This tendon is one of the most discussed topics on this forum. Since I cannot post about how I ran every day for 3 years or rode until my taint became platinumized, I figured maybe I could help someone with these photos.
here is the dressing being removed
before stitches were taken out
and finally right after they were taken out.
It will be 6 or 7 weeks total from surgery to weight bearing again. Just depends on when I will run or ride again. I had a calcaneal take-a-chunk-off-ment, and a tendon debridement.
My advice is to go see someone when you feel pain that lasts longer than a few days. Stop training in the meantime. Do as I say and not as I do. Hopefully I will learn as well.
I feel for you mate. I snapped one of mine 6 years ago playing rugby. No op though it was just left to nature (crap doc)! Do you get a nice black boot to wear? one where they tweak the angle every week until you get it off and start to use wedges in your shoes? man it brings back memories! Its good that you had op though as mine healed back too long so I have very little spring in my step! The good news is that I was back running etc within a few months but you need to take care of that baby for a good year until you get your confidence!
Good luck with it.
I feel so bad for you! But I do appreciate the post as it really hits home for me. I have been having issues with my achillies/soleus area of my lower calve ever since about the 1st of May, since then I have totally stopped running. Biking has not aggravated the injury, although I must say their have been days that it became sore. Over the two weeks in particular I was able to start doing eccentric calve raises and just over the past 3 days I have begun to regain the normal feeling in the lower calve area. As they say, just when it feels good is the perfect time to rest it even more, so no running until next week.
But seriously these pictures are a great illustration for people to not HTFU when the achillies area starts to hurt. Every triathlete should see this…kind of like those pictures and videos of the old men with no lips and tubes in their neck because they smoked or chewed to much that we all were lucky enough to see in grade school.
I truly do hope you recover fast and strong. All the best!
have been struggling with achillies tendonitis/tendonosis for 3 years this very weekend and fear at some point i will be right where you are as I manage it with ice, stretching and anti inflamatories when training hard, will take 6 weeks off of running at the end of the season or after a key race and it will feel better but as soon as I start running again my old friend returns…2 questions, what did the doctors tell you that you could have done to fix the problem before it got too bad other than never running again and also what is the prognosis post the surgery (ie do they feel that you will ever be able to run again without pain)? Thanks for sharing and wishing you a very speedy recovery!!
what were your symptoms for those three years? when you say you trained through the pain, what kind of pain are you talking about? Details, details, details…
Did you have Haglunds deformity? That is similar to what I had done but my achilles tore. After surgery I was in a walking boot for 5 weeks. Got to swim after 2 and was on my bike(trainer)in 2 1/2 weeks. My surgery was at the end of March 09 and I got to start running the first week of June. Have run a marathon, done a couple of 1/2 IM’s and am doing CDA next month. It’s amazing not to have pain! Do your rehab and you will be better than ever. My scar is a little different, though. I have a 6 in upside down question mark.
Thanks for the well wishes.
Yes it was a Haglunds deformity, but not a severe one. Pain started about 8 years ago when I completed a long hike with a blister on my heel that caused me to walk on my toes for several miles. It lasted for about a year, when I did not do much to better the situation other than rest. Not sure when it went away because I was in Baghdad, but when I got back it was better. Some minor stiffness in the mornings after hard training for a few years. About a year ago I was in a car accident that caused a neck injury. Went several months without training and then I came back too hard too soon. Lots of sharp pain at insertion, especially in the morning and after training. I probably could have prevented it by taking my time and very slowly increasing training load, especially loading hiking and hills. Px is pretty good. Surgeon said 85% of patients are able to return to close to pre-injury form. There are plenty of examples of dudes completing mary’s and Half IM/IM’s. Like I said, hopefully I learned my lesson.
