Ruptured Achilles Tendon

[dooleysm]

I ruptured my achilles tendon while playing basketball on Jan. 22. I had surgery to repair the tendon on the 24th. I had a bone spur on my heal that the doctor ground off while he was fixing the tendon. He said he used something called a 'patch graft' to help repair the tendon. There's a screw in my heel somewhere too.

I'm going in tomorrow morning to have the staples removed from the incision and a hard cast put on. The doctor has said that this will take a full 12 weeks of complete 'immobilization' of the tendon to heal up. Walking around on crutches and not being able to do anything is killing me. It's killing my wife too, as we've got a 2 year old and a 5 month old at home and she works 3 days a week. Fortunately, I've got a desk job, so after being off for about a week after the surgery, I've been able to return to work.

Has anyone else had this surgery? How was the recovery? How long did it take to get back to a functional state? How long to feel 'normal'? Any lasting problems?

I calculated 12 weeks to be mid-April. Things are already piling up for me to do, and that'll be right in prime garden planting time, so I know I'll have a million things to do when I finally can walk again.

 

[radman1]

After 12 weeks of immobilization, you will have literally no movement in your ankle. Consider lots of physical therapy and rehab for another 12+ weeks. Reconstructed tendon won't probably be as strong as the original, so take it easy. Was it a complete tear or partial tear?

 

[ToadHill]

I never ruptured my achilles tendon but about 10 years ago I brused it. The doctor told me it would have been better if I torn it. He said to be prepared for walking with a limp for a long time. He was right I limped for almost 18 months.

 

[dooleysm]

It was a complete tear, and in fact it pulled off part of that bone spur. In the initial x-ray you could see a chunk of bone floating up about 4 inches above my heal, it was disgusting. I think my basketball days may be over.

I was supposed to get the staples out and cast put on this morning. We got hit by a bunch of ice overnight and the doctor's office was closed until noon. I'm rescheduled for 3:20 this afternoon.

 

[dqdave1]

I think tendons dont have alot of blood fllow; that causes the long recovery time.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I tore the tendons in my right ankle but only partially playing basketball in 1996. It hurt like crazy the first few days then the pain subsided. I can't remember how long I was in a cast but I went thru graduation with the cast on. My ankle still feels different and doesn't feel as strong as my left ankle but I don't have any pain.

I can't say for certain what you are going to go thru but hopefully you will be ok and will be able to go back to your normal activities when you are healed. One thing I do remember is when they finally took the cast off there was a ton of dead skin on my leg almost like a sock. I thought it was neat but my mother disagreed

One more thing, you are lucky you got injured when you did (well, if you had to choose when you were going to get hurt that is). This way, you will be inside while you need to be resting and when you start feeling better the weather will be warming up and clearing up. I was unlucky/lucky when I recently broke my back. I am stuck in doors all winter unable to do anything which is ok as I should be back to "normal" in time for the main part of my farming. However, I am going crazy sitting around the house right now as I can't walk well enough to walk outside if it is slippery out or if there is any amount of snow. I am really looking forward to the warmer weather so I can walk outside instead of the stupid treadmill

I wish you the best and hopefully you will have a speedy recovery with no problems or setbacks. And if you need any help just ask and we will do our best to help you out.

 

[radman1]

It was a complete tear, and in fact it pulled off part of that bone spur. In the initial x-ray you could see a chunk of bone floating up about 4 inches above my heal, it was disgusting. I think my basketball days may be over.

The fact that you actually avulsed a portion of the bone may actually be a good thing. If the peice of bone is sizeable, it can may be reattached and heal faster than the tendon itself. However, it depends on many other factors as well. Most achilles tendon tears occur just before the tendon attachment and not at the insertion site. Most tears are in what is considered the critical zone. Usually the tear is just before the bone attachment. This is where the blood supply is the poorest and therefore healing is slow.

 

[dooleysm]

The doctor told me that he shaved off the part of the bone that came off, "avulsed". That was part of the huge bone spur on the back of my heal. It was a huge bone spur and has been causing me some problems for about 8 years now. I always wear out the heals of my shoes before anything else from that big spur. My calf is always real tight in the mornings and takes a while to loosen up. I have a hard time walking uphill. I'm hoping that I'll actually be better than before since the doctor was able to remove the spur.

The staple removal was not as bad as I was fearing yesterday, but still no picnic. I got the cast on with no problems, though my calf has already shrunken noticably. The doctor wants me back in 3 weeks to get a new cast, as he claims my calf will have shrunk more and this cast will be too loose.

The absolute worst part is having to sit by helplessly while my wife has to care for our 2 year old and 5 month old. Thankfully both our families are close by. I don't know how we'd manage without them.

 

[radman1]

Good luck on the rehab. Takes time and patience. It is amazing how fast muscles will shrink without being used.

 

[QuartzCreek]

I feel your pain, really. I ruptured my achilles tendon 11/03 also while playing basketball. Surgeon said it rolled up like a window shade. Was in a cast for several weeks, then a walking boot. The latter was great because I could take it off and shower rather than just taking wash offs and uncomfortable baths with my cast hanging over the edge of tub. I wasn't back to feeling normal and walking without a limp or noticeable tightness until 6/04. My surgeon said that one can recover quicker from a broken leg. Crucial piece of advice- do all of the physical therapy recommended- do not slack up here. Best of luck to you!

Mike