Golf And Achilles Rupture

[jaycee]

Hi,

Can anyone give me a timescale how long it will take after a achilles tendon rupture surgery. I had the op within 24 hours of doing it and 4 weeks after

[giggsy]

I ruptured my achillies at a party and have had a fibreglass cast in a neutral postion for two days. I had it pointing downwards for three and a half weeks! I though about getting some stillettos from the boutique (I am a bloke!).

I get my boot brace on 31st Jan and cant wait to se both my feet to walk again. My right foot is getting really pissed off at my left one for being so bloody lazy.

Luckily I drive an automatic car and have been going to work as normal. Carrying a laptop has been a bit awkward but I have got used to it.

I think you can expect a six week after op recovery process until you use both feet to walk. I consider my self slim and fit so would expect to stick to this period (unless I have any accidents - touch wood).

Good Luck and my sympathiy is with you.

[Unregistered]

I did mine in July 2004. I had a boot on for 6 weeks, then gradually put weight on it after that. Toss the crutches as soon as you can - I kept them for 8 weeks, 6 would have been more advisable.
The biggest issue was muscle loss in the calf ...you lose it easily and it's tough to get it back. The trick is to get back to using the leg as soon as you are able (and allowed).
It's important to do all the exercises the physio tells you. Wiggle your toes the first week. Point foot forward the 2nd week, then use therabands as much as possible.
Do heel raises (assisted at first and then gradually put more of your weight on it) as instructed by physio. Stretch that calf AND the achilles as well ...very important.
Lots of massage on the scar (from the end of week 2) is important too. It didn't really hurt ..phew.
As far as I can remember, after about 8 weeks or so I was on a mini-trampoline. Initially, just stand on one foot (the bad one) and balance ...it'll strengthen the ankle joint.
Apart from that I found walking was the best cure. After about 3 months, I was tiring myself out by doing heel raises but progress was slow. I couldn't really step unassisted off the bad foot for about 6 months(although, by this stage I could jog - in fact, I started jogging - with a pronounced limp after 12 - 14 weeks).
I had a lot of trouble getting comfortable shoes that didn't annoy the scar and the swollen achilles. Runners were ok but I had to cut the backs out of a few other pairs to make them comfortable.
Another thing to remember is not to forget about the other foot. Keep exercising and stretching that as well.
In summary, the main two issues I had were calf muscle loss and scar tissue being annoyed by shoes. It took a year before both were "normalised" but, really, I was back to fairly normal running after 6 months. I retired from soccer (I WAS 42 so I was planning it anyway) but would probably have written off one season if I was playing on. Someone who's younger could probably play soccer after, maybe 8 months but I reckon that's pushing it. Good luck ...the good news is that normality DOES return. byrne_dermot@hotmail.com