Achilles Tendon Recovery #3-9 weeks, non-surgical, early weight bearing option

Achilles Rupture Recovery Playlist: • ejbvmi's Achilles reha...
My Achilles blog: achillesblog.com/ejbvmi/

[@johnleighty6564]

These videos have been super helpful for me so thank you. I’ve had a bit of a unique journey myself dealing with this injury. I tore my Achilles on Nov 14 playing in my mens soccer league and there was no contact. I went the operative route and had surgery on Nov 21. The surgeons warn you about potential for skin infection, I was one of the odd cases it seems because my body would simply not fight the infection even after 3 weeks post-op. The surgeon decided to take me back into surgery on Dec 13 to clean out the incision, but it turns out the tendon got infected so he had to re-do the whole thing and clean it out. I ended up re-rupturing on Christmas Day a few days ago while visiting my family by simply losing balance on my knee scooter and putting weight on to my leg instinctively to break my fall. Surgeon is recommending the non-op route now and that’s the plan moving forward. Extremely long journey ahead and some mountains to climb, but we’ll get there!

[@jeanbilbrough9809]

Hi Evan, thanks for the videos, they're great and they're giving me some confidence as to what I can do at each stage of recovery

[@rickyflores5160]

Thank you for your time Evan I apreciate it!

[@cindyk2652]

Thanks for your videos! My husband ruptured his Achilles’ tendon and is going the non-surgical route. All the information you’ve given has been extremely helpful. Thanks.

[@karas.7179]

Hi Cindy, how is your husband?

[@carladey610]

Great to see your experience, reflects mine almost perfectly week by week at this point, will be trying out the ball exercise now!

[@sherryjellison]

Evan, thank you for creating these videos. They're very helpful. I am six weeks in, but due to late diagnosis, I'm behind in the healing process.

[@derekharvey7576]

thank you.I am at the same stage as you.only physio advised me to use crutches for about 1 more week..baby steps.also told me not to walk barefooted.gave me a few excercises to do.next visit to physio will be in 2 weeks.feel better after seeing your post.

[@iamnyron]

So helpful for this info. Thanks Evan!!!

[@alanpitchfork650]

Evan, Well done with the videos. Very useful exercises that gave me confidence and encouragement that with a bit of effort I will one day walk normally again !!

[@ejbvmi]

Sorry for not replying sooner. I moved this summer and lost lock on KZbin. I hope your recovery is coming along nicely! At 14 months, I often find myself smiling because I feel normal again and do everything I did pre-injury (except tennis, which is dead to me). Good luck!

[@Shootemfulloholes]

Thanks Evan for your videos you have really helped us all so much, especially given me more information also a much needed sense of direction and hope for a good as possible recovery non surgically. I do have a question, round about when did you feel comfortable with the idea of starting to drive?

[@hanksmith6399]

good stuff - i am at week 9 and seem to be in the same spot of recovery - i am 62 so healing is a little slower but am very active and was a couple of days out from a 150 mile charity bike ride when i ruptured my achilles so anxious to get back on a bike

[@raymondviccaro7489]

Good luck buddy, I'm dealing with this also, slow healing process.

[@edhdez22]

Hi Evan! Thanks for the great videos! I'm transitioning to 2 shoes, you may have skipped that part on your video, but just wondering how much weight did you start with and how many steps, with crutches or no crutches? Congrats on your awesome recovery!

[@neilcooke4266]

Hi Evan , how many weeks until the indent disappeared on your Achilles, I'm at 10 weeks out of boot and doing physio exercises. Indent seems to come and go . Shows up more after exercises. Your videos are a great help. Many thanks Neil

[@ejbvmi]

Neil Cooke After three years, I’m not sure when the indent began to disappear. Eventually it was replaced with a section of thicker tendon where the healing tissue did its thing. As I recall, I took a good while to rebuild enough muscle in the lower calf to cause the area around the injury to look “normal” again, but suspect that you are very close to that milestone.

[@marior6948]

On my 4th week non surgical recovery. Quick question does calf flexion mean the tendon has attached?!

[@robertmetcalfe3592]

Hi Evan, I really appreciate your videos - They are wonderful I am 76 and did it playing tennis. I am now at 9 weeks and I am basically tracking your recovery. I highly recommend physiotherapy - they keep you "safe" particularly if you are an athlete and push yourself too much. My goal is golf at 8 months and running in 12.

[@ejbvmi]

I'm glad that your recovery is tracking well, Robert! I definitely agree about PT. I would have been plagued with doubt about what I could safely do at each of those early stages, and probably would have either gone super-conservative or hurt myself by pushing too hard. As you start to get out in the world again, try to define that sweet spot between too much and too little for yourself in each activity. We took trips that involved a ton of walking at 7 weeks and four months post-injury, and I ended up with a really sore heel. I didn't re-rupture, but my AT was barking at me after that four month post-injury trip and I took a week or two off from high activity levels to let it heal/settle down. Good luck to you!

[@MN-fc5so]

Did you find it very hard when you started physical therapy and you felt a little discomfort right behind the Achilles there? Not painful but enough to be discomfort? Especially after the exercises.

[@seanodaniels397]

Evan, I'm on week 3 and can do most of the movements you show in this episode. As long as we don't push it to where it hurts or gets sore are we good? my doc started me in a boot from day one with a very low heel wedge. I completely ruptured mine as well and I'm shocked how much I've progressed in 3 weeks. Don't see the doc again until week 6. my therapist didn't know squat about nonsurgical recoveries. looking for a new one or just going to use my best judgment in movements /recovery. your videos are great.

[@seanodaniels397]

btw, I am Avery conservative and patient healer. I tore my meniscus 3 years ago and recovered with no surgery. took almost a year but I fully recovered..

[@rickyflores5160]

Thanks for that info Evan I apreciate it. One last thing I've been in a cast almost 4 weeks in it I don't have money or insurance to go back to a doctor or rehab I was thinking of just buying my own recovery boot around week 5 and just watching videos of what others were taught by their therapist and doing therapy on my own any thoughts?

[@ejbvmi]

I really benefitted from my physical therapist pacing my recovery during the first couple months, but that was the primary benefit. I felt this was important, but 95% of the actual work is done outside the clinic. So long as you are prudent about your choices and don't overdo it, I would not bet against you being able to fully recover on your own. It takes deliberate work to regain range of motion and strength. To pace work in both areas without overdoing it or stagnating, I would suggest that you go to PT at least a few times to get a sanity check on what you are doing at each stage. Prioritizing this now can help ensure that you are going in the direction of full recovery. Good luck, my friend.

[@rickyflores5160]

Hi Evan due to my Achilles tendon being ruptured I couldn't go back to work because I'm a waiter. At what month do you think I'll be able to go back on my feet and move around like a waiter? or should u say what week?

[@ejbvmi]

That's a tough one, Ricky, because I don't have experience with that much walking every day for many weeks in a row. I did take several family vacations during the first months of my recovery, and walked 5-10 miles a day for a week each trip... and was inclined to throttle back the next week to let my leg recover. Some of the issues in the initial months were swelling (which could become really impressive early on), a sore heel (memory foam insoles are the best) and tenderness in my foot and less frequently in the AT itself. When these concerns reached a certain level, I would ratchet back my activity level to let things recover. I have a desk job, so I had that option. When you go back, things like a compression sock to minimize swelling, memory foam insoles to help fend off the sore heel, etc, will help reduce the impact on your body. My biggest concern, though, having been a waiter after college, is that you not rush. Rushing around, as waiters often do, increases the likelihood of a mis-step that might cause you to plant your injured foot wrong and re-rupture. Be really careful to approach return to work as a person still in recovery, not you as you moving the way you did before the injury. Getting to that place safely will take several months. Best of luck, brother.

[@financialadvisor1000]

Ricky flores.... I agree with Evan, you can purchase a boot on Amazon and reduce the angle a little bit each week. Also you can find the proper physical therapy protocol online, and again Evan is right in saying most of it is done outside of the clinic anyway. Just remember, in between week 8 and 12 is when 95% of rerupture's occur. If I am not in a controlled environment like my home, I would wear the boot still.

[@ginoestep1676]

Get surgery or u won't ever be able to walk how u were walking before the rupture and that's a fact

[@salras]

How much did you move by week 8? I have also chosen the non-surgical after consulting with four of my friends who are ortopedic surgeons. Now at week 2 in ROM-walker/boot with a 30 degree angle, at week 4 in total I will be at "neutral position 90 degrees" for 4 weeks and I can get rid of the boot at week 8. My question to you is how much mobility did you have at week 8? I am getting married at week 8 when the boot is removed :( Just to know what things I should bring with me to the wedding, types of shoes and amount of "dancing".

[@ejbvmi]

I spent week 7 on a cruise in Greece, and put in several miles each day in the boot. I started walking a little in the apartment during week 8, but when truly back into "two shoes" after 8 weeks. Even with all my exercising, the calf and muscles in my foot were really weak, so I had a significant limp. I focused on walking with a normal push-off as much as I could, but would back off and limp if the foot, AT, or calf indicated that it was time to give it a rest. None of that sounds promising for cutting a rug with abandon, but you should be able to pull off the first dance for sure. I kept my boot in reserve for "surge" activities like a day at the zoo around week 10, when I knew we would be walking around 5 miles and I didn't want to overdo it. You might want to have the boot in a standby position, just in case your foot or leg are not feeling great but you still need to get around the reception and mingle. Best of luck, and congrats!

[@salras]

Thank you so much for your answer! I will be bringing the boot and the cruches in case I get too tired. Yes I probably will only try to make it for the first dance (and it would probably be the last, that night) and rest as much as possible. So worried about getting a re-rupture. Thank you and have a good day!

[@solidsnakemgs2180]

Doctor gripped my calf and no flex. I got MRI tendon was gone. Doctor said let’s do surgery. Went with it and now I’m in a cast. Let’s see how this goes

[@umarsofi3650]

I have tendon injury

[@rad97gt]

Any pain while doing no boot walking?

[@ejbvmi]

Early on, there were twinges in the tendon area that would grab my attention, and I would modify what I was doing (take a break, not push off as hard with the calf, or even put the boot on if I had miles of walking to do and wanted to de-stress the tendon). Later, most of the pain I encountered was in my heel. The sole of my foot atrophied during the boot phase, and until it recovered ( a slow process ), my heel took the brunt of my weight. I highly recommend memory foam insoles, to avoid this problem. Good luck!

[@financialadvisor1000]

At month 11 of non operative, I cannot endorse it. Im sorry.

[@ejbvmi]

AliveAgain Sorry to hear things are not going well for you. Did something happen?

[@lislejune]

do the surgery or you will never be 100 percent...

[@ginoestep1676]

Get the surgery or you'll never be able to run again or walk straight and that's a fact . Only way a person avoids surgery is if they're never planning to run or again . Who wants to live a life without being able to exercise

[@ejbvmi]

Um... not true. I’ve been running, cycling and hiking since a few months post-injury. The proof is in the results, and large-scale studies show that early weight bearing is a far better predictor of success than whether or not patients have surgery. Opinions are ok to have, but my goal has been to share as much factual information as I can so that folks can make their own call. I was on the fence when I chose non-op three years ago, and am grateful that it worked for me. Re-rupture is a risk for either route and the rates are roughly the same... so there are no guarantees either way. I hope that your own recovery is going well.

[@jeanbilbrough9809]

Hi Evan, thanks for the videos, they're great and they're giving me some confidence as to what I can do at each stage of recovery