r/AchillesRupture

I am 2 years post-op and still can’t do 10 single leg calf raises, foot is still stiff, don’t have full range of motion, don’t have enough strength to run.

Had first surgery April 2024, then had another surgery because either my body rejected the internal sutures for the PAR procedure or they put in non-sterile sutures, which resulted in me having a second procedure one month later in may 2024. My wound never fully closed and the sutures were being pushed out of the wound by my body and I had an infection. This resulted in another 4 weeks of recovery.

Just 3-4 months into the recovery process I was way behind where I should’ve been based on the PT protocol and what my surgeon had told me plus what I see on this sub.

Feel like I’ll never fully recover despite my best efforts and really trying my hardest to improve strength. I just can’t get my calve any stronger. I don’t think I can do one real calf raises, maybe 7-8 75% range or less.

Will I ever fully recover? Feel like either my surgery was really low quality or my PT was bad. I’m an extremely healthy 33 year old that is constantly active and lift weights 5x a week. I’ve gotten the rest of my body extremely strong yet I can’t gain strength in the part I focus the most on

Quick summary of my injury:

I ruptured my achilles playing basketball (27 years old). I didnt have surgery until about a month after injury. About 10 weeks post op, I was out of a boot and just in an ankle brace with my regular shoes. I then re-ruptured that Achilles at my own wedding (I know… tragic). Although I re-ruptured, I had incredible strength and mobility. My Surgeon even agreed that another surgical procedure would not be needed (due to the second surgery not being able to be “minimally invasive”. That meant: Bigger opening, more scar tissue, more risk of infection). We elected to just boot the foot for another 4 months and i was able to resume PT where i left off. With actually better progress than before the re-injury.

Question:

I am now almost 6-months post re-injury and making solid progress. I can walk with no visible limp, jog LIGHTLY with a heavy limp. Im still struggling to do a single leg calf raise on the injured side (might be more mental than anything since i re-ruptured). My question is that im wondering if anyone else has has issues with their toes and heel.

My toes (on injured foot) feel so weak and tender. Same for my heel. The heel almost feels raw at times and is hard to walk barefoot. Has anyone had these issues? What kind of recovery did you do to help mitigate?

Hi all - My doctor said I would start physical therapy after my 6 week appt. I’m in a boot and will be neutral without wedges at 6 weeks. I’m still only partial weight bearing and attempting to walk with two crutches only.

My question is what was your physical therapy schedule once you started PT after surgery? Are there any tips to how you scheduled your PT? I’m also going to be returning to work to my desk job on a partial schedule, so trying to determine how many hours I need to set aside for PT so I can make a return to work plan.

My main priority is being able to focus on recovery and getting back to 100%. I want to heal properly so that I can be an active parent to my young kids as soon as possible.

Also, how did you start feeling more comfortable walking on the boot to where you could do so without crutches? This injury is such a mind trick and I’m not sure what the line is between pushing myself too hard vs. expected discomfort as I continue to get stronger.