney and seeing a Dr. I managed to get an upgrade to business class on the way home, luckily. I did my left leg so it will be a bit easier , i can still drive to appointments. Thanks for all the advice
Hey Stephen, sorry to hear about your rupture. I've broken a collarbone overseas whilst snowboarding, but rupturing an achilles overseas I reckon would create even more challenges - especially in the snow/ice. Good to hear you can drive though, that will make some things easier indeed! Can I ask how the rupture occurred? Did you have any previous indications that there was an issue, or perhaps it was just a large impact? I umm-ed and ahh-ed about snowboarding during my recovery (I had a trip booked in then ruptured, still went on the trip as a holiday but decided not to snowboarding during it). Been to Furano on two separate trips :) There are some nice spots away from Niseko that aren't as touristy and have decent runs and snow. If you see the surgeon and are given the option between surgical and non-surgical, do you currently have a preference?
I'm 56 , no previous tendon issues, actually did it in Kiroro the they day before we had to check out and head to furano . I'm riding with Burton step ons and ruler boots which are a softer boot and I hit some powder and the board just stopped and I kept going . I felt the snap and knew exactly what it was. The ski patrol took me down the mountain on the back of a snowmobile. Went to hospital and they supplied me with crutches with fold out spikes on the end so you don't slip on the ice. I'm hoping to go non surgical as I had arthroscope on my knee about 15 years ago and ended up with a post op bleed. I was out of action for a long time with that and I don't want to go through anything like that again .
@@stephenawdry3719 yes fair enough, I think that's something I wasn't really aware of before this injury - the risks associated with surgery itself and what might happen afterwards. I know some people are dead keen on surgery for this injury, but as time goes by, I get more and more convinced that the non-surgical method was the right choice for me and probably is for most people. That said, every case is different and everyone needs to make their own choice. Good to know about the gear you had too - my mate has step-ons, and now that I think about it, I can see how that means the achilles is really only protected by the boot (as opposed to a heel strap over the in-step). In any case, the prognosis is usually good for achilles ruptures, and I dare say there's a good chance you could be boarding again next Japan season :) PS I've been to Kiroro as well! Did you stay there? We made the trek up from Otaru for 3 days in a row, then decided to check out some other places.
I was diagnosed with Acheles tendonitis 2 months ago. My MRI results revealed “increased signal within the fibers of Acheles tendon with peritendinous fluid as well. Fluid in the retrocalcaneal bursa. No evidence of tear.” I was in a boot for a month to get rid of pain and the states PT a month ago with my limping leg. My PT journey was encouraging for the 3 weeks stated walking without limping in 3 weeks with help of my shoes. Then I decided go for a short walk (1000 steps for 2 days) then I stated getting severe pain in my tendon. I lost hope on my recovery then I happened to see one of your videos and I have learned that the healing takes very long and study. Please can you analyze my MRI findings and let me know the severity of my problem, and can you advise how much time it may take for the recovery etc. You are really inspiring. Thank you!
Hi Amaresh, thank you for the kind words. Unfortunately, I do not know much about tendonitis and how to fix it. I believe that it is caused by tendinopathy which is left untreated or worsens over time. With tendinopathy, I know that one of the common ways to solve it is to do exercises specific to loading up the tendons which are affected, usually through heavy, static holds for 45 seconds on, 45 seconds off and repeating a few times. This is different to the way in which muscles are built. However, for tendonitis, I don't know if the same approach will be of help to you. There are different types of pain as well (I am currently doing exercises for my knee tendinopathy, and I get pain from time to time, but I don't think any of it is the serious type of pain where it is a signal to stop). So ultimately, I think you will need seek medical advice. Your current PT might have some ideas about exercises, but if you have been unsatisfied with their advice so far, you may need to find a different PT. I hope this helps.
Hehe fair enough Gray. I was fairly against them at first, after hearing SJ's story, but if the achilles is all wrapped up and protected in a cast or moon boot, then I think risk of re-rupture is quite low. Still, I recommend that people slow down and take their time - I don't think anyone wants a secondary injury to add to an achilles rupture!
Many thanks Pantalones :) This video is my "summary of everything you might want to know to start with", but for whatever reason people seem to find my other videos detailing my weekly/fortnightly updates more often. Can't say I know why, but glad to know that people like you are still finding this one!
I bought an iwalk on marketplace for $70. Borrowed a knee scooter and used crutches. Used all depending on situation. Each a huge help. Thanks for sharing
Good thinking - I look back on my experience and now think I could probably have benefited from a knee scooter. But I would still say to take it easy and not rush - I'm assuming you don't want to re-rupture either! :) Thanks for the feedback and best wishes with the rehab - happy to answer questions you might have along the way if I can.
You're welcome! Hopefully by now you've gotten used to the general "pace" of things? At least, I'm hoping the hardest part for you is now over. How is the rehab going?
Hi Scott, Thank you so much for sharing your journey. My partner ruptured his achilles last week and he couldn’t find a video that is as relatable until we came across yours! We’re from Sydney and his orthopaedic, whom he saw 2 days after the rupture, scheduled the next appointment in 6 weeks. After seeing your other video, we thought the length is too long. Do you recommend seeking for second opinion and if you’re from Sydney, is it possible if we could have your orthopaedic’s contact?
Hi Hanajumy, thank you for your kind words. Did the orthopaedic surgeon recommend any physiotherapy inbetween? If not (i.e. your partner was just told to sit around and use crutches with no weight on the foot for 6 weeks), then yes, I agree it is too long between appointments. That said, it also sounds to me as if the surgeon is not recommending surgery and therefore the non-surgical method is applicable? If that is the case, and you do have physiotherapy booked in, then that is actually the kind of gap I had inbetween my surgeon visits (heck... I think it might have been Week 2 and then Week 12). I would recommend you have a look at the Willits (2010) protocol for a rough idea of the physiotherapy process (see www.dranikoloski.com.au/pdf/achilles-tendon-rehabilitation-protocol.pdf ). Assuming that the non-surgical method is applicable, then the physiotherapy and strengthening of the tendon is what will matter for now. So if my assumptions are true, then I would recommend seeking out a sports rehabilitation physiotherapist, or someone who you can be confident in aiming to get your partner back to physical activity. Unfortunately not all physiotherapists are equal. Whilst I had to pay about $100 per session to see mine, his advice was much better than what I received from the public hospital physiotherpaist that Medicare assigned me (she was advising me to do things which did not make sense at all). If you would like to get in contact with my physio, his name is Travis Arthur and he works at Body Logic Physiotherapy: bodylogic.physio/team/travis-arthur/ . I am not entirely sure how much he can assist via teleconference, but he may also have some recommended contacts in Sydney. If you would like to talk to the first orthopaedic surgeon I saw, it seems like he he may have moved to Germany: www.orthopaedie-duesseldorf-sued.de/alfredo-pineda/index.html I hope this helps - let me know if you have any further questions or my assumptions above were incorrect. Please pass on my best wishes to your partner.
@@achilles_rupture Hi Scott, Thank you so much for your very quick response. Yes, my partner opted for the non-surgical route. We took your advice and got second opinion from a different orthopaedic surgeon and he said that’d have been too long as well. My partner is on the path of recovery. Again, we very much appreciate your videos and suggestions! :)
@@hanajumy you're welcome and I'm glad that I was of assistance. Best wishes to you and your partner - let me know how things progress and if you have any questions along the way :)
I’m 10 days in and the knee scooter amazing for carrying stuff around the house in the little basket. So much less stress on the body than using the crutches all the time.
Sorry to hear about the injury, mate, but glad you've found the knee scooter to be helpful. Makes me wish I'd actually tried one out! That said, I recall another guy on UA-cam (pretty sure it was SJ) who said he had a bit of a scare because he was rushing around too much with the knee scooter and injured himself. So all I can say is be safe and take your time! In a few weeks' time I'm guessing you're going to be scared to death of re-rupturing... At least, I was!
Great information thank you for sharing- ruptured 4 weeks ago, just came out of the cast and in to the boot 2 days ago and sort of rolled my foot on the stairs last evening in the boot, not sure what damage is done. I kind of rolled backwards in the boot on the step, felt like I was falling and so stepped back and felt a pull in the Achellies area. Hoping it isn’t much, it’s not swollen or paining just the occasional burning sensation. Hoping it doesn’t delay my recovery to much
Hi Mary, sorry to hear about your rupture and how you rolled your foot on the stairs the other day. Did it turn out alright? At least, I'm hoping that the boot provided enough protection and that the pull you felt was normal.
Thanks Prem. I got out of the boot after 12 weeks in it. That said, there was about a week or two beforehand where I was walking around carefully indoors (and no stairs) without the boot. After that, it was actually a little nerve-racking being outdoors without the boot at the start, because suddenly you've lost all the protection and safety of the boot. Are you currently going through achilles rehab?
@@achilles_rupture Yes I am, about to start week 4, second week in the boot and starting to partially weight bear today- Unfortunately in the UK where I am my next appointment isnt for another 5 weeks so am doing as much research online as I can to help my recovery as no doctor will be able to monitor it for me as I go along
@@premraja5680 oh wow, that's a fairly long time in between appointments. Fingers crossed you find some good info out there (I have some other videos uploaded with exercises in them, if that helps?).
Scott Morgan trying to get a private consultant in between to be honest, waiting 6 weeks doesn’t seem right. Yes I’ve seen those they look great just want to ensure I’m at the right stage to do them soon
@@premraja5680 yeah fair enough, I'm sure you can guess I would probably recommend a private consult as being a better source of information than me (or at least, I would hope they are better!)
@achilles_rupture hi Scott, i just ruptured my Achilles on aug 21. I’m in the US and it feels like most people here push you to surgery. I see more medical professionals from other countries that contemplate the conservative approach. I have a 1cm tear but not sure if it is middle or high (I don’t think it’s low). Do you have advice on where I can go? My issue is that surgery is extremely expensive. I’ve kept my foot in plantar flexion and can move toes and point it down but not up and my calf does not flex anymore. Thanks for your time and videos!!
Hey Jonathan, sorry to hear about your rupture. That's a tricky question for me, because I can't really diagnose you. It could be that, in your case for some reason, surgery is the only option. That said, some things you could consider are: 1) Reading the Willits et al 2010 study, printing it out and taking it with you to your medical appointments to discuss. (Bonus points for digging into the literature beyond that to see what the latest findings are, because I don't know myself.) 2) Asking your family doctor/ GP for a recommendation in light of the non-surgical method i.e. take the study with you. Your doctor may not know what to do, but likely has contacts who would. 3) Track down a good sports rehabilitation physiotherapist (not a normal one) for a consult. They will hopefully not be incentivised to recommend surgery or not (unlike surgeons who may be financially incentivised). Take the Willits study with you and discuss the accelerated rehab protocol. 4) If/when you do talk to a surgeon, tell them that you can't afford the surgery and are wondering about the non-surgical method. Take the Willits study with you. 5) If you haven't already, contact your family and friends to try and track down someone who might fit the bill. There may be other options to consider, so don't just limit yourself to my thoughts! I hope that helps in some way.
@@achilles_rupture thank you for taking the time for this incredibly thoughtful reply. I will definitely read the willits study and try to ask the better questions. Thank you!!!
Do you play basketball or soccer or any type of sports? Do you feel like you can jump as high or back to where you were? They say only via surgery you can get higher chance to get fully mobility. I want to go no op, but I also want my bounce back
Hey John, I used to play basketball when I was younger and used to be able to jump and touch the ring. I can't touch it any more. That said, I haven't trained that kind of jumping for a very long time, so that doesn't surprise me, achilles rupture or not. Additionally, rupturing my achilles made me never want to play any kind of hard court sports again. As for how people recover after this injury, I don't think people tend to get their full strength/bounce back regardless of which option they go. I got to the point where things were "good enough" and the calf strengthening levelled off fairly quickly after that. The "best case" scenario might be Kobe - if you have the surgery and have the best rehab regime. But to top it all off, everyone is different - you might find with your specific case that you get back to where you were. Perhaps you might ask yourself "What percentage more jump height/bounce am I going to get by going surgical?"
How quickly were you diagnosed? I injured my ankle n xrays were taken and supposedly nothing was broken or torn,i was to ice it for swelling,week later went back to clinic and still limping,but i noticed i had no pushoff injured foot,i saw online the thompson test tried and failed,i can hobble around on the foot even move forward and backward but cannot do toe raise,could it be partial tear? After initial injury i was able to hobble around on it for 2weeks what was your ankle like upon injury?
Hey Merced, I was diagnosed within a couple of hours I think (but after I fell and poked around myself, I was pretty confident I knew what had happened). I was able to hobble but with zero ability to use my calf - rather, I was able to pull my toes upwards and utilise the muscle on the front of the shin, the "tibialis anterior". This was, of course, not a good solution. My ankle was fine - xrays showed no broken bones. So after I was diagnosed by the Emergency doctor I was sent home in a cast with crutches. Obviously it's hard for me to say what might be going on for you, given I'm not trained and this is just a youtube comment! My understanding is that the Thompson test is the main way to diagnose someone, so you might indeed have a partial tear (but that's not for me to really conclude - and a doctor/physio will be able to poke around or do an ultrasound to confirm). Have you seen a different doctor or physiotherapist?
Knee scooter made my life a breeze during the 1st two weeks. I am single and the chores around the house were a pain, when using crutches. The rover simplified every task (other than using the stairs)
Hey Sergiu, that's great. Funnily enough, I've actually heard that feedback quite a bit and if I was to re-record this video it would be one of the things I would change. I think as long as people aren't zooming around and still take their time to be careful, then it's probably a good idea to look at knee scooters. How far into your rehab are you now?
Hi Simon, you're welcome :) I don't know the exact angle I had my foot at, but I definitely had 2x one-centimetre wedges in the boot under my heel. I have a feeling that's supposed to be 20 degrees but can't recall exactly.
@@achilles_rupture Thank youn for taking time to answer. Ok good I think it's what I have. With the boot had you any disconfort when you were stand up? I feel its stretching on my calve
@@simonsauve Yes, I don't think my boot was very advanced. Some people have described a boot that has air pumps that allow you to increase/decrease pressure in certain areas. Mine had a thick/stiff base with two rigid "columns" that went up both sides of the calf, then three velcro (or "hook & loop") straps plus cushioning around the leg. After leaning into the straps to walk around, I would often find the straps digging into my shin. But there was no way I could avoid that apart from trying to add some more padding on the shin. I ended up losing some nerves and sensation on the shin, although this came back in time. As for your discomfort, if it's definitely the boot then you might need to find a way to adjust, offset or pad it out in some way. I hope that helps.
I am at 13 mos. and I did non operation, I am at probably 90% recovered, and it keeps improving, I saw another video that mentions that for the last 10% it takes around 24 months, 3 years, is very slow recovery but it does gets better, this recovery is very slow but steady keeps getting better so it requires lots of patience
I totally agree that it is many months or years to get back to normal. I'm currently at 4.5 years post-rupture and am doing everything I want to do. The only thing that (only slightly) annoys me, though, is that my affected right calf is still noticeably smaller than my left. But if I really want the right calf to grow, I am going to have to put a lot more focus into weight training and muscle building than I have been, and I'm pretty much unwilling to make that commitment. So my right calf will probably stay smaller than the left for many months to come :) Thanks for commenting - wishing you the best in your remaining recovery!
Great video. Appreciate the amount of information. 3 nights ago I believe I tore my Achilles. The severity is to be determined as I am finding out my ultrasound results tomorrow morning. I was playing basketball, on a slippery floor nonetheless. I am 38 years old. I jumped up to take a shot and when I came down it felt like someone landed on my leg. I immediately took my self out and basically crawled to the bench. I’ve never been injured before so in my head it was a bad ankle sprain. I went BACK IN the game and played the entire half. Just hobbled around. I drove home. Iced and elevated when I got home. All weekend I did the same. But Monday morning it him me that it might be a torn achilles. I can move my foot around. I can move my toes. I just can’t stand on my tippy toes. Swollen and Bruised on foot. I guess my question is, if it was THAT bad could I have driven 3 times and played the rest of a basketball game? I am hoping for the best but preparing for the worst.
My uneducated opinion is that if you can point your toes and you have some strength in it, then that's a good sign. I couldn't point my toes at all. However, you might have still have a partial rupture, so there's not much you can do until you get those ultrasound results and some advice from someone more knowledgeable than me about what to do next! Best wishes, let me know how it goes.
Thanks for quick response. Your video is still going. At the end now. My friend let me borrow his boot. Not perfect fit but it’ll do for now. Praying it’s just partial. I get married in 2 weeks 🤦🏻♂️.
@@TheAeroRising haha ouch, yes this could definitely throw a spanner in the works. But... what's a wedding without a few last-minute changes? :) Fingers crossed for your ultrasound results and diagnosis!
@@achilles_rupture now that it has been 6 days since I tore my achilles. Ultrasound results came back. They said the girl didn't get the best images so it was hard to tell but they definitely see a tear and wanted to send me to the Orthopedist. I was sent to the PA of an orthopedist. After she looked at it and did the Thompson test on me, she said non operative route is fine. First 5 days I had no noticeable "dip" where the achilles is torn. You had to push down and feel the area to feel the "dip" wear it is torn. They put wedges in my boot. Less than 24 hours later and now I have a "dip" that is noticeable to the naked eye. Should I be worried about this? Is it normal for that "dip" to be there?! I am panicking that the wedges are making the tear worse.
@@TheAeroRising I think the first thing you should do is call the surgeon's office and see if you can have these questions answered over the phone or at least relayed back to you by the receptionist. My personal take (which isn't based on any training in human biology or rehabilitation) is that if you are keeping your weight off the foot and letting it rest, then there's probably nothing to worry about. But if you're trying to walk in the boot then that is something I would stop. I don't think the wedges should cause any issues. It's essentially just pointing your toes down (thereby forcing the broken parts of Achilles tendon back together). The "dip" you now have might be due to swelling on either side of the rupture (but I'm not familiar with how this kind of thing might occur, hence my recommendation to call your surgeon). I hope this helps in some way!
Hey Chris, you can see me getting a centimetre or two at about Week 14-15 in my video here: ua-cam.com/video/yDD4C-4prDM/v-deo.html As for getting to as high as possible on the affected side, I can't recall off the top of my head right now, but it was weeks after that (perhaps somewhere around Week 25-30?). Full extension may not be the best yardstick however - it depends what kind of activities you're into and whether you need that full range and power (like a ballet dancer might). In my case, my focus was on getting back to snowboarding and martial arts. I took my time and went back to martial arts classes about one year after I ruptured (by that point, snowboarding didn't pose an issue). It was perhaps another 6 months of attending classes before I felt like my sparring was back to "normal".
I got my Achilles’ tendon severed by a dolly moving out of my college dorm. When you started walking without a boot did you feel flat footed? Like you couldn’t push off as you walk like normally ?
Ouch, that sounds more painful than mine :( Yes, my affected leg's calf was especially weak (and still is, somewhat, about 10 months later). I would bet that you'll be doing a lot of calf exercises as part of your rehab. But I would also bet that what you're feeling with not being able to push off so well is normal.
Wanted to do martial arts. now I cant .. wil take time .. cause of archives tendon damage. .And I am in cast but its 5% down .. 2 weeks has passed will try to get cast to 20%....
Hey Paul, yes it will definitely take time. It might be a number of months before you're jogging again, and perhaps after that martial arts will be possible.
I was put into a boot on day 2. Day 1 i instantly went home and elevated it and rested on ice. Am I not supposed to walk in the boot for 2 weeks? I didnt receive crutches so Im wondering if I need to stop walking on the boot.
@@DanielRRoof what was the advice your doctor or surgeon gave you? I can't recall anyone who has said they were walking in the boot without crutches right from the start. There are a couple stories from people who started some of their rehab earlier than I did. However, my personal thoughts are that the first week or two is the time to rest and let the inflammation and swelling subside. I recommend you search for some YT videos on general tendon rupture and repair to see what you think.
@@achilles_rupture I am not disagreeing. Im looking for that info. My dr was very vague. He put inserts in my boot and said to wear it all the time and I can take it off when I sleep.. Im going to.go non weight bearing now. On day 3 so still early.
@@DanielRRoof gotcha. That sucks your doctor was so vague. Personally, if I was to do it all again (heaven forbid!), then I would do it the same way, following Willits (2010) protocol, unless advised otherwise by my physio. Yes Day 3 is still super early, and I'd say that keeping the weight off it for now is a good idea. I just realised this might be the only video of mine that you've seen. If you haven't seen the others, I've documented the first 15 weeks and the various exercises I did along the way: ua-cam.com/play/PLsTgkKF-ywMP21a9mJRxC73My6rfKuNpO.html&si=pXKEuqSNfxSmhFfM
@@achilles_rupture Its confusin to me why being in the air cast boot with wedges in it isnt considered non weight bearing. My achilles stays in a stationary position. I feel no pressure or pain when I am walking in the air cast.. what are your thoughts on this?
@@DanielRRoof unfortunately I don't know what an air cast is or how it works. My thoughts are that if you are walking and putting weight on the affected foot, then you are most likely activating the calf muscle, which is in turn stretching the Achilles apart at the rupture zone. That doesn't seem right to me, but maybe there's something to the air cast that mitigates this separation. Perhaps if you find out more about the air cast you could share the info here?
Yes, most definitely. I got back to Kenpo about one year after my rupture. Granted, I took my time and was more on the conservative side, but I also didn't want to re-rupture. I would have been fine to go snowboarding at that time too, I think. Obviously since then, I've been back on the slopes! So the long term prognosis for you is probably going to be good, assuming a normal rehab process and no complications. It just takes time and routine in doing your exercises - gradually improving without pushing too quickly. I found it hard to find where that line was (hence why I was more conservative in my rehab and what risks I wanted to take).
Unfortunately it's not possible for me to answer that - best for you to ask a surgeon (or two). However, I seem to recall people with a 2cm gap opting for non-surgical, so it might be an option for you unless there are other factors to consider (e.g. if the rupture is not mid-tendinous).
Thank you bro. Unfortunately conservative treatments for achilles ruptures are not yet recognize here in the philippines. It feels like im on my own with this. Your videos are really helping me a lot. I have another question though. Im in 4th week right now. And it feels like my rupture is gradually connecting. I can feel like an hourglass shape in my gap when i touch it. Is that common?
@@brainybuddy5176 I had what my physiotherapist called a "divut" for many weeks, as if the inner part of the tendon connected and hardened first, and then later the outer part grew over and hardened up. As for how common that is, I can't say - I can't recall my physio being bothered by it, so I'm guessing what I had was normal enough. If you're already in your 4th week and elected to go non-surgical on your own, then I would imagine you have some kind of strength and ability to point your toes by now?
Yes i can do that. Im able to lift my legs seating like the things you do in your previous videos too. Im still scared to do the standing with my feet neutral on the ground yet. Maybe I'll do that in my 6th week. This morning I did the thompson test and Im so happy it moved. By the way bro. How many wegde do you have in your boot? And how many weeks are the intervals before removing a wedge?
@@brainybuddy5176 glad to hear you have movement with the Thompson test. Judging from my other videos, I think I went down from two wedges to one wedge around week 6, and I seem to recall removing the second wedge either a week or two later. My understanding is that around week 6, the tendon has "healed" in the sense that the collagen fibres will have been laid down in response to the injury. But obviously the tendon is still weak at that point. It really is a long, slow progression of continuous improvement and strengthening (unlike a bone, which is kind of just "done" and ready to use around 8 weeks after injury). I think it's good that you're worried, because that means you care and that you'll hopefully not push too hard too quickly. The main thing I was taught to look out for was vague tendon pain that lasts for more than 24 hours. Usually this is a sign that the tendon is unhappy and you need to back off from whatever caused the longer-last pain.
@@mattbrown2668 g'day from Perth! Mate... two achilles at the same time. I can't imagine how rough that would be. That said... maybe both at the same time is still better than doing one, then later on doing the other? Sorry to hear about your rupture, but good to know you are now moon-boot-crutch-walking!
@@achilles_rupture CONCLUSIONS: Tibio-fibular-talar joint with bone edema focus; Trabecular fractures in the anterior margin of the distal tibial epiphysis. Moderate joint effusion. The anterior fibular-talar ligament with periligamentous inflammatory-edematous changes. The Achilles tendon presents a complete rupture in MRI at 5 cm from the distal insertion, with mild middistal tendinosis and edema of peripheral fibers in distal areas of the soleus. Achilles para-peritendinitis. Plantar fascia with slight proximal periaponeurotic inflammatory changes. Inflammatory changes and swelling of the periarticular soft tissues. Sincerely, Dr. Jordi Català
@@fikribenali154 Hi Fikri, apologies, I thought you were asking for my Gab account (which is like Twitter, although I do not have an account on either website), but I think you mean "gap". Unfortunately I'm not a physician so there are a lot of technical words I'm not familiar with. However, it appears to me that the 5cm measurement refers to the location of the rupture from the heel, not the size of the gap/rupture. (I did a bit of googling/search for "distal insertion", which revealed "The distal insertion of the Achilles tendon measures approximately 1 × 2 cm, and is located approximately 2 cm distal of the superoposterior edge of the calcaneal tuberosity". The "calcaneal tuberosity" appears to be the heel bone.) Ultimately, you will need a doctor or surgeon's opinion on whether you can go the non-surgical route, or if you need to have surgery. If you think you might be able to go without surgery, but your doctor does not recommend it, then it may be worth seeking a second opinion from a different doctor. I hope this helps.
im non op right now. tore my achilles 3 days ago. the orthopedic didn't give me a mri just a xray. have you fully recovered? what week after tear did you start walking again without crutches
Hey Hammond, sorry to hear about your Achilles rupture. I haven't "fully" recovered in the sense that my Achilles and calf are not the same as before. But I got back to doing everything I wanted to be doing about a year after my rupture. My main complaint now is that my affected calf is smaller than the other - it's not a big enough deal for me to be doing all the exercises I should be to bulk it up. I think I started walking without really needed the crutches (but still had the moon boot) after week 6 or so. The boot finally came off at about week 12. You'll probably find that it's a gradual process the whole way, unlike breaking a bone which is fully failed and ready to go at about 6 weeks. How are things going for you?
@@achilles_rupture hey scott thanks for the reply. i work at a restaurant and require to stand all day..i need to get back to work but looks like it will take 3 months before i can actually walk. maybe i should of went for the operative route because of the faster recovery?
Hey Hammond, I don't think the non-surgical option will take any longer than the surgical. This is based on the Willets (2010) study - both surgical and non-surgical groups took about 12 weeks to get out of the boot. I think I got out of my boot at about 12.5 weeks. The key is starting exercises early. Who said it would take about 3 months? You might need a second opinion from a sports rehabilitation physiotherapist.
@@achilles_rupture thanks for giving me hope. im so bored sitting at home all day doing absolutely nothing and can't walk. depression is setting in. im a very active person..i go to the gym 7 days a week or play sports. this is already the worst year of my life
@@hammond5315 hang in there mate. I'm not a active as you, but I was training for my black belt (in American Kenpo) at the time, ramping up my training for an intense grading. Trust me when I say that it gets better in time... the first part is really the worst. It's not just the injury, it's the change in life and all the plans you may have had now being altered. But I'm confident you will walk and run again, it just takes time and perseverance. The good news is that you can do upper body work at the gym, albeit using more machines for safety. But I really recommend just chilling for the first two weeks. Slow down, don't rush, because you really really don't want to re-rupture! Someone recently commented on one of my videos saying that they re-ruptured at week 3. Anyway, I hope that helps! Hang in there.
Sorry to hear about your rupture, but glad you agree that sitting is better! Have you already had surgery, opted for the non-surgical route or are still deciding?
@@mkra3506 ok great. I would imagine that by this point you should be able to start doing some weight-bearing as tolerated ("WBAT") with the assistance of crutches. Let me know how the consultation and next steps go!
@@achilles_rupture Hello Scott. So ive transitioned to the boot but been told no weight bearing and no exercises/physio until 4-6 weeks!! not something i wanted to hear. i thought i could start wbat once in the boot as i wanted to strengthen the tendon. i think i will do it regardless as i need my hands to do things around the house and need to begin working on that tendon
@@mkra3506 hey mate, that's strange to me, but perhaps there's a reason. Who gave you the consult - was it a surgeon? I'd say it's worth tracking down a good sports physiotherapist, who works with rehabilitation for athletes or similar, who can give you a second opinion. Unfortunately the surgeons I've heard about (even in my own city) don't always have the same knowledge as physiotherapists. Obviously I can't recommend you ignore medical advice, so if you do, I'd say it's better to be slow and steady rather than be aggressive (and risk re-rupture).
Hi Scott, so lucky I came across your video. I just ruptured my Achilles a week ago and the doctor also gave me options of surgical and non surgical, saying pretty much the same you mentioned. I also chose non surgical and have been struggling every single day with only one leg being able to bear weight. It was really devastating to me at first cause I could hardly do any daily task. Taking shower and using toilet are huge workouts. I was so desperate in the first couple days that I was emotionally unable to do anything. But several days later my friend came by and brought me food and I gradually figured out the tricks of doing things with one leg like routine place to lean on and places to hold. I had got a little used to my disability. When watching you talking about slowing down, sitting more often and the way you did laundry, I felt so related to all of them. It really helped to know I'm not alone and people like you were doing well with recovery, which gives me a lot more confidence. Also your advice based on your own experience is of great value for people like me. Hope you are living a happy life right now and won't be bothered by such things ever again.
Hey Jiacheng, sorry to hear about your rupture, but I very much appreciate your kind words and how this video helped you. When I ruptured my achilles I did a lot of googling, reading, watching videos, but there wasn't much information at the time. So I made these videos in the hope that someone like yourself would one day find them and have their journey made just a little easier.
It's nice to hear that you also realised you had to just slow down and get used to things (at first I was still trying to be efficient with my time and not let the injury slow me down), but eventually I realised that my new disability wasn't going anywhere any time soon. Even worse was the possibility of re-rupture or rupturing the other achilles!
It's coming up to 5 years post-rupture for me pretty soon. Thankfully these days this injury barely bothers me - if anything my main complaint is that my affected calf muscle is still smaller than the unaffected one. But that's also my fault for not putting in the time and effort to bulk up my calf!
Wishing you the best in your recovery. Keep me updated with your progress and feel free to ask if you have any questions along the way - I'll do my best to answer them :)
@@achilles_rupturewhat do you recommend on building back the calf? I’m about 8 weeks in non surgical. I’m 25 and started putting my foot in a lifted heel as soon as the injury happened. Hopefully you’re able to update , thank you!
@@ChatoHD Hey Chato, that's a tough one, to do from where you are now at 8 weeks and because I haven't been able to do it myself.
As far as I know, to keep as much calf muscle as possible, the more you can keep up your exercises as prescribed the better (obviously without causing damage to the tendon and then ending up regressing instead of progressing).
When you are more able to move your ankle and calf, then I think the usual body-building/weight training ideas around hypertrophy would apply. There are two muscles in the calf - the soleus and the gastrocnemius. My understanding is the soleus is activated more whilst seated and is more suited to endurance (for things like running), whilst the gastrocnemius is activated whilst standing, will provide more power and - importantly - will be more suited to bulking/hypertrophy. So I imagine that working on standing calf raises with weights - say 8-10 reps, for 3-5 sets, maybe 2-3x a week might do the trick. The calves are rather stubborn when it comes to hypertrophy in most people, though, so your mileage may vary.
There are a tonne of resources on YT if you haven't watched any of the body building stuff. I personally like some of the advice given by Athlean-X or Jeff Nippard.
Hi Scott, fellow Aussie from Sydney and I've ruptured my Achilles tendon about two weeks ago. My orthopaedic recommended non-operative treatment too. I was sceptical but your videos gave me more assurance and hope. Thank you!!
Hey man, sorry to hear about your rupture, but glad to hear you have the option of proceeding without surgery! I was certainly sceptical at the start myself, but it's hard not to be when you don't even know the option exists.
Glad to hear you now have more assurance - 3.5 years later, I have no regrets. The best advice I can give is to get a good physio - but I think you've probably already heard me say that a few times in my videos :)
Best wishes with the recovery and let me know if you have any questions along the way!
Such an informative video, Scott. I have a couple of 5 mm tears but it was misdiagnosed and took 18 days to get into a cast. No surgery required. Meanwhile, I was doing 5000 steps on the flat each day! Very reassuring advice from you. I had an idea as soon as it happened that my summer would be quite different from what I had planned, but fortunately, I have a Zen approach to life and have stayed cheery enough. Just started week 7 but have been bereft of physio advice due to the early diagnosis of a pulled calf muscle and then the Christmas period and me visiting family for a few weeks. Took my moonboot off for the first time yesterday, which was scary, but I will start sleeping with it off next week. Just want to start on some exercises before I lose that security blanket. Thanks for your video; I'm one of 10,000 for whom it has been incredibly useful.
Hey GJ, thanks for letting me know this video has been helpful - it means a lot, truly.
Sorry to hear about your rupture, but glad you have a cheery attitude towards it and you are now getting the actual healthcare you need. Getting the boot off is great and scary at the same time, isn't it? At least, that's how I felt, and even when I was sleeping without the boot, I would put it on in the middle of the night if I needed to, say, go to the bathroom.
Wishing you the best in the recovery ahead and let me know how things go!
I am at the beginning of week 3. That's a great video. Thank you for your all your suggestions and comments. It's been very useful.
Many thanks Argie, you're exactly the kind of person who I was hoping to reach. Sorry to hear you have recently ruptured, but the long term prognosis is usually good. Keep up the exercises and you'll see yourself improving week by week :)
Really great video. Currently in week 4 of my torn right achilies recovery. The crazy thing is I tore the left achilies 5 years ago, so I definitely relate to what you said about slowing down and not putting to much pressure on the uninjured foot. Considering my left is uninjured now but has previously also had a torn achilies, I’m very weary about putting to much strain on it. Easier said than done, but from my experience 5 years ago and now, a torn achilies can really teach you patience and appreciation for the small everyday things like showering and washing dishes/clothes etc that we take for granted. Hope your doing well now and have had no further issues since🙏🏿
Hey Dan, really sorry to hear about your second rupture. I really never want to experience that process again and so it always hits me hard when I hear that someone has ruptured an achilles again later in time.
That said, thank you for your kind words. Totally agreed that it does teach you patience and taking things easy. A guy I know locally recently ruptured his achilles and I bumped into him the other day with his moon boot and crutches and back pack. He said "I'm now the back pack guy... I just need to carry this back pack with me everywhere!" It gave me a laugh but also a reminder that we take certain things for granted, like the ability to carry objects or have quick access to our pockets.
In any case, I hope your rehab process is smooth and less painful than last time. Wishing you all the best and thanks for leaving a comment. Keep me up to date as things progress!
You spoke nothing but facts in appreciating the little things
This us a great video. I can relate to everything you’ve said. Glad to know I’m not the only one going through these struggles... keep up the great work!
Thanks Volkan. Sorry to hear that you've ruptured your achilles, but I'm glad to know that this video was helpful. It's been about 2.5 years since the day I ruptured, but I can safely say to you there's light at the end of the tunnel - just keep at it, treat your achilles well, but also do the work to make it better :)
Hi Scott ! Charles from Sydney here mate 🙏🏽.
Im a 34 year old weekend warrior that's ruptured my left achilles tendon playing recreational basketball 5 days ago and went home instead of the ER when it occurred. I went to my GP the next day and he sent me to get an ultrasound straight away. And as I was getting the ultrasound I asked the person doing it if it was looking bad and she said she’ll leave it for my GP to explain from the report they’ll send him the next day, and for now just keep it iced and as immobile as possible.
I didn’t realise the severity of my injury until my ultrasound results came in the next day (two days after the rupture).
I reviewed the report with my GP and he broke me the news (Had I known it was a complete rupture earlier, leaving it for two days wasn’t a very good move at all as I was actually walking/limping on it days after it happened..). I felt great pains in the morning getting up but it went away after a while, but I knew I definitely couldn’t put weight on it at all.
So reading the report two days later, I was referred then by my GP to go to the hospital. We arrived there and they took an X-ray and later told us that their orthopaedic surgeon looked at my ultrasound report and X-ray and said they weren’t going to do surgery on the tendon because it was an “invasive” procedure.. They decided to push the non surgical route for me and the RN’s fitted the moon boot on us, then gave us a pair of crutches and told me to keep immobile and have my leg elevated as much as possible. They then booked us to see their fracture specialist in two weeks.
Coming to grips with everything like you said was really hard for me, the lifestyle changes towards work and other important events ahead took a nosedive and I’m really gutted, but I’m glad I have support from my wife, family and friends.
However my mind is still unsettled as to why they didn’t choose the surgery option or why they didn’t give me the option to choose myself, I didn’t get much of a thorough explanation at the time of their diagnosis. I’m also getting so many different opinions from friends who work in this field and have also had this injury who’ve had surgery and recovered well. It’s quite overwhelming and stressful to try figure out what will work for my recovery journey.
So I’m planning to get a second opinion from another hospital’s orthopaedic surgery team tomorrow just to see what they think. Right now I’m just looking for assurance that the non operative way is effective and your videos have really been a great insight. Thank you for posting them, I really want to recover the best way possible and not have major complications in the near future.
Hey Charles, sorry to hear about your rupture. Given you're in the early stages I thought I'd get back to you quickly, but I'm currently at work so it will be relatively brief.
In short: there are no issues from my perspective that the non-operative option is inferior. I'm pretty much at 4 years post-rupture and my only regret is not keeping up my calf exercises because my right calf is still smaller than my left. I've been wanting to write letters to both my emergency doctor (who put me in a cast with plantar flexion) and my surgeon who gave me the option of going non-operative. Avoiding surgery means avoiding having to go under GA and no potential complications from the surgery or scarring.
Are there advantages to getting the surgical option? I'm not convinced there are, although it is the "tried and true" method for high performance athletes so they stick with it. As another surgeon said to me "Either the surgery or the plantar flexion do is simply force the broken ends of the tendon together mechanically." The healing comes with rest and not pulling the tension apart (I.e. keep it in plantar flexion!) and the strengthening comes from weight bearing exercises.
I'm sure you can find a surgeon who will tell you that surgery is your only option and happily charge you for it. But I'm not convinced it's necessary if your rupture is mid-tendinous with minimal retraction.
Hope this helps :) Hang in there... it's really rough at the start, so many things have to change in your life, like your said. But you'll get there, just follow the process and keep up your exercises, no matter which option you choose :)
@@achilles_rupture You're a legend ! Thanks for the speedy response mate.
@@ello.c you're welcome mate, feel free to hit me up with any questions along the way!
@@ello.c Hey Charles, How has your progress been so far since your last update? I am going for Non surgery after a rupture last week. Hope this has been progressing well for you.
Full snapped my left Achilles at the gym 9 years ago, went the non surgical route & couldn’t afford proper therapy so I went to UA-cam for help. 2 months ago I ruptured my right Achilles at kickboxing, an am going down the non surgical route once again. I hope to find an affordable Therapist to help me get up & running.
Thankyou for your informative video. If it wasn’t for your video, I’d be lost again.
Hey ladytee, sorry to hear about your most recent rupture. Everyone who comments saying that they have ruptured hurts my heart, but those who say they have ruptured a second time are even worse. Thank you for your kind words - thankfully there seems to be a lot more achilles rupture content on youtube these days, including the non-surgical option. There wasn't much around when I ruptured mine about 6 years ago, which spurred me on to making these videos in the hope that I would reach people like you.
Have you been to a hospital and/or seen a surgeon? I only ask just in case the rupture isn't suited to the non-surgical method this time around (e.g. if the rupture isn't in the middle of the tendon, if there has been too much retraction, or perhaps something else that only surgeons really know about!).
@@achilles_rupture I’m due to see the docs tomorrow to get my cast off. I’ve had it on for 8 weeks now. Then it’s into a moon boot for another month or so, then I’ll be referred to a physio I believe to start rehab. Thankyou for your content. The days go by so slow when you can’t do much, if it wasn’t for your video/s I’d be lost.
@@ladytee6440 Thank you for your kind words :)
How are things now that you are in the boot? Another four weeks of waiting until starting rehab seems like a long time to me. Is there any way of getting in to see a physio before then?
Hi Scott, the best informative and educational video for Achilles rupture I have seen. Your video is a God send.
Thanks Walter - your comment came through as an email the other night whilst I was having dinner with friends, and I had to let them all know what you had just said. Very much appreciated!
How far along in your recovery are you?
@@achilles_rupture Scott. apologies for late response. I am in Houston, TX and I was not armed with alot of info. I am in week 3 and still looking for a physiotherapist like you did. Knee rover my wife got me is very helpful. But my orthopedic doctor merely had me in boot and asked me to only take it off at night when I sleep or shower. And follow up with him in 6 weeks since I went the non op option. I have got the most info from your video playlist.
I wish I could personally speak with you, but so would 100 more people. SO that may not be practical for you. Again Thanks. I do not have pain. I still fail to elevate my foot when in the boot. Not sure if the REST protocol is applicable and if I should see a physiotherapist before starting the slow weight bearing exercise. I checked one location and they said my doctor has to clear me first. But, I am confident that I will be good because you have set a detailed guide to that path. I was skeptical about proper recovery under Non Op until your videos. Again, thanks on behalf of myself and I am sure 100s of people out there for giving us hope. I am doing the toe exercises and might start putting weight after seeing a physiotherapist. Just do not know how to find one.
@@Oritz7 hey mate, good to hear things are progressing. I'm pretty sceptical of leaving it until the 6th week unless there's some other issue (e.g. the bone is broken). I'm not a physician so I don't know the kinds of things that would warrant waiting 6 weeks. That said, I'm confident that early exercises (that start gentle and ramp up over time) are better than waiting for a long period of time before starting.
Meanwhile taking the boot off to shower and bathe comes with risks. If you can shower sitting down and look after yourself that way then I think the risk there is reduced. Separately, sleeping without the boot this early could be bad if you were to fall out of bed or have a bad dream and kick the wrong thing etc. Ultimately it's up to you - I know it's quite relieving to take the boot off.
I'm not sure what effect it might have on your insurance etc, but you always have the right to refuse medical treatment and you should be able to discharge yourself from your doctor's care. Obviously you'd have to look into what that entails and whether it's the right course for you.
As for seeing my own physiotherapist, there was no issue with respect to whether my doctor had cleared me or not. I would suggest googling for a sports rehabilitation physiotherapist near you and asking what they would require, doctor's clearance or not. Phone calls to receptionists to enquire are usually free :) An experienced physiotherapist who gets injured athletes back on track has probably seen many ruptured tendons, and could be more knowledgeable about the rehab process than your doctor.
Thank you for your kind words. I hope this reply helps!
@@achilles_rupture Thanks for this info. I might have made a mistake. I got too confident and was walking on foot with no issues very lightly. But I am back on the boot to be cautious. So far still trying to a physiotherapist. I am in week 4 and doing some of the motion. I consulted a chiropractor to get a recommended contact. Do you have the same strength on both achilles as far as jumping or is the affected achilles slightly weaker.
@@Oritz7 yes I think walking without the boot (and more specifically - bending the foot out of plantar flexing beyond 90 degrees) at week 4 is a bad idea. I didn't start waking without the boot until around Week 8 or so, and that was work all the exercises and the physio's analysis.
To answer your question: my right (affected) calf and Achilles aren't as strong as before. But they are strong enough to do the things I want to do with no issues. If I wanted to play basketball again then I would have been training all kinds of hops and jumps, and then my calf/Achilles would be stronger now. But overall, I don't think that many people get their full 100% strength back.
Thank you so much for taking time to create these informative videos week by week, and then all the valuable advice. I appreciate you so much as I am 9 weeks in and worry constantly about healing long and over stretching. But so far so good, healing at the same timeframe as where you were those years ago. Thank you!!
Thanks Kieu, I very much appreciate it!
Glad to hear your rehab is progressing well. Keep up the exercises and I'm confident it will all fall into place in time :)
Did you ever earn your black belt post recovery?? Coincidentally, I ruptured my Achilles tendon in December while training and preparing for my 2nd degree black belt in Krav Maga. Looks like this is the year to rehab and recover, then I will go after it in 2025 when I am at my best!
@@kieuwong3940 I sure did :) I think it will be 2 years in May.
Nice to hear you are a fellow martial artist! I think you're right that it'll be a year of rehab - at least, that's about how long I took before I went back to training, and I didn't do sparring straight away. That said, looking back, I probably could have gone back to training earlier, it's hard to say.
Really helpful. I see myself in your story:). This brought some support, levity, and critical decision making information. 3 weeks in - still awaiting an MRI. What a nightmare this waiting game.
Hey Deryck, sorry to hear about your rupture but thanks for the positive feedback. Yes, waiting around and not having enough information or ability to take some kind of actions is really tough. I hope that after the MRI you have some good information to work from and get to the process of healing and strengthening.
Let me know how things go!
Thank you mate! I broke my Achille's two weekw ago and your video has been more helpful than many proffessional medical videos, You r really good at this! Warm Greetings From Argentina, Scott!
Many thanks for your kind words Rolando.
Sorry to hear about your rupture, though. Have you chosen to go non-surgical?
@@achilles_rupture yes. I have decided non surgical. I am not sure if I took the right decision. It is a total rupture with a 2 cm gap. The doc told me that my tendon will be a bit elongated but that I will be able to walk and run normally, although I don t know if I will feel comfortable with an elongated tendon... I don t know if 2 cm is a long distance or not...And I ve heard a later operation may not be as practical as if you do it early... I have entered my 3rd week now...
@@Rolando-m9k Ok gotcha. I would say that the initial period is difficult because there are so many unknowns. Have you considered a second opinion?
I can't say I know what sized gap is too big - my physio said as long as the rupture is in the middle of the tendon and that there is "minimal retraction", then the non-surgical method can be appropriate.
Are you in plantar flexion with wedges in a boot? I had two wedges to start with, 1cm each... which, if you look at it simplistically, should close a 2cm gap.
Hi Scott and guys out there
Thanks again for such awewsome videos
My doc had asked me if I had taken antibiotics prior to my Aquilles T Rupture. I know it seems very odd but I thought that it might be useful to some of you know that certain antibiotics may have a negative effect on that even If taken as long as one year and a half before the rupture. He even ordered me a blood test...
Chers and good luck!
Well researched, Scott. Excellent videos. I'm 65 years old, and still exercising my fractured Right wrist. Need to persevere with my physiotherapy. Thank you for support, Scott. Keep up with the Kenpo.
Such a good video. I broke down on day 4 and cried because of inability of doing anything and yet no timeline in sight (since I have MRI tomorrow and doctor's appointment the following day). I am in the US and they hardly ever go non-surgical way... I ruptured my Achilles next to a hospital so I was in a boot with wedges within 20 min after the injury. Hopefully that will allow non-surgical approach.
Hey Anna, sorry to hear about your rupture. Thank you for letting me know you appreciated this video, though.
How did your MRI go? Fingers crossed you had the option of going non-surgical. Keep me updated!
@@achilles_rupture MRI showed a complete rupture but no gap between ends of tendon therefore I will I won't have surgery! I need to follow procedure which in my case is boot with 4 wedges for another week, no weight bearing and slowly bearing and getting rid of wedges and doing PT. 🙏🏻❤️
@@WandaBliss great to hear no surgery required! Best wishes with the PT ahead. The road is frustratingly long, but you will get there in time. Keep me updated with how it goes :)
@@achilles_rupture I started fo take blood thinners on the 3rd or 4th day after the injury, do you know according to your research if that is fast enough to lower the risk of dvt?
@@WandaBliss sorry, unfortunately I know very little about DVT + Achilles injuries, even though I did take aspirin for a few days myself.
If you find any good info please let me know :)
Hey Man , great video im on my 3nd day . I did mine snowboarding in japan. I'm stuck in a hotel room in furano for another 5 days before flying back to Sydney and seeing a Dr.
I managed to get an upgrade to business class on the way home, luckily.
I did my left leg so it will be a bit easier , i can still drive to appointments.
Thanks for all the advice
Hey Stephen, sorry to hear about your rupture. I've broken a collarbone overseas whilst snowboarding, but rupturing an achilles overseas I reckon would create even more challenges - especially in the snow/ice. Good to hear you can drive though, that will make some things easier indeed!
Can I ask how the rupture occurred? Did you have any previous indications that there was an issue, or perhaps it was just a large impact? I umm-ed and ahh-ed about snowboarding during my recovery (I had a trip booked in then ruptured, still went on the trip as a holiday but decided not to snowboarding during it). Been to Furano on two separate trips :) There are some nice spots away from Niseko that aren't as touristy and have decent runs and snow.
If you see the surgeon and are given the option between surgical and non-surgical, do you currently have a preference?
I'm 56 , no previous tendon issues, actually did it in Kiroro the they day before we had to check out and head to furano .
I'm riding with Burton step ons and ruler boots which are a softer boot and I hit some powder and the board just stopped and I kept going . I felt the snap and knew exactly what it was. The ski patrol took me down the mountain on the back of a snowmobile.
Went to hospital and they supplied me with crutches with fold out spikes on the end so you don't slip on the ice.
I'm hoping to go non surgical as I had arthroscope on my knee about 15 years ago and ended up with a post op bleed. I was out of action for a long time with that and I don't want to go through anything like that again .
@@stephenawdry3719 yes fair enough, I think that's something I wasn't really aware of before this injury - the risks associated with surgery itself and what might happen afterwards. I know some people are dead keen on surgery for this injury, but as time goes by, I get more and more convinced that the non-surgical method was the right choice for me and probably is for most people. That said, every case is different and everyone needs to make their own choice.
Good to know about the gear you had too - my mate has step-ons, and now that I think about it, I can see how that means the achilles is really only protected by the boot (as opposed to a heel strap over the in-step).
In any case, the prognosis is usually good for achilles ruptures, and I dare say there's a good chance you could be boarding again next Japan season :)
PS I've been to Kiroro as well! Did you stay there? We made the trek up from Otaru for 3 days in a row, then decided to check out some other places.
I was diagnosed with Acheles tendonitis 2 months ago. My MRI results revealed “increased signal within the fibers of Acheles tendon with peritendinous fluid as well. Fluid in the retrocalcaneal bursa. No evidence of tear.”
I was in a boot for a month to get rid of pain and the states PT a month ago with my limping leg. My PT journey was encouraging for the 3 weeks stated walking without limping in 3 weeks with help of my shoes. Then I decided go for a short walk (1000 steps for 2 days) then I stated getting severe pain in my tendon. I lost hope on my recovery then I happened to see one of your videos and I have learned that the healing takes very long and study. Please can you analyze my MRI findings and let me know the severity of my problem, and can you advise how much time it may take for the recovery etc. You are really inspiring. Thank you!
Hi Amaresh, thank you for the kind words. Unfortunately, I do not know much about tendonitis and how to fix it. I believe that it is caused by tendinopathy which is left untreated or worsens over time. With tendinopathy, I know that one of the common ways to solve it is to do exercises specific to loading up the tendons which are affected, usually through heavy, static holds for 45 seconds on, 45 seconds off and repeating a few times. This is different to the way in which muscles are built.
However, for tendonitis, I don't know if the same approach will be of help to you. There are different types of pain as well (I am currently doing exercises for my knee tendinopathy, and I get pain from time to time, but I don't think any of it is the serious type of pain where it is a signal to stop). So ultimately, I think you will need seek medical advice. Your current PT might have some ideas about exercises, but if you have been unsatisfied with their advice so far, you may need to find a different PT.
I hope this helps.
I love my knee scooter, it came around week 3, goodbye crutches almost, and (as a cyclist) it’s fun.
Hehe fair enough Gray. I was fairly against them at first, after hearing SJ's story, but if the achilles is all wrapped up and protected in a cast or moon boot, then I think risk of re-rupture is quite low. Still, I recommend that people slow down and take their time - I don't think anyone wants a secondary injury to add to an achilles rupture!
Great video. Very thoughtful and concise. Thanks for kindly spending the time on this.
Many thanks Pantalones :) This video is my "summary of everything you might want to know to start with", but for whatever reason people seem to find my other videos detailing my weekly/fortnightly updates more often. Can't say I know why, but glad to know that people like you are still finding this one!
I bought an iwalk on marketplace for $70. Borrowed a knee scooter and used crutches. Used all depending on situation.
Each a huge help. Thanks for sharing
Good thinking - I look back on my experience and now think I could probably have benefited from a knee scooter. But I would still say to take it easy and not rush - I'm assuming you don't want to re-rupture either! :)
Thanks for the feedback and best wishes with the rehab - happy to answer questions you might have along the way if I can.
And a bum bag/fanny pack is awesome for holding phone, wallet and any odds and ends. I wear it during the day constantly.
Thanks Scott! 4 weeks in.
You're welcome! Hopefully by now you've gotten used to the general "pace" of things? At least, I'm hoping the hardest part for you is now over. How is the rehab going?
Hi Scott,
Thank you so much for sharing your journey. My partner ruptured his achilles last week and he couldn’t find a video that is as relatable until we came across yours!
We’re from Sydney and his orthopaedic, whom he saw 2 days after the rupture, scheduled the next appointment in 6 weeks. After seeing your other video, we thought the length is too long. Do you recommend seeking for second opinion and if you’re from Sydney, is it possible if we could have your orthopaedic’s contact?
Hi Hanajumy, thank you for your kind words.
Did the orthopaedic surgeon recommend any physiotherapy inbetween? If not (i.e. your partner was just told to sit around and use crutches with no weight on the foot for 6 weeks), then yes, I agree it is too long between appointments.
That said, it also sounds to me as if the surgeon is not recommending surgery and therefore the non-surgical method is applicable? If that is the case, and you do have physiotherapy booked in, then that is actually the kind of gap I had inbetween my surgeon visits (heck... I think it might have been Week 2 and then Week 12).
I would recommend you have a look at the Willits (2010) protocol for a rough idea of the physiotherapy process (see www.dranikoloski.com.au/pdf/achilles-tendon-rehabilitation-protocol.pdf ). Assuming that the non-surgical method is applicable, then the physiotherapy and strengthening of the tendon is what will matter for now. So if my assumptions are true, then I would recommend seeking out a sports rehabilitation physiotherapist, or someone who you can be confident in aiming to get your partner back to physical activity. Unfortunately not all physiotherapists are equal. Whilst I had to pay about $100 per session to see mine, his advice was much better than what I received from the public hospital physiotherpaist that Medicare assigned me (she was advising me to do things which did not make sense at all).
If you would like to get in contact with my physio, his name is Travis Arthur and he works at Body Logic Physiotherapy: bodylogic.physio/team/travis-arthur/ . I am not entirely sure how much he can assist via teleconference, but he may also have some recommended contacts in Sydney.
If you would like to talk to the first orthopaedic surgeon I saw, it seems like he he may have moved to Germany: www.orthopaedie-duesseldorf-sued.de/alfredo-pineda/index.html
I hope this helps - let me know if you have any further questions or my assumptions above were incorrect. Please pass on my best wishes to your partner.
@@achilles_rupture
Hi Scott,
Thank you so much for your very quick response.
Yes, my partner opted for the non-surgical route. We took your advice and got second opinion from a different orthopaedic surgeon and he said that’d have been too long as well.
My partner is on the path of recovery. Again, we very much appreciate your videos and suggestions! :)
@@hanajumy you're welcome and I'm glad that I was of assistance. Best wishes to you and your partner - let me know how things progress and if you have any questions along the way :)
Love this video, Scott!!
I’m 10 days in and the knee scooter amazing for carrying stuff around the house in the little basket. So much less stress on the body than using the crutches all the time.
Sorry to hear about the injury, mate, but glad you've found the knee scooter to be helpful. Makes me wish I'd actually tried one out!
That said, I recall another guy on UA-cam (pretty sure it was SJ) who said he had a bit of a scare because he was rushing around too much with the knee scooter and injured himself. So all I can say is be safe and take your time! In a few weeks' time I'm guessing you're going to be scared to death of re-rupturing... At least, I was!
Thank you from this. It’s been really helpful
You're welcome! Are you going through this journey yourself?
Great information thank you for sharing- ruptured 4 weeks ago, just came out of the cast and in to the boot 2 days ago and sort of rolled my foot on the stairs last evening in the boot, not sure what damage is done. I kind of rolled backwards in the boot on the step, felt like I was falling and so stepped back and felt a pull in the Achellies area. Hoping it isn’t much, it’s not swollen or paining just the occasional burning sensation.
Hoping it doesn’t delay my recovery to much
Hi Mary, sorry to hear about your rupture and how you rolled your foot on the stairs the other day. Did it turn out alright? At least, I'm hoping that the boot provided enough protection and that the pull you felt was normal.
Really helpful! Thank you! From Savannah Georgia 😊
Thanks for letting me know Rhegan. If you have ruptured your Achilles, I hope the rehab is going well.
Great video- at what week did you come out of the boot?
Thanks Prem. I got out of the boot after 12 weeks in it. That said, there was about a week or two beforehand where I was walking around carefully indoors (and no stairs) without the boot. After that, it was actually a little nerve-racking being outdoors without the boot at the start, because suddenly you've lost all the protection and safety of the boot. Are you currently going through achilles rehab?
@@achilles_rupture Yes I am, about to start week 4, second week in the boot and starting to partially weight bear today- Unfortunately in the UK where I am my next appointment isnt for another 5 weeks so am doing as much research online as I can to help my recovery as no doctor will be able to monitor it for me as I go along
@@premraja5680 oh wow, that's a fairly long time in between appointments. Fingers crossed you find some good info out there (I have some other videos uploaded with exercises in them, if that helps?).
Scott Morgan trying to get a private consultant in between to be honest, waiting 6 weeks doesn’t seem right. Yes I’ve seen those they look great just want to ensure I’m at the right stage to do them soon
@@premraja5680 yeah fair enough, I'm sure you can guess I would probably recommend a private consult as being a better source of information than me (or at least, I would hope they are better!)
@achilles_rupture hi Scott, i just ruptured my Achilles on aug 21. I’m in the US and it feels like most people here push you to surgery. I see more medical professionals from other countries that contemplate the conservative approach. I have a 1cm tear but not sure if it is middle or high (I don’t think it’s low). Do you have advice on where I can go? My issue is that surgery is extremely expensive. I’ve kept my foot in plantar flexion and can move toes and point it down but not up and my calf does not flex anymore. Thanks for your time and videos!!
Hey Jonathan, sorry to hear about your rupture. That's a tricky question for me, because I can't really diagnose you. It could be that, in your case for some reason, surgery is the only option.
That said, some things you could consider are:
1) Reading the Willits et al 2010 study, printing it out and taking it with you to your medical appointments to discuss. (Bonus points for digging into the literature beyond that to see what the latest findings are, because I don't know myself.)
2) Asking your family doctor/ GP for a recommendation in light of the non-surgical method i.e. take the study with you. Your doctor may not know what to do, but likely has contacts who would.
3) Track down a good sports rehabilitation physiotherapist (not a normal one) for a consult. They will hopefully not be incentivised to recommend surgery or not (unlike surgeons who may be financially incentivised). Take the Willits study with you and discuss the accelerated rehab protocol.
4) If/when you do talk to a surgeon, tell them that you can't afford the surgery and are wondering about the non-surgical method. Take the Willits study with you.
5) If you haven't already, contact your family and friends to try and track down someone who might fit the bill.
There may be other options to consider, so don't just limit yourself to my thoughts! I hope that helps in some way.
@@achilles_rupture thank you for taking the time for this incredibly thoughtful reply. I will definitely read the willits study and try to ask the better questions. Thank you!!!
@@milesandarrows you're welcome mate. Best wishes in the search and let me know how it works out!
Really good video. Thanx
You're welcome, hope it was helpful in some way!
Do you play basketball or soccer or any type of sports? Do you feel like you can jump as high or back to where you were? They say only via surgery you can get higher chance to get fully mobility. I want to go no op, but I also want my bounce back
Hey John, I used to play basketball when I was younger and used to be able to jump and touch the ring. I can't touch it any more. That said, I haven't trained that kind of jumping for a very long time, so that doesn't surprise me, achilles rupture or not. Additionally, rupturing my achilles made me never want to play any kind of hard court sports again.
As for how people recover after this injury, I don't think people tend to get their full strength/bounce back regardless of which option they go. I got to the point where things were "good enough" and the calf strengthening levelled off fairly quickly after that. The "best case" scenario might be Kobe - if you have the surgery and have the best rehab regime.
But to top it all off, everyone is different - you might find with your specific case that you get back to where you were. Perhaps you might ask yourself "What percentage more jump height/bounce am I going to get by going surgical?"
How quickly were you diagnosed? I injured my ankle n xrays were taken and supposedly nothing was broken or torn,i was to ice it for swelling,week later went back to clinic and still limping,but i noticed i had no pushoff injured foot,i saw online the thompson test tried and failed,i can hobble around on the foot even move forward and backward but cannot do toe raise,could it be partial tear? After initial injury i was able to hobble around on it for 2weeks what was your ankle like upon injury?
Hey Merced, I was diagnosed within a couple of hours I think (but after I fell and poked around myself, I was pretty confident I knew what had happened). I was able to hobble but with zero ability to use my calf - rather, I was able to pull my toes upwards and utilise the muscle on the front of the shin, the "tibialis anterior". This was, of course, not a good solution. My ankle was fine - xrays showed no broken bones. So after I was diagnosed by the Emergency doctor I was sent home in a cast with crutches.
Obviously it's hard for me to say what might be going on for you, given I'm not trained and this is just a youtube comment! My understanding is that the Thompson test is the main way to diagnose someone, so you might indeed have a partial tear (but that's not for me to really conclude - and a doctor/physio will be able to poke around or do an ultrasound to confirm).
Have you seen a different doctor or physiotherapist?
Knee scooter made my life a breeze during the 1st two weeks. I am single and the chores around the house were a pain, when using crutches. The rover simplified every task (other than using the stairs)
Hey Sergiu, that's great. Funnily enough, I've actually heard that feedback quite a bit and if I was to re-record this video it would be one of the things I would change. I think as long as people aren't zooming around and still take their time to be careful, then it's probably a good idea to look at knee scooters.
How far into your rehab are you now?
Hi, thank you very much for your video. For non-surgecial option, which is the angle of plantal flexion you had?
Hi Simon, you're welcome :)
I don't know the exact angle I had my foot at, but I definitely had 2x one-centimetre wedges in the boot under my heel. I have a feeling that's supposed to be 20 degrees but can't recall exactly.
@@achilles_rupture Thank youn for taking time to answer. Ok good I think it's what I have. With the boot had you any disconfort when you were stand up? I feel its stretching on my calve
@@simonsauve Yes, I don't think my boot was very advanced. Some people have described a boot that has air pumps that allow you to increase/decrease pressure in certain areas. Mine had a thick/stiff base with two rigid "columns" that went up both sides of the calf, then three velcro (or "hook & loop") straps plus cushioning around the leg. After leaning into the straps to walk around, I would often find the straps digging into my shin. But there was no way I could avoid that apart from trying to add some more padding on the shin. I ended up losing some nerves and sensation on the shin, although this came back in time.
As for your discomfort, if it's definitely the boot then you might need to find a way to adjust, offset or pad it out in some way.
I hope that helps.
@@achilles_rupture thank you very much my friend for the infos when 4 weeks out since my accident happen, I'm getting better slowy!
@@simonsauve you're welcome. Keep up those exercises! :)
I am at 13 mos. and I did non operation, I am at probably 90% recovered, and it keeps improving, I saw another video that mentions that for the last 10% it takes around 24 months, 3 years, is very slow recovery but it does gets better, this recovery is very slow but steady keeps getting better so it requires lots of patience
I totally agree that it is many months or years to get back to normal. I'm currently at 4.5 years post-rupture and am doing everything I want to do. The only thing that (only slightly) annoys me, though, is that my affected right calf is still noticeably smaller than my left. But if I really want the right calf to grow, I am going to have to put a lot more focus into weight training and muscle building than I have been, and I'm pretty much unwilling to make that commitment. So my right calf will probably stay smaller than the left for many months to come :)
Thanks for commenting - wishing you the best in your remaining recovery!
Great video. Appreciate the amount of information. 3 nights ago I believe I tore my Achilles. The severity is to be determined as I am finding out my ultrasound results tomorrow morning. I was playing basketball, on a slippery floor nonetheless. I am 38 years old. I jumped up to take a shot and when I came down it felt like someone landed on my leg. I immediately took my self out and basically crawled to the bench. I’ve never been injured before so in my head it was a bad ankle sprain. I went BACK IN the game and played the entire half. Just hobbled around. I drove home. Iced and elevated when I got home. All weekend I did the same. But Monday morning it him me that it might be a torn achilles. I can move my foot around. I can move my toes. I just can’t stand on my tippy toes. Swollen and Bruised on foot. I guess my question is, if it was THAT bad could I have driven 3 times and played the rest of a basketball game? I am hoping for the best but preparing for the worst.
My uneducated opinion is that if you can point your toes and you have some strength in it, then that's a good sign. I couldn't point my toes at all. However, you might have still have a partial rupture, so there's not much you can do until you get those ultrasound results and some advice from someone more knowledgeable than me about what to do next!
Best wishes, let me know how it goes.
Thanks for quick response. Your video is still going. At the end now. My friend let me borrow his boot. Not perfect fit but it’ll do for now. Praying it’s just partial. I get married in 2 weeks 🤦🏻♂️.
@@TheAeroRising haha ouch, yes this could definitely throw a spanner in the works. But... what's a wedding without a few last-minute changes? :)
Fingers crossed for your ultrasound results and diagnosis!
@@achilles_rupture now that it has been 6 days since I tore my achilles. Ultrasound results came back. They said the girl didn't get the best images so it was hard to tell but they definitely see a tear and wanted to send me to the Orthopedist. I was sent to the PA of an orthopedist. After she looked at it and did the Thompson test on me, she said non operative route is fine. First 5 days I had no noticeable "dip" where the achilles is torn. You had to push down and feel the area to feel the "dip" wear it is torn. They put wedges in my boot. Less than 24 hours later and now I have a "dip" that is noticeable to the naked eye. Should I be worried about this? Is it normal for that "dip" to be there?! I am panicking that the wedges are making the tear worse.
@@TheAeroRising I think the first thing you should do is call the surgeon's office and see if you can have these questions answered over the phone or at least relayed back to you by the receptionist.
My personal take (which isn't based on any training in human biology or rehabilitation) is that if you are keeping your weight off the foot and letting it rest, then there's probably nothing to worry about. But if you're trying to walk in the boot then that is something I would stop.
I don't think the wedges should cause any issues. It's essentially just pointing your toes down (thereby forcing the broken parts of Achilles tendon back together).
The "dip" you now have might be due to swelling on either side of the rupture (but I'm not familiar with how this kind of thing might occur, hence my recommendation to call your surgeon).
I hope this helps in some way!
how long did it take you to lift up on your tip toe on the bad foot
Hey Chris, you can see me getting a centimetre or two at about Week 14-15 in my video here: ua-cam.com/video/yDD4C-4prDM/v-deo.html
As for getting to as high as possible on the affected side, I can't recall off the top of my head right now, but it was weeks after that (perhaps somewhere around Week 25-30?).
Full extension may not be the best yardstick however - it depends what kind of activities you're into and whether you need that full range and power (like a ballet dancer might). In my case, my focus was on getting back to snowboarding and martial arts. I took my time and went back to martial arts classes about one year after I ruptured (by that point, snowboarding didn't pose an issue). It was perhaps another 6 months of attending classes before I felt like my sparring was back to "normal".
Best video thank you
Thanks for letting me know!
Enjoyed thanks ..
I’m going non surgical I just got into my walking boot today I was in a cast for 4 weeks. The tendon is retracting just have to keep weight off of it
Hey Huncho, sounds like you're making progress :) Progress can be slow, but keep up with your exercises and that should make the journey easier!
Did you fully rupture? Or just tear?
Fully rupture or tear?
Nice video, thank you !
Thanks Kaylee :)
I got my Achilles’ tendon severed by a dolly moving out of my college dorm. When you started walking without a boot did you feel flat footed? Like you couldn’t push off as you walk like normally ?
Ouch, that sounds more painful than mine :(
Yes, my affected leg's calf was especially weak (and still is, somewhat, about 10 months later). I would bet that you'll be doing a lot of calf exercises as part of your rehab. But I would also bet that what you're feeling with not being able to push off so well is normal.
Wanted to do martial arts. now I cant .. wil take time .. cause of archives tendon damage. .And I am in cast but its 5% down .. 2 weeks has passed will try to get cast to 20%....
Hey Paul, yes it will definitely take time. It might be a number of months before you're jogging again, and perhaps after that martial arts will be possible.
I was put into a boot on day 2. Day 1 i instantly went home and elevated it and rested on ice.
Am I not supposed to walk in the boot for 2 weeks? I didnt receive crutches so Im wondering if I need to stop walking on the boot.
@@DanielRRoof what was the advice your doctor or surgeon gave you?
I can't recall anyone who has said they were walking in the boot without crutches right from the start. There are a couple stories from people who started some of their rehab earlier than I did. However, my personal thoughts are that the first week or two is the time to rest and let the inflammation and swelling subside.
I recommend you search for some YT videos on general tendon rupture and repair to see what you think.
@@achilles_rupture I am not disagreeing. Im looking for that info. My dr was very vague. He put inserts in my boot and said to wear it all the time and I can take it off when I sleep.. Im going to.go non weight bearing now. On day 3 so still early.
@@DanielRRoof gotcha. That sucks your doctor was so vague. Personally, if I was to do it all again (heaven forbid!), then I would do it the same way, following Willits (2010) protocol, unless advised otherwise by my physio. Yes Day 3 is still super early, and I'd say that keeping the weight off it for now is a good idea.
I just realised this might be the only video of mine that you've seen. If you haven't seen the others, I've documented the first 15 weeks and the various exercises I did along the way: ua-cam.com/play/PLsTgkKF-ywMP21a9mJRxC73My6rfKuNpO.html&si=pXKEuqSNfxSmhFfM
@@achilles_rupture Its confusin to me why being in the air cast boot with wedges in it isnt considered non weight bearing. My achilles stays in a stationary position. I feel no pressure or pain when I am walking in the air cast.. what are your thoughts on this?
@@DanielRRoof unfortunately I don't know what an air cast is or how it works. My thoughts are that if you are walking and putting weight on the affected foot, then you are most likely activating the calf muscle, which is in turn stretching the Achilles apart at the rupture zone. That doesn't seem right to me, but maybe there's something to the air cast that mitigates this separation.
Perhaps if you find out more about the air cast you could share the info here?
One more r u able to do snow boarding or karate now ?
Yes, most definitely. I got back to Kenpo about one year after my rupture. Granted, I took my time and was more on the conservative side, but I also didn't want to re-rupture. I would have been fine to go snowboarding at that time too, I think. Obviously since then, I've been back on the slopes!
So the long term prognosis for you is probably going to be good, assuming a normal rehab process and no complications. It just takes time and routine in doing your exercises - gradually improving without pushing too quickly. I found it hard to find where that line was (hence why I was more conservative in my rehab and what risks I wanted to take).
@@achilles_rupture Hi Thanks for the information.
I have 1.6cm gap on my achilles tendon rupture. Do i need to do surgery or the conservative treatment?
Unfortunately it's not possible for me to answer that - best for you to ask a surgeon (or two).
However, I seem to recall people with a 2cm gap opting for non-surgical, so it might be an option for you unless there are other factors to consider (e.g. if the rupture is not mid-tendinous).
Thank you bro. Unfortunately conservative treatments for achilles ruptures are not yet recognize here in the philippines. It feels like im on my own with this. Your videos are really helping me a lot. I have another question though. Im in 4th week right now. And it feels like my rupture is gradually connecting. I can feel like an hourglass shape in my gap when i touch it. Is that common?
@@brainybuddy5176 I had what my physiotherapist called a "divut" for many weeks, as if the inner part of the tendon connected and hardened first, and then later the outer part grew over and hardened up. As for how common that is, I can't say - I can't recall my physio being bothered by it, so I'm guessing what I had was normal enough.
If you're already in your 4th week and elected to go non-surgical on your own, then I would imagine you have some kind of strength and ability to point your toes by now?
Yes i can do that. Im able to lift my legs seating like the things you do in your previous videos too. Im still scared to do the standing with my feet neutral on the ground yet. Maybe I'll do that in my 6th week. This morning I did the thompson test and Im so happy it moved.
By the way bro. How many wegde do you have in your boot? And how many weeks are the intervals before removing a wedge?
@@brainybuddy5176 glad to hear you have movement with the Thompson test. Judging from my other videos, I think I went down from two wedges to one wedge around week 6, and I seem to recall removing the second wedge either a week or two later. My understanding is that around week 6, the tendon has "healed" in the sense that the collagen fibres will have been laid down in response to the injury. But obviously the tendon is still weak at that point. It really is a long, slow progression of continuous improvement and strengthening (unlike a bone, which is kind of just "done" and ready to use around 8 weeks after injury).
I think it's good that you're worried, because that means you care and that you'll hopefully not push too hard too quickly. The main thing I was taught to look out for was vague tendon pain that lasts for more than 24 hours. Usually this is a sign that the tendon is unhappy and you need to back off from whatever caused the longer-last pain.
legend
Thanks for letting me know!
Did you rupture your Achilles?
yes sir, I chose the non op method too and im currently at week 4 since the injury playing badminton. @@achilles_rupture
I spent 3 weeks in a cast and im finally in a moon boot walking with crunches. hello from sydney!
apparently, my physio was telling me one of her patients ruptured both achilles at the same time!
@@mattbrown2668 g'day from Perth!
Mate... two achilles at the same time. I can't imagine how rough that would be. That said... maybe both at the same time is still better than doing one, then later on doing the other?
Sorry to hear about your rupture, but good to know you are now moon-boot-crutch-walking!
Hello i hope you are fine whats is your gab please thank you
Hi Fikri. Unfortunately I don't use gab. Is there something you want to ask me here in the YT comments?
@@achilles_rupture CONCLUSIONS: Tibio-fibular-talar joint with bone edema focus; Trabecular fractures in the anterior margin of the distal tibial epiphysis. Moderate joint effusion. The anterior fibular-talar ligament with periligamentous inflammatory-edematous changes. The Achilles tendon presents a complete rupture in MRI at 5 cm from the distal insertion, with mild middistal tendinosis and edema of peripheral fibers in distal areas of the soleus. Achilles para-peritendinitis. Plantar fascia with slight proximal periaponeurotic inflammatory changes. Inflammatory changes and swelling of the periarticular soft tissues. Sincerely, Dr. Jordi Català
If you can help me what they means with 5cm is that mine gab
Thank you
@@fikribenali154 Hi Fikri, apologies, I thought you were asking for my Gab account (which is like Twitter, although I do not have an account on either website), but I think you mean "gap".
Unfortunately I'm not a physician so there are a lot of technical words I'm not familiar with. However, it appears to me that the 5cm measurement refers to the location of the rupture from the heel, not the size of the gap/rupture. (I did a bit of googling/search for "distal insertion", which revealed "The distal insertion of the Achilles tendon measures approximately 1 × 2 cm, and is located approximately 2 cm distal of the superoposterior edge of the calcaneal tuberosity". The "calcaneal tuberosity" appears to be the heel bone.)
Ultimately, you will need a doctor or surgeon's opinion on whether you can go the non-surgical route, or if you need to have surgery. If you think you might be able to go without surgery, but your doctor does not recommend it, then it may be worth seeking a second opinion from a different doctor.
I hope this helps.
im non op right now. tore my achilles 3 days ago. the orthopedic didn't give me a mri just a xray. have you fully recovered? what week after tear did you start walking again without crutches
Hey Hammond, sorry to hear about your Achilles rupture. I haven't "fully" recovered in the sense that my Achilles and calf are not the same as before. But I got back to doing everything I wanted to be doing about a year after my rupture. My main complaint now is that my affected calf is smaller than the other - it's not a big enough deal for me to be doing all the exercises I should be to bulk it up.
I think I started walking without really needed the crutches (but still had the moon boot) after week 6 or so. The boot finally came off at about week 12. You'll probably find that it's a gradual process the whole way, unlike breaking a bone which is fully failed and ready to go at about 6 weeks.
How are things going for you?
@@achilles_rupture hey scott thanks for the reply. i work at a restaurant and require to stand all day..i need to get back to work but looks like it will take 3 months before i can actually walk. maybe i should of went for the operative route because of the faster recovery?
Hey Hammond, I don't think the non-surgical option will take any longer than the surgical. This is based on the Willets (2010) study - both surgical and non-surgical groups took about 12 weeks to get out of the boot. I think I got out of my boot at about 12.5 weeks. The key is starting exercises early.
Who said it would take about 3 months? You might need a second opinion from a sports rehabilitation physiotherapist.
@@achilles_rupture thanks for giving me hope. im so bored sitting at home all day doing absolutely nothing and can't walk. depression is setting in. im a very active person..i go to the gym 7 days a week or play sports. this is already the worst year of my life
@@hammond5315 hang in there mate. I'm not a active as you, but I was training for my black belt (in American Kenpo) at the time, ramping up my training for an intense grading.
Trust me when I say that it gets better in time... the first part is really the worst. It's not just the injury, it's the change in life and all the plans you may have had now being altered. But I'm confident you will walk and run again, it just takes time and perseverance.
The good news is that you can do upper body work at the gym, albeit using more machines for safety.
But I really recommend just chilling for the first two weeks. Slow down, don't rush, because you really really don't want to re-rupture! Someone recently commented on one of my videos saying that they re-ruptured at week 3.
Anyway, I hope that helps! Hang in there.
sometimes sitting is better 18:19
ive just ruptured my tendon and one of the most difficult tasks is going to the toilet!!
Sorry to hear about your rupture, but glad you agree that sitting is better!
Have you already had surgery, opted for the non-surgical route or are still deciding?
@@achilles_rupture opted for non-surgery and in week 4 now. have a consultation booked in and hoping to transition to the boot and weight bearing.
@@mkra3506 ok great. I would imagine that by this point you should be able to start doing some weight-bearing as tolerated ("WBAT") with the assistance of crutches.
Let me know how the consultation and next steps go!
@@achilles_rupture Hello Scott. So ive transitioned to the boot but been told no weight bearing and no exercises/physio until 4-6 weeks!! not something i wanted to hear. i thought i could start wbat once in the boot as i wanted to strengthen the tendon. i think i will do it regardless as i need my hands to do things around the house and need to begin working on that tendon
@@mkra3506 hey mate, that's strange to me, but perhaps there's a reason. Who gave you the consult - was it a surgeon?
I'd say it's worth tracking down a good sports physiotherapist, who works with rehabilitation for athletes or similar, who can give you a second opinion. Unfortunately the surgeons I've heard about (even in my own city) don't always have the same knowledge as physiotherapists.
Obviously I can't recommend you ignore medical advice, so if you do, I'd say it's better to be slow and steady rather than be aggressive (and risk re-rupture).