Ruptured Achilles Tendon

halbs · Post by **halbs** » Fri Sep 16, 2011 11:33 pm

Five weeks ago I managed to snap my achilles pretending that I was younger than I actually am!! I had the operation four days later and was placed in the "moon boot" to return home for two weeks of non weight bearing rest - since then I have been allowed to lump around in Frankenstein mode without crutches dragging my boot behind me. I fly back to Adelaide in five weeks for my last appointment and to rid myself of my very attractive boot and start physio. Now to get to the nitty gritty of the situation the afternoon before my injury I was fortunate enough to take into my possession two custom Flashpoints so they are currently "curing" in the shed! I attempted to con the doctor by asking if around week 7-8 I could do some wading in the sea water without the boot or if I felt good some flat water paddling - yeah sure he said laughing! Not a chance however as I will be camped at the beach for ten or so days with family and friends surely I may be able to very carefully introduce the boards to saltwater! I have been carefully walking on the injured leg without the boot around the house to give it a chance to "air" and it feels quite good! Now my query is to anyone out there who has done this injury before who may have any words of wisdom as to how to get into the surf promptly or any does or don'ts etc. I plan to be flipperless on the injured leg on initial surfs until I feel confident in the repair job being able to handle jolts etc underwater. So if anyone can add some light to my current bad dream fire away! cheers

offroadbob · Post by **offroadbob** » Sat Sep 17, 2011 11:40 am

a friend of mine tore his in the back wheel of a motorcycle, he didn't wait to heal up completely and tore it again. all i can suggest is if you have a foot brace the wont allow your toes to to go past 90 degrees(up) WEAR IT

bigtony · Post by **bigtony** » Sat Sep 17, 2011 8:31 pm

I tore my Achilles at the insertion which is just under the heal area, so you can imagine how far it rolled up the calf.
I had to have total reconstructive surgery to put it back together which is like sewing shredded wet toilet paper.
My I was on crutches and in a boot for 7 months non weight baring and then 1 month weight baring with a crutch and then 1 month boot only and then the last month without the boot, so total time was 10 months from start to the time I was released to go back and kneeboard.
During my recovery I was allowed to start swimming without fins around 6 months. After about the 7th month I was able to start wearing fins in the pool in order to build up my calf muscle that had atrophied so much after the surgery. I attached those Custom X fin heel pads to help with any chaffing on my 6” scar.
This was huge is aiding me in being able to recover and strengthen my leg while getting back in the water in some form.
The other thing was range of motion and from the day after my surgery I started moving my toes and ankle slightly each day to keep from building up to much scar tissue. Because of this when it was time to take the boot off I had 100% range of motion which was huge!
I can tell you that doing everything the doctor says is key, but shy away from any doctors that tell you that your knee boarding days are over or you should consider longboarding or bodyboarding instead.
The swimming with and without fins is also a huge part of recovery since it’s low impact, but really hits the lower leg area that gets affected by the atrophy.
Toe raises and balance boards are really good as well.

All in all I ended up with two screws and a Kevlar strap similar to fin rope in my heel to attach my Achilles to the bone. I have bounced back 100% from it and attribute it to the rehab, good surgeon, using the laser to help with the healing and swimming.

Good luck and I hope this helps…

halbs · Post by **halbs** » Sun Sep 18, 2011 12:49 am

Big Tony 10 months!!!!!! Bejesus mate that is hardcore I thought 8-9 weeks was a big chunk of my life but 10 months that's incredible well done on coming through it well. At no point have I considered that I won't be kneeboarding at some point reasonably soon and I am currently planning a trip to the Nor west of WA and another back to Indonesia in 2012. This will be determined of course by how things develop once the boot comes off and I start the physio but I am quietly confident of a full recovery. I will be guided by the surgeon and the physio with some of my own decisions on moving forward so it's great to hear from others experience all of which I will take little bits from. Thanks for your advice and keep them coming! The moon boot and I currently have a love hate relationship going on, and that's only after five weeks together!

C.P.Odom · Post by **C.P.Odom** » Sun Sep 18, 2011 11:57 am

Same here but not as bad, tore mine at the bottom of the calf muscle and only partly separated. I was showing up some kids (20's) in a game of basketball. There was no doubt that something was seriously wrong, worst I had to ride my bicycle 15 miles to my car. No surgery but at least three months till pain free.

quadfin · Post by **quadfin** » Sun Sep 18, 2011 6:37 pm

Had a complete rupture 12/08 and delayed surgery resulted in blood clots. The surgeon tied my plantar tendon to what was left of my Achilles. I live near the beach and started walking to the beach on crutches and hopping into the surf where my body weight would be supported. Would walk against our strong side-shore currents and kick back with the current. My Doctor stated my physical progress was "remarkable". I appreciate the support that I received on the KSUSA site, including Big Tony.

That being said, I am not 100% and looking at some disability. Much of that disability was related to passing blood clots. Certainly no Doctor but would recommend hydrotherapy and getting into the surf ASAP.

Oh and .... the moon boots. Get some diabetes socks and keep your foot elevated as much as possible. If Texas Workman's Comp (Perrycare) is is monitoring this message, I loved mine and followed your instructions.

Andy · Post by **Andy** » Mon Sep 19, 2011 5:17 am

Sheez guys, all I can offer is my sympathy & hope you all get back in the water none the worse for wear

How did you guys get injured? was it surfing (which I guess you have to accept as an occupational hazerd) or was it in a non-surfing activity?

Most importantly whats the advice out there on prevention? ie what can you do in the gym or wherever to strengthen and or increase flexibility ?

cheers

Andy

sf_firestarter · Post by **sf_firestarter** » Mon Sep 19, 2011 7:38 am

halbs, do a forum search, there are a few threads on this very subject. A few of us here have been through the same thing. Good luck...skinny leg

farbz · Post by **farbz** » Mon Sep 19, 2011 9:06 pm

My mate ..fellow kneelo Phil May snapped his clean off the bone.
It took a while and a couple of ops but his is ripping just like before.
He was back in the water in well under 6 months.

this was about 3 years ago now.

halbs · Post by **halbs** » Tue Sep 20, 2011 2:50 am

Cheers guys for your advice and personal stories, I did do a search once I realised there were quite a few of us that have done this injury and it was great to read of everyones trials and subsequent progress. This was exactly what I was after as after all kneeboarding is pretty unique and comparing this injury and rehab to a standup surfer would be somewhat pointless, whereas this feedback is perfect.

Andy I did mine playing AFL football at a very low level and in hindsight it occured due to me not listening to the bodies warning signs as
I increased my jogging distances and developed a calf injury which I attempted to push through rather than rest and recuperate from, this resulted in an untolerable tightness in the calf where something had to give and when it did I thought I had been hit by a sniper and dropped like a stone. When I start jogging again I will be listening to the body screaming at me to stop and I will pay more attention to warm up and streching the calves.

I spoke to my family doctor today and she commented that in recent times surgeon's have started to stear away from the conservative approach inregards to non-weight bearing timelines and heading towards the get the limb back into active mode - use it or lose it. So I am hoping that it won't be months until I wet my Flashpoints but perhaps weeks - very optimistic but ya never know. Cheers guys any pointers are warmly welcome.

C.P.Odom · Post by **C.P.Odom** » Tue Sep 20, 2011 8:49 pm

Well we have Basketball and Football (AFL) injuries, how has everybody else hurt themselves? Give us a clue as what to avoid.

quadfin · Post by **quadfin** » Wed Sep 21, 2011 1:30 pm

C.P.Odom wrote:Well we have Basketball and Football (AFL) injuries, how has everybody else hurt themselves? Give us a clue as what to avoid.

I was running flat out on bad surface after going through rigorous military style training in a police academy. I was plenty stretched and warm, so not sure that I buy stretching as a overall preventive measure.

Smokin Rock · Post by **Smokin Rock** » Wed Sep 21, 2011 2:27 pm

i'm kinda getting convinced stretching can actually cause injuries. i read somewhere about calf muscle tears and stretching where the loosening up of the muscle facilitated the injury whereas leaving it tight and unstretched led to fewer injuries. i myself 2 years ago was stretching before basketball and tore my calf muscle rather badly. this last tournament our big man stretched for a half hour before the game and tore his calf in the first three minutes of the game. i dont stretch anymore and have been injury free. anecdotal for sure but something to think about

Smokin Rock · Post by **Smokin Rock** » Wed Sep 21, 2011 2:39 pm

http://www.livestrong.com/article/43196 ... se-damage/

Significance

Stretching is believed to tear the muscle fibers, which could create less stable muscles that are not as able to handle the jarring of jumping or running, according to the "U.S. News and World Report" website. A stretched muscle may not be as capable of force production as a non-stretched muscle and therefore may be more susceptible to injury. If a muscle is not stable enough, it cannot support parts of the body such as the ankles and knees, especially under the duress of exercise

meaning weakened muscles can also force more load on tendons and ligaments

Shelfbreak · Post by **Shelfbreak** » Wed Sep 21, 2011 3:31 pm

Good luck with the achilles Halbs - unfortunately contact sports are a good source of clues that you are getting older

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