Well, go ahead and give me the good, bad, and ugly of it. Just did it this morning. No MRI yet, but likely a complete tear. 39 years old with no health conditions. How bad/ long is the recovery? How long until full activity? Not planning on rushing it, but wanting to mentally prep. Thanks in advance.
This happened to me a little under two years ago. "95% tear. I’m in my 50’s. I had a partial tear a few years earlier, so I didn’t really consider not having surgery. I had surgery. I lost all strength in my calf muscle. When I started physical therapy, did not have enough strength to support one legged toe lowering. I could not believe how weak it was. My calf muscle still looked okay, but I was amazed at how weak it was.
You have to be diligent about the PT. I did the exercises every day, multiple times per day. I had an exercise bike at home which I started riding as soon as physical therapist said okay. I can’t tell you how great it felt to do it the first time. I did a one mile run race 9 months after surgery, about 80% effort. Piece of cake. Sprint Tri one year after surgery, about 90% effort on the run. My injured leg is still not as strong as my other leg, but getting close. I have never had any pain, at any point.
I ate a lot of red meat and bone broth to get the protein and amino acids to make sure I was getting the nutrients required to help with the repair (I met a guy who had an amazing recovery from rotator cuff surgery and this was a protocol he followed. One thing I did not do, because I was unaware of it, was blood flow restriction on that leg after the injury and surgery. I listened to a podcast where they talked about how this can help with preventing muscle degeneration when injured. This is something I wish I knew about and would have investigated further.
I had an MRI 13 months post surgery to assess the tendon before I started pushing it really hard. The good news, about 18 months after surgery, I was doing everything I did before surgery, including playing basketball, and I’m in my mid 50’s. One funny thing, about once a month, the scar will bleed a little bit when I’m sleeping. I think the tissue continue to be remodeled (if that’s the right word). Good luck.
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Thanks for the reply giddyup. That makes me pretty optimistic. Sounds like a long road though.
I had a complete rupture 4years ago at 41. I didn’t have surgery and let it heal naturally. I didn’t see it worth it for being active again a couple of weeks earlier and the potential issues the scar can cause far longer than the return weight bearing.
I had a boot on for 10 weeks to restrict movement after which rehab started. I was racing again 4 months later and did an Ironman 12 months after the rupture and swim and bike where as good as ever, even with 4months of minimal activity.
The calf lost a lot of strength and size on the 10 weeks it was in the boot. It’s still not back to where it was strength and size wise, but I can train, race go hike hills dance as badly bas ever. The calf is getting stronger all the time, essential the rehab is on going, meaning all kinds of calf works (raises, lowers, bands etc) and ankle mobility work.
The return was a gradual build up and I was prepared to take any steps backwards when needed and prepare d to pull out from any racing if it was going to compromise the long term recovery.
I didn’t make any real diet changes, other than reducing intake to make sure I didn’t put on extra weight and kept my protein intake to normal levels for the rebuild.
Make the most of the enforced down time and hopefully your back to it soon.
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Overuse injuries during the Covid19 make me wonder, if there are no races why are people training to this extent?
I had one. Post surgery it’s stronger and better and I never think about it
Well, go ahead and give me the good, bad, and ugly of it. Just did it this morning. No MRI yet, but likely a complete tear. 39 years old with no health conditions. How bad/ long is the recovery? How long until full activity? Not planning on rushing it, but wanting to mentally prep. Thanks in advance.
Plan on around about a year from time of surgery until back into things properly. Faster in some cases, slower in some. Don’t wan’t to rush things. Mental prep is important.
I had a complete rupture 4years ago at 41. I didn’t have surgery and let it heal naturally. I didn’t see it worth it for being active again a couple of weeks earlier and the potential issues the scar can cause far longer than the return weight bearing.
I had a boot on for 10 weeks to restrict movement after which rehab started. I was racing again 4 months later and did an Ironman 12 months after the rupture and swim and bike where as good as ever, even with 4months of minimal activity.
The calf lost a lot of strength and size on the 10 weeks it was in the boot. It’s still not back to where it was strength and size wise, but I can train, race go hike hills dance as badly bas ever. The calf is getting stronger all the time, essential the rehab is on going, meaning all kinds of calf works (raises, lowers, bands etc) and ankle mobility work.
The return was a gradual build up and I was prepared to take any steps backwards when needed and prepare d to pull out from any racing if it was going to compromise the long term recovery.
I didn’t make any real diet changes, other than reducing intake to make sure I didn’t put on extra weight and kept my protein intake to normal levels for the rebuild.
Make the most of the enforced down time and hopefully your back to it soon.
I had partial ruptures in both tendons several years apart in my late twenties/early thirties, respectively. First one was operated on, second one treated conservatively exclusively. Healing time was not much different, if I remember correctly, but the end result is much better in the one treated conservatively. I can still feel scar tissue moving with the tendon that was operated, and it tends to get sore (not to the point that it stops me from anything, though). It’s amazing how well the body heals connective tissue on its own.
n=1, anecdotes are not data and everything, but I’d strongly encourage the OP to discuss conservative treatment options with his medical team.
Overuse injuries during the Covid19 make me wonder, if there are no races why are people training to this extent?
I had a colleague rupture his Achilles while walking. And he sure wasn’t over-training.
And covid19 downtime is the perfect time to train and get faster. I train because I like to and I am trying to make myself into a better athlete. That hasn’t changed just because there is no racing. You sound like one of those guys who takes the winter off because there are no races, and then beginning of April posts asking how to lose the 15 pounds you gained over the winter. Which reminds me of that old saying, “triathlon is a winter sport where the competitions happen in the summer…”
Triathlon in 2021 will show what you did with your downtime in 2020 
I had a full rupture if my L Achilles in 2012 aged 42. No operation and was in a cast then a moon boot for 3 months from memory.
My one tip would be do your rehab properly. Even now my left leg and calf is significantly weaker than my right.
Happened to me about 10 years ago. Complete rupture and had an operation to sew it back together.
I tore it in indoor soccer. Next morning it didn’t really hurt but I noticed my calf sitting higher. Went to the GP who send me to the hospital. The nurse thought it wasn’t a full rupture as I came walking in. Doctor had one look and said it was a full rupture. Then he pointed to hole he could see and showed the nurse by squeezing it and letting her squeeze. That wasn’t fun!
6 weeks in a cask and then in boot, which gradually changed the angle to 90 degrees, adjust by 5 or 10 degrees each week. No weight bearing on it until I was out of the boot (you can’t really put much weight on a leg when the toes are pointed down and the ankle is at a fixed at angle).
When out of the boot started exercising. Really needed to trust things were OK, but my PT encouraged me: if it doesn’t hurt it’s fine.
Worked in Africa at the time and went back to work, from Europe, after 3 months, ditched the clutches the day before I flew. We ride off-road vehicles with heavy clutches and that was really hard on the achilles the first couple of weeks. Try to ride the clutch (handbrake didn’t work) uphill in a traffic jam…
After several weeks we did a survey which needed conisderable walking in very sandy areas each day. That was good exercise too, first week was hard, 4th week was pretty normal. Still didn’t dare jumping until about 7-8 months out, but didn’t really have a need to. Wasn’t running, or doing other exercising at the time either (working with dangerous animals in a national parks).
Since then all is fine, haven’t had any problems with it.
From a doctor’s perspective these injuries aren’t very exciting, they’re pretty straightforward and usually heal OK, whether with operation or not. From the patient’s perspective it’s different, it has quite a long impact! I underestimated the impact it had on the trust I had in my body. I never got a warning, it just snapped, half-way through the second half of the game. I just stepped back and then forward, nothing weird. I just needed to trust my body that the other wouldn’t go just like that as well. And even if so, what can you do about it?
The bummer was that my insurance didn’t cover it. It used to cover 3 months off when back in Europe, but it had changed to 1 month and this happened 2 months in. All in all it was doctor visit, emergency room visit, 1 day in hospital where they cancelled operation because I had a fever, 1 day in hospital with operation, 1 visit back to get cask off. Boot I had to buy myself, PT is a friend of mine.Luckily it was in Europe and cost me, without insurance, just under 4,000EUR all together.
I had a complete rupture in 2015 at age 37. I had the surgery. For me it was about 10 weeks before I was out of the boot. At 12 weeks I was able to start gentle cycling. From there it is a steady ramp back to normal. Everyone goes at a different pace but general consensus is to start activities with cutting or acceleration in the 6-9 month range and back to normal around 12 months. Normal activity levels don’t mean normal performance which will be around 18 months to 2 years to fully rebuild strength and stamina. Some people never get all the way back but that probably has more to do with how diligent they were in physical therapy.
The worst thing you can do is do too much too soon. Rerupture, infection (if you get surgery), and healing at the incorrect tendon length are real possibilities and can set you back months or years. It’s better to be a few weeks behind than try to go too fast with a major setback. The most important thing you can do is heal.
There is a website at achillesblog.com and a Facebook group named “Achilles Tendon Rupture Group.” For me it was helpful to ready stories about what others are doing plus get some helpful tips.
Complete rupture of my left Achilles at age 39. Attempted to let it heal naturally (boot, PT, etc.) for 3-months with no sustainable success. Went the surgery route after that with complete recovery taking about 12-15 months before I felt that I could do ‘anything’ I wanted with concern or pain.
Recovery may have been shorter if I had been more diligent with recovery but took the newfound time & energy to be with the family.
Overuse injuries during the Covid19 make me wonder, if there are no races why are people training to this extent?
Thanks everyone for your comments. Your stories are sounding better than I expected. WFPB, your comment was douchey because a) I am obviously the “people” you talk about so you might as well call me out directly and b) how are you so sure that I was overtraining and not doing something totally ordinary?
I had a complete rupture in may 2017 at age 42. Had surgery, a cast and thereafter a boot. It went really well for me, the 2018 season was a real good one, completing both a marathon and an Ironman(3 minutes from my pb). Had a good physio and I was doing exactly everything he said. Now Im faster then i was before.
I hope it will work out well for you!
Overuse injuries during the Covid19 make me wonder, if there are no races why are people training to this extent?
Thanks everyone for your comments. Your stories are sounding better than I expected. WFPB, your comment was douchey because a) I am obviously the “people” you talk about so you might as well call me out directly and b) how are you so sure that I was overtraining and not doing something totally ordinary?
I read that comment as a cheap shot that completely lacked empathy. I started to write a reply to it but it’s not worth the effort. Good luck with the injury and I hope you comeback stronger.
Overuse injuries during the Covid19 make me wonder, if there are no races why are people training to this extent?
I had a colleague rupture his Achilles while walking. And he sure wasn’t over-training.
And covid19 downtime is the perfect time to train and get faster. I train because I like to and I am trying to make myself into a better athlete. That hasn’t changed just because there is no racing. You sound like one of those guys who takes the winter off because there are no races, and then beginning of April posts asking how to lose the 15 pounds you gained over the winter. Which reminds me of that old saying, “triathlon is a winter sport where the competitions happen in the summer…”
Triathlon in 2021 will show what you did with your downtime in 2020
Believe me, I’m not sitting around smashing pancakes. I’m also not blowing out the achilles either. Ever heard of moderation and base build?
This is the time to keep the base in tact and slowly build. It’s not the time to get to race weight and shape for no race and get injured. Look sh#t happens, but an achilles generally let’s you know it inflammed with endurance sports before a full in rupture.
Either way, I hope the OP recovers and enjoys the next 12 months off. He won’t be getting stronger as you mention. There will be a huge detraining and deconditioning over 12 months.
Overuse injuries during the Covid19 make me wonder, if there are no races why are people training to this extent?
Thanks everyone for your comments. Your stories are sounding better than I expected. WFPB, your comment was douchey because a) I am obviously the “people” you talk about so you might as well call me out directly and b) how are you so sure that I was overtraining and not doing something totally ordinary?
Were you doing something ordinary? Did you notice any inflammation, pain, nsaids, antiinflammatories?
I’m not trying to be a d#ck as I do empathize, but it’s more that I can relate because mine has flared up on more than one occasion and it was always overuse.
Obviously it could happen in basketball, skiing, etc., but since this is a triathlon forum I doubt it.
My achilles issues took a while to set in and most was caused by repeated excessive running efforts. My point is that injuries happen at anytime, but overuse injuries when there is no racing seems odd. Then again you have people out Eversting and whatnot during a pandemic, so there are those people pushing the limits no matter the situation.
The point is you made a hugely general statement at the start of a thread about an individual’s experience. Why are you asking questions about their history now rather than at the start? Maybe to justify your earlier statement. Either way here the cause is irrelevant which is why they didn’t discuss it. What purpose is there in explaining to people with Achilles ruptures why you think it happened? By all means jump tread carefully into a general Achilles threads and prevent ruptures there.
Were you doing something ordinary? Did you notice any inflammation, pain, nsaids, antiinflammatories?
I’m not trying to be a d#ck as I do empathize, but it’s more that I can relate because mine has flared up on more than one occasion and it was always overuse.
Obviously it could happen in basketball, skiing, etc., but since this is a triathlon forum I doubt it.
My dad ruptured his slipping on the last rung of a ladder. Mine was the result of a freak accident (got startled and stepped backwards off a 12’ drop). Most of the people I know who have had ruptures did it playing tennis. So at least in my experience, overuse wouldn’t be the first thing that would come to my mind…