I had achilles tendon surgery yesterday

Dmm13

I have had seven achilles surgeries and was able to come back 100% each time. My problem was coming back too soon due to my racing career. I qualified for an Oly Trials after having five and have had a couple since. Now I am working back to 75-80 MPW, but much less intense. Anyway, my point is take your time and make sure that you are ready to begin running again. My tendons look like shit, but feel great!

Mike -- amazing. How long after each until you were training hard again? My doctor is telling me at least 6, maybe 9 months until I will be really training.

Are you trying to get back to OT performance levels again?

I was only waiting 2-3 months tops...had to pay the bills. No, just running to stay in shape. I am going to run the SD Marathon in June for fun then we'll see. Never say never! Good luck with the recovery. Sounds like your Dr. is being cautious which is good.

First physical therapy session was this morning. I will be doing range of motion exercises for the next 3 weeks, trying to regain some flexibility. In 5 days I will begin wearing a running shoe around the house, maybe an hour a day to start, trying to wean myself from the boot over a 2-week period. Therapist said my swelling is fairly normal. No real pain so far. I have numbness from the incision around the outside of the foot which apparently is normal from the incision cutting into some nerves. He thinks that will gradually disappear over the next 6-8 months.

I have been riding a stationary bike at an easy pace for up to an hour most days and have gone swimming once. Feels good to do something but am looking forward to running.

Saw the doctor and physical therapist this morning -- 8 weeks after surgery. They were both very surprised at how little swelling I have. The doctor was extremely pleased -- he thinks I am way ahead of schedule. He believes that the combination of debridement of the tendon and TOPAZ is why it appears to have been so successful. The PT was also surprised at how much my range of motion had improved and how well I was able to do the exercises which he had me try.

Also got fitted for orthotics which I will pick up in 3 weeks. I am to wear them walking for another 3 weeks and then see the doctor again. Hopefully he will give me the green light to do some very light running then.

In the meantime I can continue to swim and ride a bike (so far just stationary) and the PT wants me to do light calf stretches and a couple of exercises daily. I am not supposed to use the boot at all now. They both said I am likely to be very sore as I do these for the next week or more but that it is normal and not a problem.

So all in all a good report.

14 weeks out. Saw the doctor on Tuesday. He was still very pleased -- says that I have much less swelling than he would normally see at this point. I got my orthotics about 3 weeks ago and wear them most of the time. They seem to have cured the arch pain I was having in the first few weeks out of the cast and boot.

I still have some fairly noticeable localized pain at the point where he did the most work on the bone but otherwise feel pretty decent. I can now start doing some light eccentric stretching and toe raises -- using the good foot to keep from putting too much strain on the bad one. I see him again in 6 weeks and he said hopefully I will get the ok then to start some light running. In the meantime I am riding a bike and have started using an elliptical trainer. Neither one is as good as a run but it will have to do for now.

BE PATIENT! You have been doing great so far. A 6 to 9 month wait is nothing and will go by quickly for a high pay off later ( running).Keep following the guidelines and timelines your PT and MD give you. Things happen for a reason.

Yea, the bike/elliptical aren't as good as the run. But if you blow them off, like I did, then you'll suffer consequences when you can run full mileage. I had every injury in the book, due to lack of muscle development that those exercises are for, and had to take 2 months off to heal them. Also, when you can start again, you don't want to be wayyyy out of shape, either. Also, watch the eating and be careful to keep your weight down. You don't want to start back up with extra weight on your feet. You're doing well, as I was at the same point, and fully recovered, good as new.

ttc, how are you doing now? Are you recovered from the surgery and the other injuries?

It's interesting that you are now in orthotics. For years I have had an on-and-off but generally worsening Haglund's (very large at times), and all kinds of scary symptoms which have kept a lid on my running while I groped about for a solution. I was even considering a visit to an orthopedist (which for me is a fairly desperate measure- I've never been "cut").

After three months of continous pain and discomfort, I came upon an old pair of orthotics that I had from 20 years ago for a knee problem (they didn't work for that so I put them away). I said "what the hell", and put them in my shoes. My relief was almost immediate, and now, three weeks on, I am able to do striders, long runs and moderate tempo pain-free. Apparently overpronation in my foot was irritating the Achilles' area. I am going to take a very gradual upswing, as that is one of the most frustrating problems I've had in 30+ years of running ( the knee-now cured-being the other), and I want it to be "over-and-out".

Good luck on your continuing recovery.

old double lapper,

That is great that the orthotics have helped so much. Hope it really is "over and out" for you.

dmm13 wrote:

ttc, how are you doing now? Are you recovered from the surgery and the other injuries?

Yes, fully recovered. But I had to take about 3 months off for those other injuries (do your rehab, as I didn't, and you won't face this) during the winter and am out of shape right now. But prior, I was doing plenty of thresholds, speedwork, tempos, etc... with zero problems. It's just a process to get to that point for full recovery, and it sounds like you're on course.

20 weeks out. Saw the doctor yesterday and he continues to be really pleased. Gave me the ok to start very light running.

First run -- 1 mile this morning on the treadmill in about 9 minutes. The heel felt pretty decent.

I am supposed to run every other day for the next month, starting at 1 mile and building up 1/2 mile each week. Then I see him again to see how it is going. Taking it very slowly but it feels good to be at it again, even if it is in very small increments.

The rest is a piece of cake. You've been through the hard part. Just be patient, as any impatience may get you running full again a week sooner, but with big risks attached that you don't want. But following the doctor will have you at full strength for most of the summer/fall.

Also, continue with any addition rehab he may have for you. It's boring & probably easy, but will make the full-mileage transition much more stable (less chance of side injuries from coming back). I would also recommend watching food intake, in case you've gained any lbs. You don't want extra weight.... plus when you're given the green light with the warm season still here and are eager, you definitely don't want to be OUT of shape.

Thanks for the encouragement. Unfortunately I have already gotten way out of shape. I tried to watch the food and to cross train but I have to admit that I did a pretty poor job of both. Hopefully I will be able to gradually get the mileage back up and get back in shape over the next few months.

dmm13

How is your heel these days? I've been reading about your progress. I'm 8 weeks out from haglund's surgery myself. Do you have any pain at this point? My doc told me to go run a mile, but I obviously have limited motion and a little bit of pain so I just started biking a little. Let us know how you are doing. Hope you're feeling well!

mw,

Making slow but steady progress. I am up to 2 1/2 miles every other day. I go to the doctor tomorrow so I\\\'ll let you know what he says. I have no pain at all down at the lower part of the insertion -- which was where all of my pain was before the surgery. I do have some pain in the tendon itself, up about an inch from where it used to hurt. I assume that is from starting to run and having my calf muscle so weak from inactivity.

I'll post again after tomorrow. Hope you are recovering quickly.

Saw the doctor this morning. He continues to be very pleased with my progress. Says the swelling is almost completely gone at the insertion where most of my problem was. I have zero pain there now. The soreness up a bit on my tendon is not surprising to him now that I am using it to run. Even though it is sore, he says it is much stronger than just a month ago and the swelling there continues to go down.

The plan for the next two months is to keep running every other day, going up 1/2 mile each week. Tomorrow I will try 3 miles for the first time. Once I am up to 5 miles in a month or so I can start trying to run a little (maybe 2 miles) on some of the days in between. Hopefully when I see him again in September I will be going 7 miles 3-4 times a week and 2-3 miles a couple of times a week.

Other than that I will keep doing the eccentric stretching/strenghtening exercises. I can bike or do the elliptical on the off days as well.

Fitness-wise I have a long, long way to go. 2 1/2 miles at 8:00 pace is now an effort. Hopefully I will be able to increase the mileage as planned and I will start to get some fitness back.

I have Haglunds on both of my heals. They don't cause any issues other than blisters once in awhile and holes in the back of my shoes. I'm 29 and wondering if I should get surgery. Suggestions?