Last Friday I ruptured my achilles tendon doing wii fit jogging. On Saturday I went to a&e and was fitted with a cast and given crutches.
I got a phone call from the hospital on Monday asking me to go see the orthopaedic surgeon next Tuesday. I'm in a significant amount of pain and I'm not sure what do expect from my appointment.
Hi Vicki, if you check my forum its pretty much what to expect over the next 12 months.
They may possible do an ultra sound to see the damage you've done and decide which is the best route for you, surgery or non surgery.
Make sure you keep icing it whilst the damage is still "fresh" no hot baths, ice buckets for your ankle helped me with the pain in the early days, take tablets as well.
Hi Vicki.
Sorry to hear of your rupture. I ruptured mine nearly 12 weeks ago playing table tennis. Fortunately I have an automatic car and the rupture is in my left leg so I managed to get myself to A&E where I was fitted with a cast and asked to return to outpatients the next day where the decision was to use a boot with several wedges in to repair it. The wedges were taken out at two week intervals initially but on the consultant's advice the lasttwo wedges were removed at weekly intervals.
Have now been without the boot for nearly two weeks and am seeing the physio every week to undergo a progression of exercises (very slow) and now I am able to shuffle about a bit in normal shoes.
However I know that to get back to normality is going to take a very long time but I know that I have to follow the advice and not push it too hard too soon otherwise (as has been reported on this forum) it may rupture again - and then you will be talking of years of recovery probably.
As the time different between when you had your rupture and seeing the consultant is going to be nearly two weeks you probably will be fitted with the "moon boot". My advice is simply to follow the advice you are given and be patient. My job is a 100% physical job and am not going back until I am at least 80% fit to do the job (hopefully end of July) but I know of several people who have less physical jobs and have gone back sooner. That will be your call of course but am just saying take it one step at a time, follow the advice and don't run before you can walk.
Sincerely hope you get better soon
Chris
Thanks for the speedy replies. I'm feeling nervous about Tuesday if I'm completely honest.
The other issue is that the doctors in A&E both said ruptured achilles tendon, definitely. They both did the Anderson test. But when the orthopaedic surgeon's receptionist called she said it was a suspected rupture so I'm a little confused.
I'm in a significant amount of pain and I have swollen toes with pins and needles. I'm sorry for moaning but this sucks!!!
I just realised that I posted a reply and I didn't click your name. Can you look at my reply when you get a chance. Thanks again xx
I tried the non operative route for over a year which didn't work at all that was a cast then moon boot with wedges, so I had surgery 13 weeks ago and things have moved really fast I can now walk more or less unaided I do have a limp but I'm getting there ,just no that it will be a long frustrating journey and very painful at times ,but its worth it in the end ,oh god I've made it sound awful ,let's just say its hard work ,ask the doctor as many questions as you need to and make sure you no all your options ,I hope you have a speedy recovery ,and if you have any worries come to this forum the people on hear really are brilliant helped me through some hard times ..good luck x
Hi Mary,
thanks for the reply. I'm in a significant amount of pain still and I'm so tired all the time. I'm on the highest dosage of both tramadol and paracetamol.
I'm dreading my appointment on Tuesday. I'm scared they will tell me no weight bearing - to be quite honest I don't have the strongest upper body strength.
At the moment I am using my foot but I'm not overly sure I'm supposed too. A&E were incredibly unhelpful, I feel like I've just had to get on with it for the last week with very limited information.
I don't mean to sound so grumpy, but this is all really getting to me.
Hi Vicki
I had an operation to fix my tendon earlier today (I'm home on the sofa so no horror stories coming).
Sounds to me like your cast might be a bit too tight. I totally snapped mine (made quite a noise) and went to a&e straight away . They diagnosed it very quickly, put me in a car and sent me home. This was an old style plaster of Paris cast. Bit heavy and clunky but not that uncomfortable. Went to my fracture clinic a week later to discuss options, as I'm pretty active they recommended surgery and I'd say if you can get it have it, reduces risk of tearing it again. Anyway, after the recast which was in the new style plastic casts which looked pretty cool (in pink) but I quickly started to experience pins and needles in my toes and numbness in my heel. I knew it was the cast as this was not something I had felt before so and my leg didn't look particularly swollen or bruised when I had my cast off. Go get it checked, you'll be miserable until you do. I went back to a&e and they sliced it right down the middle, didn't remove it as it held its shape but it didn't half become a hell of a lot more comfortable.
The op was a breeze, pain is manageable and now can count down the next ten weeks knowing I am healing.
Hope everything goes well for you
Totally agree the op was a breeze I had to have reconstructive surgery so I was in hospital for 2 days, the hard work starts when the cast is removed after 4_6 weeks ,wishing you a speedy recovery toastie
Hi Toasty,
thanks for your reply. I'm thinking, based on everything I've read, that if they offer the surgery I will have it done. It's been very uncomfortable so far and the cast feels very heavy.
Do you have to be in a cast or boot for 10 weeks? How long were you in hospital post surgery? Were you given painkillers?
I was also diagnosed very quickly, given a cast and crutches then sent home. That was exactly a week ago. I'm due to see the orthopaedic surgeon on Tuesday.
I was in a half cast for 10 days usually then you have a wound check and stitches out,,and a full cast put on for 3_4 weeks ,then a moon boot for 6 plus weeks depending on how your doing ,the good thing is you can feel yourself improving almost daily
Vicki
Couple of other points...
Tramadol is pretty hardcore stuff and you risk doing more damage is you are taking that and walking on it.
i would not put ANY weight on it until you have been back to have it checked. Seriously.. this is a nasty injury. Rest up, get help with stuff, learn to use your crutches and TAKE IS SLOW!!! This takes a while to reciver from and the you really do not want to make it worse.
Its really frustrating but get your head right, you need t accept the next four months are going to be difficult but its done now. You cant reverse it you can just ensure you work to make recovery as short as poissible. Eat right, rest, dont stress out about it.. you cant change it.
I really struggled the first week as i am a very activie person with small kids running around the house. Its a real eye opener to have some experience of how peple with more serious conditions have to make adjustment to things we previously take for granted.
You will get better... keep that in mind.
have a nice cup of tea and get that leg up! (i felt like crying the first morning i managed to get to the kettle to make a coffee and then realised i had to standon one leg by the kettle to drink it! Solution... get a cup with a sealed lid so you can hook a finger aorund it to get back to the sofa.. adjust, do not just try and carry on as normal)
interestingly..
not all hospitals offer surgery
My surgeon told me today that they are selective (be young, active and a non smoker and you have a good chance, (at 36 i suppose i am a 2 and a half out of 3!) but 40 miles down the road at another hospital they do not offer it at all.
Sounds like you are pretty in the dark about what has happened but on my first two visits to hospital i was hardly examined at all,couple of pokes and a squeeze and they all just shrugged and agreed i had snapped it.. maybe mine was just that obvious!
I was at the RD&D (exeter) who have been great
Vicki can I just say I've had my injury 19 months its taken this long because I was misdiagnosed for 6 months so my tendon was a mess ,but I was also given tramadol 2x7.5 3 times a day ,I'm now trying to come off them with terrible withdrawals I never knew they were addictive so please be careful with this med because your only add to your problems
Toastie I'm from Croydon Surrey I'm 47 a little over weight and until a month ago a heavy smoker and your right they didn't want to operate on me ,but I guess they had no where to go other than surgery ,but now for the first time in 30 years I can say I'm a non smoker
Both doctors I seen in A&E agreed that it was a ruptured achilles but that I needed to see the specialists and have an ultrasound to see how bad it is. I'm mostly in the dark about how I'm supposed to treat it in the meantime. How did you feel after your surgery?
I'm a little nervous about the tramadol as I'm taking 400mg a day. Thanks for the information, I appreciate it xxx
Hi Vicki, i got my archilles tendon rapture, two weeks ago, thru karate competition, i had my ultrasound on the day of the incident and found out i had tendon raptured, i was schedule to see an ortho specialist 5 days after i was diagnosed, i thought i would undergo surgery but my specialist put me into a full cast for 3 weeks. Not sure what will happen next but right now i dont have swelling and zero pain already, i can move my injured foot but dont want to stress it much. Like you i am hoping for the best, be brave and i hope everything goes well with you..
Hi Vicki
sorry to hear about your rupture
many different opinions re specialists on how to treat
age is a factor , how active you are and other health related ishues
my advice
don't uses leg at all till they give you the go ahead
keep leg elevated as mush as possible
really push for ultrasound to see what the damage is and use that info to make a decision on what rought to take
Gloucestershire HS very cean to push none op without doing ultrasound which was my down fall as I had a 4cm gap which didn't heal in air cast boot and I had a re rupture 13 weeks on
Now on sofa in plaster after op back to square one
let us know how you get on ATB Andy
I am 6 weeks post op, I had a complete rupture the op was completed sucessfully went into a backslab with splint, no weight bearing on crutches which were an absolute pain, back slab changed after 10 days and then the clips were removed after another weekand put into a fibreglass cast still in the toes down position but partial weight bearing now on my 2nd cast and waiting to go in tomorrow for the 3rd and hope fully last before airboot and physio. No real pain, a little uncomfortable with the feeling of pressure and the wound site and when they take the cast off it feels really weird. So if they offer you surgery don't worry speak to the consultant about any fears, the Anderson test does not always give the full story so you may require an ultrasound or MRI for confirmation.