Achilles Rupture: Conservative treatment vs operative management. What is best? CP podcast 

Did my Achilles rupture in January this year. Non surgery. Had boot on for 4 months and slept with it on. 70 years old and been playing squash since I was 24. Had my first game in September since it happened. Took it steady and walked to shots end it felt comfortable. I walk miles daily and continue to use the exercises I was given from the physio dept at local hospital. I do everything that I did b4 the rupture and I am pleased with my recovery.

I ruptured my Achilles two weeks ago. Went to an NHS MIU the next day, earliest I could. Nurse immediately decided it was a rupture. Got a second opinion from an arrogant doctor who was on his way home but had to see me. A 32 year old male who felt like he’d been kicked in the back of the leg, felt a pop and now had a positive Thompson test. He just said “give it two weeks and see how you get on. If there’s any pain maybe we’ll do an ultrasound” and overruled the nurse who then changed her tune. Travelled back to my home city and got a second opinion the next day, immediately put me in a boot as a cut and dry obvious Achilles rupture. They were speechless when told about the doctors advice. The NHS is an absolute shambles.

I'm 35 and in week 2 of recovery after tearing my achilles playing basketball. I confirmed it was rough play from an opponent, looks like he kicked my heel, from reviewing the CCTV footage. Tore the tendon right off the bone. Had successful surgery, watched the whole thing while on epidural. Had the cast for 1 week and now in the airboot. I can already flex my calf muscle thanks to starting physio this week. Already had 5 sessions and the team say I could be walking in another 3 weeks. Quick recovery to all of you

Excellent video. I found it really helpful. Reassuring too in the first week of post-ATR turmoil. Many thanks to both of you for producing it.

I'm 32 and I ruptured my Achilles whilst playing squash approx a month and a bit ago. It was a sudden and out of nowhere loud snap! The night of injury was taken to NHS injuries, I was there for approx 3 hours during that time I was seen twice and at the end I was given crutches, medical boot and blood thinner tablets. Went to NHS outpatients 2 weeks later, and was given an ultrasound appointment which happened to be a couple of days later. The doctor looking after me at first was hesitant to go down the surgery route, that was before the ultrasound. Once he saw the scan, he suggested surgery as it appeared a decent sized chunk was missing and because I play quite a bit of competitive sports and generally very active he felt this was the best route. It's been just over a week since I had surgery, now in a hard cast fixed on a position. Just waiting for the follow up appointment to take the cast and stitches off and take it from there. All in all, it's going to be a long and patient recovery. Looking forward to being able to walk again! On a sidenote, my experience with the NHS has been fantastic. Everyone I've come across has dealt with me in a positive and constructive manner. The waiting times for follow up appointments have not been long. This has been my first major injury and has been well cared for, looking forward to getting back to action once it all heals up.

Thank you so much for providing this valuable information about op vs non op with the achilles tendon rupture and also the best practices early in the injury process. In the US, most Orthopedic surgeons recommend surgery, so most clinics don't cast injured patients in 30 degrees plantar flexion, which is a huge disservice to the patient. I feel so fortunate that I was able to watch your video prior to my first Ortho appointment and demanded that I be placed in equinus at that first visit, which was within the 48 hour window. Your video allowed me to make an informed decision to go the non op route, which I'm forever grateful. The information that you and Dr. Singh provided should be incorporated as standard of care when dealing with acute achilles tendon. Keep up the fantastic work Chris Myers!

this info is 10x better than what my orthopaedic surgeon told me, thank you guys

This was fantastic to have access to this information, thank you for posting this. I’m one week into conservative treatment on the NHS. I knew immediately that I’d ruptured my tendon and went straight to A&E. they confirmed the injury and put me in a half cast, foot pointing down etc. I was then booked into the fracture clinic 3 days later. I was not given the option of surgery even though I’m very active. They put me in a Vaco Ped boot. Long road ahead but now feel much more informed and prepared. Thanks again

Thank you for this video, it’s been very helpful. I suffered a full rupture playing basketball in February. I had surgery and the incision site was infected which meant weeks in hospital on IV antibiotics. The day after getting out I slipped in the bathroom and suffered a rerupture. Second repair completed at the start of may and now 15 weeks on I’m starting to feel progress and it’s nice to be walking without any wedges for the past few weeks. This video gave me a lot of reassurance for what has been a concerning period, thank you.

This is a great video. Really helpful. A&E NHS provided boot, 4 wedges & injections to thin blood. A virtual clinic then confirmed conservative care plan with consult after 6 weeks. I was lucky enough to see specialist & have ultra sound after 3 weeks 2 days which confirmed healing and connection. Specialist removed 1 wedge & suggested I remove another 3 days later, which I have just done. I have started walking around block - at first tentatively but in days stronger. A long road ahead.

For someone going NHS route getting advice from specialists is very valuable. Thank you 🙌. I'm getting the impression the NHS has different protocols and levels of experience depending on the hospital or consultant. I'm 35, very active, a PT and competitive sports man. Took two weeks to get an Ultrasound on NHS. Told literally nothing before then and even after. Easily got more from this podcast alone. I've decided to pay for private advice and physio (at Complete Physio in fact) now which I regret not doing earlier.

Thank you so very much! My husband ruptured this weekend and I’m a therapist and this has helped me be up to date with the information we need moving forward into the recovery process following surgery in 2 days:)

Thank you for this channel!! The conversation between Chris and Sam was extremely informative.

Thank you für this conversation!

Thanks guys. That’s the first one I’ve watched fully without feeling ill. I ruptured my achilles whilst over energetically dancing at my nephew’s wedding 6 weeks ago. I’m a 52 year old ex-400m hurdler and was a bit worried that not having surgery was the right path for me. Your podcast has really put my mind at rest, as long I don’t return to hurdles. Cheers

Excellent podcast/videocast. Well delivered expert knowledge and advice. Thanks to you both.

Thank you for the time gentlemen and the information you provided.

Great video, highly informative!

Great chat from Chris and Sam, cheered me up and gave me plenty of laughter as I recover from my surgery yesterday. It's been just over a week since I raptured my achilles tendon play 5-aside 😅 keen to get back to scoring worldies so found the tips to be very helpful!

A really useful talk with lots of positive information, I am a 62 year old man, I ruptured my Achilles tendon just having a kick about with my grandson, I am going down the conservative route, my main concerns are getting back to some form of normality as soon as possible. I found this talk very useful, its was very reassuring, some very good pointers on what to do and what to be wary of.

Great to hear you both together from both sides of the professional spectrum. It would be useful to hear about the Physio required to get back to the sports i.e. football and what almost the criteria would be - thinking ROM, strength and the respective exercises you could recommend. Thanks in advance

I just wanted to say thanks for this video. I have read almost every paper out there on Achilles rupture since rupturing mine three weeks ago and it was great to see a more "boots on the ground discussion" of the injury. Absolutely fascinating!

I’m in week 10 since my operation. I had a rupture in May, playing tennis (58 years old and just returned to the sport after 20 odd years or so). My initial treatment was to have it conservatively managed in the wedged boot and then re-ruptured it in July at week 10. It took until 2nd week September before it got operated on and it is now 3rd week of November. Everything is going very well and I am walking again, albeit not smoothly and not full stride. When I go into an environment where I am not in full control because there are crowds, my boot comes with me (on me). My NHS physio is fantastic, I am seeing him every 2 weeks and he gives me great confidence to push things further during my rehab than I would if I was left on my own. As soon after initial treatment as you can, whether conservative or operative, exercise (obviously not possible if you are in a cast). Wear your boot and load the tendon. I rowed (on a Concept 2) initially with my booted foot on the floor and then high, resting on the stirrup. I was able to weight train and using ankle weights, I was able to exercise all the major muscle groups (barring my calfs) in my injured leg. I started cycling on an ergo last week and swimming this week (swimming was always my main sport) and the benefits felt immediate. I am also driving - my ankle is strong in plantar flexion and I feel very confident with it. When swimming had to be very careful entering and especially exiting the pool as the old pool only has ladders. For the next few weeks I will remain cautious with my aim to be able to walk without a limp by Christmas (week 16). It’s going to be a long road ahead but I am already enjoying the freedom of moving around that I missed so much

Fantastic reassuring video. I popped mine Wednesday evening and went to a&e wirhin a couple of hours. Bless the staff they whacked on a pot within 3 hours. Got my follow up in a few days. Alhamdollilah

Fantastic podcast, thank you Chris and Dr Singh. Ruptured achilles 1 week ago doing a beep test, presented to ED immediately, ultrasound confirmed 15mm gap in achilles and put in equinus cast. Confused whether to go conservative or operative. Saw orthopedic surgeon today to confirm the contention surrounding information on achilles rupture and what best to consent to, pros and cons (conservative vs operative), ultimately patient decides. Good to be as well informed as possible. This podcast confirmed the information, particularly benefits of acting early. I've chosen conservative, have a boot fitting next week and start rehab. I still hope to compete and represent the state in dragon boating end of April, when I hope to weight-bear without boot.

Thank you Chris and Sam for a very informative and relevant video. I ruptured my Achilles 5 months ago and now I wish I had seen this video earlier - it would definitely have helped me challenge my doctor and physiotherapist about the threatment choices (or lack of the same) that they made on my behalf.

Great content! Thank you very much!

Really informative video. For someone due to have surgery to repair in around 12 hours time I feel reassured that I am making the right decision.

Thank you Chris and Sam, very informative discussion. I just ruptured my Achilles 48 hours ago and visited A&E immediately after confirmation with ultrasound for a complete tear. Good to know the outlook on treatments.

Fantastic video guys really helpful. I ruptured my Achilles on New Year’s Eve on the dance floor whilst on a cruise ship. The song was “haven’t stopped dancing yet” luckily the ships doctor put me in a boot the next day and I got to the fracture clinic on the 17th and now wearing the Vacoped boot which is great. Any links to exercises I should be doing whilst in the boot would be appreciated as couldn’t find much online thanks

Very informative discussion tks

I wish my doctor had of explained even half of this when I visited him on Day 1 after Rupturing my Achilles. Good information, I hope I did not leave it that long to get into a Boot with a heel raiser. Thanks for this video, very informative.

Excellent video

Thank you. Really enjoyed this. Currently recovering from surgery.

Thank you so much for this video. I ruptured my achilles almost 3 weeks ago playing football. Went straight to the A&E, did an X ray and was put in a frontal cast. Went to the fracture clinic 10 days later and my doctor gave me the option of conservative or non surgery with pros and cons. I went for the conservative route and was put in a Vacoped boot for the past week now. I have another appointment with the doctor in 4 weeks to check progress. Like most people, my main worry is the likelihood of a rerupture but right now my focus is on full recovery.

I learned so much from this discussion. Thank you.

Thank you … that was super super helpful🎉

Terrific discussion and some interesting thoughts from both of you. I'm now six weeks post surgery and it's recovering nicely. I can happily weight-bear both in and out of the boot and I've managed to avoid doing anything daft to set back recovery. The boot is due to come off at eight weeks and physio starts straight afterwards, although as recommended in the video I still intend to wear the boot when out and about. I'm 59 years old and ruptured the right Achilles playing in a charity football match, which in hindsight was a huge error on my part. I hobbled around for several weeks thinking it was a bad ankle sprain or potential Achilles tear, and by the time a total rupture was diagnosed, surgery was the only option. I had VY plasty/FHL transfer surgery to repair a 6cm gap and this was nine weeks after the rupture occurred, which I believe is close to the time limit for surgery to be considered an option. Everything seemed to go well and, as I'm not planning to ever play football again (!), it was clearly the best approach. Many thanks for posting the vid.

Had my MRI yesterday and consultant talk today. So I've a rupture, and minor injuries told me it wasn't ruptured, so it was a late presentation. This has convinced me (as the surgeon basically said this morning) that I need the surgery. I'm very physically active, so it's going to have to be surgery.

Thank you for this very informative video. In the future it would help if the interviewer would let the guest speaker finish his thought before interrupting. It felt like there was too much talking over one another and couldn’t make out what either person was saying.

Great video and content! I learned a lot about my current injury and options from this. 2 months out from my tear and while I'm concerned my injury was treated incorrectly, I have shown good progress (going conservative) in the last 2 months. Weighing the option of having surgery now or forging on with PT and seeing how I progress.

1st time i played football in 25 years. 5 minutes in and boom. despite cycling 400 kms a week... so surgery or not?! Thinking better to try the boot after listening to you guys. I like skiing and snowboarding, but very rarely do that. Great stuff guys thank you.

Outstanding. 😮

Thanks for being the guys that don't slam timelines down! So many people throw around random but somehow EXACT time lines for recovery. I'm an active 28 year old man and you guys seriously gave me feel way more comfortable about the goals I've set!

Very informative, thank you, I did mine playing cricket!

I wish I would have seen this video earlier. ER doc said I only had a muscle contusion after snowboarding accident. Left ER with an ankle brace at 90 degree angle followed by a 5hr manual shift drive home. I then got an MRI showing partial Achilles tear with complete calf muscle tear. (Skeptical of the partial tear after this video) Ortho doc said to go surgical route which I will do now since I went two weeks without plantar flexion knowledge. Hopefully it heals up and too much blood/fat hasn't accumulated.

Ruptured mine a few weeks back on holiday! got myself into a same day cast equinus (thankfully had holiday insurance) and saw Sam as soon as I got back, he looked at my ultrasounds and I basically said I’m not leaving until you agree to operate haha…I’m 51 and extremely active. To be fair he did discuss the option of non operative treatment but that was never an option for me. Post surgery Sam agreed it was the right choice as my tendon ends were a mess and it would never have healed together as well non surgically. I had open surgery and I believe the failure rates are lower than keyhole, although the recovery is longer (and of course there is infection risk as with any surgery). Open surgery also allows for a stronger suture as it’s easier to work on fully exposed. Sam used the Krackow suture technique which is a proven choice for strength. I am now nearly 3 weeks post op and one week in the Vacoped boot @20 degrees. I’m being religious in my rehab stretching from plantar flexing to neutral and toe crunches plus a little side isometrics. Nothing past neutral however. Non op Vs op depends on two factors, will the tendon ends realistically join? and secondly how much do you need FULL and maximum functionality restoring. Do not leave it to chance, get an ultrasound asap and a cast as a minimum within the first 24hrs as the longer you wait the less options you have. Sam’s been great, this is bread and butter for him and if you have the opportunity to see him for treatment, do it! Cheers!

I know 2 people in their 30s who raptured their Achilles from running. One took the surgery route while the other took the no- intervention route. Luckily they’re both back to running after recovery.

Do you guys have any experience with the achillotrain? I get one in week 7 in the Netherlands.

I am at week 7, UK NHS non surgery. I have not seen consultant since A&E on day 1, 2 weeks in a cast in the ballerina position, 6 weeks in a boot removing a heel wedge every 2 weeks. I start Physio next week. The tendon feels fat but strong and I have started full weight bearing and you really feel how weak the calf is. Still a long way to go but for those in the early stages, from week 4 - 6 you become a lot more mobile and walking around in the boot becomes a lot easier

Rupture mine playing bball. Age 37 on 10/9/22. Had surgery 2 days later. Wish me luck

Very informative. Can one have a cyst on the Achiellis. My Ortho suspects one?

So I had ruptured my right Achilles tendon 2 yrs ago while playing high intensity squash . Managed it conservatively and was able to recover within a year and started playing after that again . Recently a few days ago while playing the same level of squash I ruptured my other leg’s tendon and now lying on bed trying to figure out what to do . The point I am trying to make is my previous Achilles tendon stayed intact and didn’t re rupture. Though in the last two yrs I have done a lot of physio and gym weight bearing activities to make it really strong.So May be early weight bearing and making the tendon really strong after that will help but be patient and take it slow . The key to recovery and getting back to sports I guess is patience starting it slow and gradually building up and be disciplined

So my right tendon has been very sore for sometime but I have ruptured my left. Is it likely I might rupture my right now that I’m depending on my right leg to move?

Hi many thanks I have gained lots of information from this video. I ruptured my Achilles and was in a vacoped for around 9 weeks then told by my consultant to come out of the boot. Reruputed 6 days later and had to start again. New consultant said must now be treated with repair op and am now at week 7. The sheet given with the vacoped goes to week 12 that implied that is the recovery time , but reality is recovery is much much longer for some.I have had 1st physio at Beckenham beacon hospital but now no appointments for 5-6 weeks. The nhs is at capacity.

Really enjoyed this. Found it informative and honest. Ruptured mine playing tennis at the weekend. Knew what it was straight away. All the classic symptoms so no need for x-ray. A&E same day and been in a boot since. Was told surgery shouldn't be necessary and advised to go down the conservative route... but although not a professional... tennis is my main sport, fitness, and social outlet... so I was surprised he didn't suffest surgery. I was feeling the physio's perspective here in saying (summarised), "I don't want to spend weeks doing this boot thing and it not to work!"

This is superb - very informative and open conversation. I am in week 3 of conservative treatment here in the Netherlands. This is the plan I am on......4 weeks in a cast not load bearing, followed by 2 weeks in a walking cast which I will be able to bear weight on. Following that after week six I will be given an achillotrain support brace to walk in. Do you have any experience with this in the UK?

Here to tell my story and possibly get more advice. I am 38 years old. Played sports my entire life. During the pandemic I stopped playing full court basketball. However, I was still very active. I played A LOT of disc golf, hiked, played basketball alone and went to the gym often. I moved back to my hometown and was asked to play in a winter adult basketball league with old friends. Of course, let's go! The first game I played EVERY minute of the game. No issues. The next day I went to work as a drone pilot. Then the following day (2 days after first game) I had another basketball game. During our short warm up period, I complained how slippery the floor was. But, I played every minute of the first half. Sure enough, the start of the second half I made an "explosive" move and then jumped up to shoot but when I landed it felt like someone kicked me in the back of the leg. Mind you, I have never been injured in my entire life. Not even a sprained ankle. So, in my head I thought "oh, this must be a badly sprained ankle". Believe it or not, I went BACK in and played the rest of the game! I drove home afterwards. I did ice it and elevate my foot because I thought it was a sprained ankle. The next day I went to work and hobbled around. It wasn't until 48 hours after when I realized this is probably not a sprained ankle. I went to the doctor and he confirmed it was a ruptured achilles. I got an ultrasound that essentially confirmed it to be a full rupture but a "mid tear". I've been in a boot since the 3rd day. HERE IS THE WORST PART THOUGH. I was getting married in 2 weeks! Extremely unfortunate circumstance all the way around. I ended up wearing a boot the entire wedding while weight bearing but crutching long distances since now it was the 3 week mark. Fast forward to yesterday, exactly 1 month since rupture. I had a follow up with the Ortho. I don't like how nonchalant he was but maybe that's a good thing? His PA saw me the first time so this is his first time seeing me. He comes in, looks at the achilles and says "ah this is healing nicely and it's even filling in already". I'm not sure how he knows that just by touching it but who am I to question it? I started with 3 wedges in the boot. At the 3 week mark I went down to 2 wedges. He told me take it down to 1 wedge after one more week. Since it is my right foot I haven't been able to dive but he said I could try driving in 10-14 more days and start wearing normal shoe with the insert he gave me. I am a little hesitant with all of this. I seem to get mixed messages from people I know who also ruptured achilles and information online. A month later and I am still seeking answers and in disbelief. The hardest part to me is the mental aspect moving forward. I don't think I can ever play the sport I love (basketball) ever again. I don't know how to trust my achilles ever again. I know there are no warning signs and it's very rare but that actually makes it worse in my mind. The Ortho told me I could play Disc Golf again in another 4-5 months. I am not even sure he knows what Disc Golf is. But it seems crazy that I won't be able to play Disc Golf until basically the 6 month mark but he wants me to walk at the 6 week mark? I am just looking for advice, encouragement, similar stories, etc etc. Thank you!

Such a great amount of information being shared, too bad I couldn't hear it all with all of the overtalking and the microphones being far enough away to complicate the audio.

Wow, I’m in Japan and my doctor said I need surgery from his first touch. I had to talk to him about conservative method and he said conservative is much more likely to re rupture. Btw I’m 52 and was hoping to start getting fit enough to play squash next year. I’ve thrown that into the bin. I’m more concerned how long can I work in a nursery daycare environment again

All True!😮

Hey, great vid. Probably the best I have seen after watching nearly everything on RU-vid surrounding the topic following my Achilles rupture. I am 4 weeks and 4 days out of surgery in a vacupod boot, can walk without crutches with no pain, slight hobble. My surgeon has said don’t start any exercise until we get past week 8 but my physio said as long as I don’t stretch the tendon and use my heal it could be good to do some light work on the static exercise bike to get the blood flowing. What is you view on this. do you think the bike would be safe or you think so as I’m told by surgeon. Thanks 🙏

I just rupture my achilles tendon doing MMA Boxing foot work drills i been doing since high school im 36 i never been so scared in my life, thanks a lot for the information I have decided to go with conservative treatment

What is the long term effect if not repairing Achilles?

Excellent chat ! I can relate on many points. I’m 33 returning playing basketball. I didn’t see this coming, I though I’ve been hit by the back. Currently in week 4 of conservative treatement… With the conservative treatment and a good rehab, will I have chance to get back at the same level in basketball ? Should I fear a re-rupture after 1 year once I’m back at it ??? Cheers and good luck to everybody healing from this injury 😉

There was some discussion about partial ruptures but a lot of that portion of the video was unintelligible. Would like to hear more about that issue.

In how long can you go back to warehouse work after rupture

Great video. I tore my Achilles tendon 5 days ago playing football. I am 33 years old very fit athlete. I am due to meet the surgeon in a week. I am hoping for a full recovery. It is such an ugly injury. Thanks for your video and experiences. I hope your doing well..🙂

2 steps missing @ bottom staircase in a gym and I overlooked and overstepped 1 feet down breaking achilles tendon at Tilburg NL. Dr told me.nothing happened . 14 days I roamed, Came back to India and consulted Ortho who did surgery, Now 15 weeks PO, Advised 50% weight bearing 10 days and 75 WB for 3 month

I feel attacked when the doc laughs every time. lol

I am 69y.o ruptured my achilles tendon last 2 weeks which AE applied cast. Seen ortho and trauma orthopedics today, he did remove the cast and did ultrsound today and told me i will not have surgery instead he xplained the need for a walking boot as the gap from ruptured tendon will be healed with the help of this boot (its called Vacoped) . I felt weird after i tried having few steps with the help of my zframe. The wedge sole of the boot is awkward looks bulky as i have short leg and small feet,but i can weight bear better than hopping on with zframe. My question is i've started to feel pain on the achilles area 2 hrs after wearing this boot. Is this normal? Can I travel abroad on an airplane in mid of November on 17hrs flight?

I did mine Achilles (footy) last Tuesday 07/03/2023. Had rupture confirm at A&E the next day and foot put into ballerina position. (In cast and on blood thinners ). Having follow up appointment on the 20th. Question: should I actively be wiggling my toes to aid healing process or is this bad ? 47 years old and stilling wanting to play football after healing. Found the video very informative.

Ruptured mine a week ago. Going Surgery route on Monday. 34 and quite active. I would hate to have re-rupture of a scar tissue. This sucks!!!

I have a very specific question. I am about 4 weeks out now from my achilles rupture and have taken the conservative route. Should my injured foot be in plantar flexion now when dangling or is there still some time before that happens?

Sir i have second surgery aclihc tendon i hope halp

Surprised to hear the part about blood thinners being absolutely mandatory. My doctor put it completely in my hands to decide. She almost suggested if it was her she wouldn’t bother with it. But she said she can’t make the decision and I have to decide. I didn’t feel qualified to make that decision because I’m a patient and not a medical professional haha. In the end I decided to take them as we have a family history of strokes etc. and everything has been fine so far. I’ve had such a terrible experience from an NHS perspective with an initial misdiagnosis, lack of communication, boots being the wrong size, etc. It just seems like the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing in the NHS atm.

Complete tear over here...on both legs. Right leg 5 1/2 years ago and left 3 weeks. To me there was no conservative approach on either leg. It was surgery or being crippled the rest of my life

great conversation but a bit misleading, I had my surgery 2wk ago and my MD gave me example of another person who tried to avoid surgery at all cost… after 6mo of waiting tendon still had the same gap and didn’t heal at all, end up having surgery after 6mo of misery, another aspect of non surgical approach is ; when it actually will heal it will always be elongated which will potentially affect your gait for years. Also the diet was never mentioned…

21:55 Late diagnosis/presentation cases

Tore my Achilles playing football on the 26th of July. Had surgery 2 days later. Splinted for 10 days and now Doc has me in a cast for 3 weeks in plantar flexion. Than replace cast with another in dorsiflexion for 3 weeks. From there he said I will move into a CAM boot with no wedges and begin PT. Is this normal protocol for recovery? (I am 25, in really good shape).

33M ruptured last week., highly active. If you go conservative, at what week is it safe to assume the tendon has reattached/healed? Or can only a scan prove that?

I’ve had bad advice. I got in a boot after 36 hours and I was told I may have a partial tear. The boot has been angling my foot at 90 degrees for five days. I just put something in the boot under my heel to change the angle. Am I too late?

34 ruptured playing basketball 10 days ago. I want to return to being active. My doctor is pushing me towards non surgical. It’s very frustrating because I want to just have them fix it. Health care system is wack here in USA so feels like I’m now being forced into just letting it heal on its own smh

I’ve ruptured my Achilles 3 weeks ago playing football, put in a boot two days later via A&E after doctor had to consult someone after I had an appointment with him. Seen the consultant the day after who confirmed rupture. He just told me to keep boot on till 8 weeks and go back to see him. Nothing about Blood thinners, told me I didn’t need crutches and I was ok to walk about. Went for an ultra scan this week organised by my Doctor which found it to be abnormal and they sent it off to the consultant but I’ve heard nothing back from him. Got this boot on 24/7 with three wedges in taking one out every two weeks but feel like I’ve just been left to get on with life by the NHS plus foot is still swollen three weeks later! My biggest fear is going back at 8 weeks and they then say it’s not healing so need a op!

I snapped my accilles on my right foot some 10 yrs ago went to gp he basically said yup thats what youve done take 3 weeks off work ,he didnt say i needed a boot or physio, people may be thinking you didnt snap your Achilles well i can tell you i thought someone had wiped my leg with electric cable so i think i very much had ,luckly it healed well on its own ,ive now snapped my left Achilles and again ive only been given crutches and ive been told to go back in 4 weeks and they may consider giving me a cortisone injection

I’ve got home from hospital, on a raised boot. How do I get my jeans off? Why do no videos do day 1.

Ruptured 3/26 8pm. Walked on it no boot that night. Iced it until midnight. Walked on it (limping), for a bit until noon next day. Not much pain thank God. Got confirmed by Thompson test at specialist. They gave me a boot with heal double pad, I think like at 22 degrees. Took X-ray same day. Been walking WITHoUT crutches but in boot (heal light load) mostly skipping. Is some load ok on the heal? Getting scooter tomorrow and crutches. Getting MRI tomorrow. Should I request ultrasound too? I am very athletic, play basketball almost 40 but still play like a 25 year old. I don’t want to stop but I’m not getting paid to play either, so i don’t need the speed fast recovery from surgery, I just need less risks and best results. Should I op or non op even if mri shows things progressing well? My bed has the ability to elevate the feet, I’ve been doing that all night while waring boot. Should I continue to elevate my feet while I sleep?

Thank you for your time in making this video. Can you answer this please. If not reattached surgically then how does the tendon reattach or mend back together with strength? I’m two and a half weeks into a Achilles rupture and currently going through the non surgical conservative route and just worried I’m not making the right choice in not getting surgery. I’m 30 years old and just want to be able to run/jog and work out in the gym and play recreation sport with my child.. not looking into getting back into physical sport. Thanks again for this informative video!

Thanks for the video. I’m about 2.5 weeks post-op and just switched to a boot. The problem is, I have pretty bad nerve pain that is aggravated while in the boot. I’d love to start weight bearing and putting more tension on my tendon but it’s just painful when I do it. Any advice?

Funny I said it felt like someone kicked me I turnt around and didn’t see anyone and thought oh no. It was painful so I was hoping it wasn’t a full rupture. It was just found out 2 hours ago.

STORY THEN QUESTION in the last sentence... I felt a pop while playing pickleball, It was shocking and somewhat painful but mostly shocking. I stopped the game but there was no severe pain so I continued to play 3 more games! The next day I woke up with some pain but definitely limping. I stopped all physical activity besides walking to and from my internship office. that was 6 days ago. ( i had just lost my Medicaid benefits a few days before so I did not go to a doctor.) Yesterday I walked a little too fast chasing after a child and the pain is back. I did research on youtube (as all underinsured graduate students do) and realized I need to stay off of it completely and put my foot in a boot with a heel. currently applying for affordable health insurance to get it checked out by a professional. Feeling discouraged that I didn't do something about it sooner and even more disappointed that I didn't know I could apply for affordable health insurance after being disqualified from Medicaid. Physical activity is my coping skill for stress and anxiety so I'm feeling really sad about how long recovery could take. Are there any exercises I CAN do while I am in recovery? thank you

Ruptured my Achilles left ankle on 5 days ago, saw orthopedic 3 days later. Put me cast for 2 weeks as of rn. Apparently will get a boot after that. I'll keep yall posted.

My achilles tendon was damaged as aside effect from antibiotics and been 4 months lost the muscle and still no improvement going for a scan what is your advice please

That mustache guy keep interrupting the talk. Can't hear some important part

I’m in my early 30s and ruptured my Achilles doing parkour. The NHS doctor decided not to operate which is devastating to me. 8 months later, no real guidance was given to me. I’m scared I’ll never run and compete again. Help, please.

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I ruptured my achiles tendon July last year. Spent 4 months in a boot. Had to wear 247 including to bed so i know how it feels. Now fast forward just over a year and it has gone again 😢😢😢

Cipro (the antibiotic) ruptured my Achilles.

Ruptured my Achilles Thursday night. Friday put in a cast and told I've got to wait 18 days for a MRI to see if I need surgery. I'm absolute agony calf and shin bone are killing me and my leg cast is squashing my Achilles.

60 year old at a Greek Wedding ... NO Zorba dancing !!! Ruptured last weekend ... arghhhhh ....