Anybody else ever rupture an Achilles tendon?

Doug E · 02-23-2009, 05:33 AM

Guess now that I'm over 40 I can't be playing basketball with the kids anymore

Last night we were playing when I took a shot, went to go for the rebound and then ... POP ... I went down like someone had shot me. Loudest noise I ever had heard coming from my body. Knew it wasn't good so off to the ER, in a splint now and waiting for the appointment with orthopedic surgeon this afternoon.

Anybody else ever experience this ? If so, what was your recovery like ?

The ER doc told me to expect to be off it for 1-2 months so there goes the DE's I was planning on driving in March and April.

Best part is that 2 weeks ago we found out our divisional HQ was being shut down so trying to find a job now and interview on top of this is definately going to be a memorable experience

crustychief · crustychief's Garage

Wow, sorry to hear about that. Hope you have a speedy recovery!

Jim Richards · 02-23-2009, 05:49 AM

Sorry to hear that you're falling apart, Doug. Recover soon.

Hard-Deck · 02-23-2009, 05:57 AM

Mine didn't snap in half like yours, but I damaged mine in Airborne School years ago. It literally squeeked when I walked for three weeks.

Cornpanzer · 02-23-2009, 06:18 AM

Doug,
I ruptured mine back on Labor Day 2007. It was a partial tear. Surgery the following week and I didnt get off the crutches til mid November.

Was yours a partial or full tear?

I would plan on being on crutches for 10-12 weeks. Please dont rush the recovery. I have talked to many people who rushed the recovery and tore it again...then you are screwed! One was told by his doc that he was totally healed and two weeks later he tore it again chasing his baby around the pool!

It has been a year and a half for me and mine is still weak. Not trying to scare you, but that tendon takes an incredible load, so at our age you have to respect it more than you would a normal injury.

On the good side, the surgery is easy. I had never had any surgery of any sort and was really scared. It was a breeze and I was feeling pretty good the following day. After the first day or two I had stepped back down to Ibuprofin for the pain.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. You can search for my similar thread from 2007 too. Best wishes!

ckissick · 02-23-2009, 06:18 AM

Snapped mine when I was 34 years old, while playing tennis. My opponent's ball hit the top of the net and dropped over, so I charged the net to get to the ball. I pushed off with my left foot and went down like a sack of potatoes. Funny, it didn't hurt much, but I knew it was a major injury and went straight to the emergency room.

I had it sewed back together and was in a cast for 8 weeks. After the cast, I had to have rehab for a while. I had to borrow a car with an automatic for quite a while.

livi · 02-23-2009, 06:28 AM

Sorry about that, Doug. Speedy 'rebuild'!

Doug E · 02-23-2009, 07:00 AM

Thanks for the quick replies ... I appreciate the well wishes and info. Good insight on the recovery time period. I definately won't be pushing mine.

I have an appt scheduled for 2:30 this afternoon with the orthopedic so I'll learn my fate then. The ER doc said she thought it might only be a partial rupture because she thought she could still feel part of it but the expert will tell me this afternoon.

Unfortunately it was my right foot so even driving the automatic is going to be challenging

I'll do another search for your thread Cornpanzer - I must have missed it when I initially did it.

Well I'm off to try and figure out how to go down stairs with this splint on ... should be interesting. Just going up stairs last night with crutches was an experience. Really makes you realize what you take for granted each day.

VincentVega · 02-23-2009, 07:13 AM

Good luck Doug

Doug E · 02-23-2009, 07:38 AM

Just found your old thread Cornpanzer ... good reading, thanks for the tips and glad to hear yours turned out OK.

I'll post an update this afternoon when I get back from the Dr.

Mike Andrew · 02-23-2009, 09:14 AM

Did mine in October 1988 playing rugby at 37. I had surgery 3 days later and hobbled around on crutches for 6 weeks. Then rehab for several weeks. I was able to get out skiing in February and was back playing rugby in May. No problems at all now other than a nasty scar and a slight bump where it was repaired.

Doug E · 02-23-2009, 03:54 PM

Here's the update after visiting the Dr. this afternoon: 75% ruptured so surgery is scheduled for Wed morning. After that, full cast and crutches for 6 weeks then start rehab in a soft / walking cast for a couple of weeks. Hopefully 10 weeks from now I'll be back to walking like a normal human.

The worst part is that I can't drive so looks like my wife will now be chaffeuring me around

Glad to hear everything worked out for you Mike ... another success story gives me hope of one day being active again with the kids.

porsche4life · porsche4life's Garage

Do exactly what your PT tells you. What he does may hurt now but it will pay off in the end.

Mike Andrew · 02-24-2009, 03:54 AM

Doug, Mine was my right tendon and I was able to drive. I got a box about as high as the passenger seat and would slide in, resting my leg on the box. I was in a cast from thigh to toes. It got pretty easy to drive with my left foot after a few days. It might be worth a try to save your wife some trouble.

campbellcj · 02-24-2009, 08:37 PM

Not the Achilles but when I was 22 I completely ruptured the Anterior Tibialus (the tendon on the front/top part of the foot) and did some other soft-tissue damge in a bad bicycle crash. Had to do graft surgery, hard cast, moon boot, and PT. The PT is very important to get your strength and range of motion back.

To this day, it still gets sore sometimes, especially when a rain storm is coming (go figure). But the doc said it is actually stronger than the uninjured leg and not to worry about using it 100%.

Tobra · Tobra's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by porsche4life

Do exactly what your PT tells you. What he does may hurt now but it will pay off in the end.

yup

ice is your friend

Keep in mind that it will be weaker and shorter after repair. You can work on both of these things. Do not rush your recovery, do not go out and play hoops right after you get out of the boot/cast. If they are going to put you in a hard cast(which I would do) ask them to put some zinc oxide on your leg before they put it on, you will thank me for recommending this.

If you smoke or dip snuff, do not do so for at least a week or two after surgery. Stay away from caffeine too. Eat a good diet, take a multi-vitamin every day or both during your recovery. Heel lift will help with tight heel cord when you get to the point where you are walking. Use one on both sides or you will have an effective limb length discrepancy. When you get to the point where the scar will see the light of day, put the highest number sunscreen you can find on the scar every day for the next year. Mederma is some pretty cool stuff for making scars look less nasty

Pretty straightforward surgery, lot of materials available now to augment strength of repair. It takes a long ass time to fully recover from tendo Achilles surgery. 80% of pre-injury is about the best you can achieve, strength wise. Start doing stretches to reduce tightness in the other leg now so you don't blow that one out too.

Chris C, your doc was telling you stories about being stronger than before you had the injury

morganb · morganb's Garage

I play squash and many of my friends have done this, its a 6-9month recovery if snapped. Good Luck and follow the recovery plan carefully.

campbellcj · 02-27-2009, 08:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tobra

Chris C, your doc was telling you stories about being stronger than before you had the injury

LOL, I do not doubt that one bit, although 20 years later I have not had any re-injury so the repair was certainly adequate... I would not wish this type of issue on anyone though. Many say severe soft-tissue injuries are worse from a recovery standpoint than common broken-bone injuries although I can't vouch for that as I have had numerous tendon, muscle and joint probs (mainly soccer & cycling) but no actual bone fractures.

Mr.Puff · 12:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by campbellcj

LOL, I do not doubt that one bit, although 20 years later I have not had any re-injury so the repair was certainly adequate... I would not wish this type of issue on anyone though. Many say severe soft-tissue injuries are worse from a recovery standpoint than common broken-bone injuries although I can't vouch for that as I have had numerous tendon, muscle and joint probs (mainly soccer & cycling) but no actual bone fractures.

It sucks. I broke my radius and ulna close to the wrist on my left hand. It involved several months of a cast, then a hard splint, then a soft splint, and finally physical therapy. The best part after the injury occurred was looking down at my arm and seeing it in an "S" shape. At the same time I chipped my tooth... after it bit straight through my lower lip. The damn thing is still numb... Plus my jaw pops whenever I eat something remotely firm

.

I kissed pavement pretty hard.

charlesbahn · charlesbahn's Garage

You guys probably already know this, but fluoroquinolone antibiotics, such as cipro, are implicated in tendon ruptures.