Evan- Just finding this series about your non-operative heal. I chose this option as well. I had a 3 cm rupture late August 2015, and thanks to some doctors who were willing to take some protocols from Canada seriously as well as having a fantastic PT, I am now at 90% strength, able to do 30-40 calf raises on the bad leg. I have been cycling and cross country skiing without restrictions for about a month now. I'm sorry I didn't see these posts earlier, but am encouraged to see someone else out there having a successful recovery. Best to you. Charley Hutson Jackson WY
Evan, speaking about shoes, I've been wearing Crocs on my other foot. With all the weight that's been put on my right side, the Crocs helps out big time. Once I'm able to wear shoes on my injured foot, I will definitely wear Crocs until I'm comfortable wearing regular shoes. Great Video...I can't wait to be normal again :o) Thanks again!!!!
+Elgin David Thanks! At 10 months I was just about normal again (running normally, but not jumping into explosive movements like tennis just yet). Good luck with your recovery!
I'm about 15-16 weeks into my recovery - non-operative, cast for 6 weeks, without early weight bearing. I can walk at a relaxed pace fairly normally for short periods. Walking any longer or with bigger steps and everything starts to go haywire. When I'm tired, heel still sinks in. Not enough calf strength for single leg heel raises yet. It is indeed a frustrating period and watching your videos has been encouraging. I'm so looking forward to reaching some milestones in the coming months, and not to need to think about the tendon when I go about my daily activities again.
I ruptured my archilles on 12th January 2017 and opted for surgery. I was in a boot for 8 weeks, gradually weened off and by 12 weeks was in "normal shoes" and walking. I am a keen hiker and have been so diligent with my rehab exercises. I do them religiously twice a day. With my physio's permission I am also swimming and hiking on alternate days. Distances have grown as my confidence in my archilles increased. As you say - Its a mind thing! Yesterday I hiked 10km on a mix of trails and some hills and thats quite an achievement. I am able to do 2 single heel raisers on my operated leg - they are so hard but I'm going to do them. Its amazing how the calf just fades away. Over the past 5 weeks I have increased my operated calf by 1cm. Its still 1 cm thinner than the other and the shape is just like yours. Thanks for your video it was great to see.
Wow! It sounds like you have been more disciplined than I was, and it has paid off. It took me a lot longer to regain muscle mass in that calf. I wish that I had easy access to a lap pool, and had looked at cycling more seriously in that first year, as those would have been better options for staying fit. With running, it always seemed that I was searching for the balance of "enough to get in a workout without agitating my foot or AT". We moved back to the US a few months ago, and having an indoor pool near my office has been hugely beneficial. I swim three times each week, and cycle and run on weekends... a much happier place than two years ago when I was on crutches! Keep up the great work!
wow you replied. i didnt expect that. I am also riding an exercise bike but no resistance yet. The hikes/walks I do initially tired me out so much but my body is getting stronger and fitter. totally agree that finding a balance btwn not enough and too much is difficult. I also have a weekly massage on my operated leg. At the moment doing single leg herl raisers is doing my head in. cant believe how hard they are to do. hopefully I'll be able to wear a pack in the next week or so to make my b rehab hikes more real. I love swimming and think its been a huge contributing factor to me staying fit. I'm swimming 3kms 3times a week. your video has been such a positive find at a time when I am so over rehab exercises but know I cant give up now
Hey Evan! It's good to see you again. Thank you for posting these videos, they have helped me a lot, even more now that I have no insurance and I can't afford physical therapy anymore. I'm right about a week behind you in my recovery, and following your steps. I feel tempted to run at times but still scared to do some things. The tendon feels stronger than ever after the first rupture and re-rupture, it feels extremely tight at times, which is kind of a relieve being that I thought it would have healed long after a re-rupture. But things are progressing well and doing all the excercises you are doing and walking about 4-5 miles a day has helped a lot. Take care and keep us posted on your progress and post the latest videos. Thanks!
+ed Great to hear from you, Ed. As gratifying as it is to run again, I have throttled back to once per week for now because it feels like my foot needs a bit more time to recover each time. This is just the most recent in a long string of "enough, but not too much" decisions on this journey. Even though the AT feels strong again, it is impossible to forget that things felt invulnerable until the moment before the rupture. As things get more and more normal, I have to remind myself and make a deliberate effort keep myself in check. Keep up the great work!
+ed After another week, 1.5 miles at a slower pace (~10:30/mile-ish pace) is feeling really good. Planning to run every other day this week, keeping the pace under control and not over-doing the push off with the recovering foot as I build up.
Thanks for the videos Evan. I’m in my 12th week after injury currently, while I am quite pleased with my progress it’s hard to determine how much therapy is enough but not too much. I’m still getting the swelling but more so on the days I do my therapy longer. I’m putting more emphasis on stability over mobility.
Hi Evan your videos are very helpful, I raptured my AT 10 days ago I have opted for non surgery also. I finally get my boot tomorrow with wedges. My foot seems fine no pain I can walk on it but not for long periods of time. I still need to be at work so I’ll have to drive to work for an hour then put the boot on for the whole day in the office but take it off on the drive home I hope that is still a recovery strategy. I am a very active person and play sports this is my first major injury in the 30 years of my life So it’s devastating and very frustrating but all I can do is stay positive and keep these exercises going. 😊
I certainly sympathize. The road to recovery is a long one, but you'll get back to your former activity level. Just listen to your body and don't take unnecessary risks as your body heals. Good luck!
Great video and many thanks for you help and advices, I am on the same path and this is week 12 for me, all is more or less ok, just take time... Many thanks once more
I'm glad things are tracking so far. This recovery will try one's patience, for sure. It can be tough to strike a balance between progress and preventing re-injury. Best of luck on the road to recovery!
I watched all your videos and It is interesting how you progressed very quickly at the beginning walking on your third month. I followed the same timeline but the operative route, so I had a cast for three weeks and left the boot at the 8 weeks but could barely walk. I must admit that even though my physical therapist was very encouraging to me to go the extra mile I was ver cautious and I did not see much progress on my third month. It was around 16 week that I realized it was my mind which was holding me back so I increased the therapy sessions per week (three times a week) and exercised religiously at home twice a day, and start pushing off the foot when walking. Although I am really busy at work (full time physician) I committed myself to my recovery and I prioritized at least two hours a day to exercise. Now, I am at 22 weeks and I can walk normally and go down the stairs almost normally, But I have started to jog in the swimming pool. My tendon stretch is not as long as yours yet but I can say that every week it has grown a little so I know it will continue to heal adequately. Thank you for your experience. The bottom line is for everyone who deals with this injury is that patience and perseverance should be the goal, and do not miss any possible minute to exercise.
Thank you Evan Brown for these amazing videos. I am now at week 20 (non-surgical) and they were really a good source of information for me. At times I have to admit I was discouraged as my progress was no where near as fast as yours. I reminded myself that I am 10 years older, tore my calf muscle and had 3.1cm complete rupture so personal situation might have been a bit worse (I orignally fell 12 feet from a ladder). However, things are really coming along and I think at week 20 I am close to what you show in this video. Thank you again for this series.
One week after posting this I have partially re-reputured my tendon. This is very bad news after 5 months of recovering to almost normal. I was carrying about 20 lbs downstairs when I notice a bad sensation. I have not seen my surgeon yet and don'dt know what the next steps will be. Feeling down.
@@dreamEternal Thanks all good now - the only long term effects are less strength on that side and a thickened tendon that I can sometimes feel. Even that has improved over time though.
Nice work on your recovery! Looking good. I've watched your videos a dozen times, and can't tell you how much they have helped. I opted for surgery, and I am 6.5 weeks post. I am in law enforcement and have a fear of rerupture during work. I have been in a boot now for a week and can walk without crutches. Back to work, but just in the office. My range of motion is very limited. so seeing how far you have come gives me hope. Thanks a ton!
+RaptorNate Thanks a bunch! I had never posted any videos online like this before, but was frustrated by the relative lack of good, accessible information about recovering from this injury. I won't pretend to have the market cornered on good ideas, but was hopeful that sharing my own experience might help someone else in their own recovery. You just made the effort worthwhile. When you make the transition to two shoes, be sure to stay in well-cushioned shoes for as long as you need to do so. I made a mistake by jumping back into dress shoes to go with my jacket and tie at work, when realistically no one would have cared about my shoes. Good luck, and drop a line any time.
Excellent update with your progress evan - very inspirational. Great to see a detailed breakdown of issues you are encountering & defeating as very similar to mine - i find the tightness in front of legs a real problem so good to hear (sorry!) that this must be a common problem for suffers of achilles injuries and not just me. At 19 weeks i am still no where near heel raises hence can't run at all - you're doing great up at a mile. very impressive on the stairs, coming down is a nightmare for me and the brain makes me go heel first. Any tips for overcoming the physcological fear barrier?! Self preservation mode keeps kicking in when ever any new challenge appears! cheers Barrie
+Barrie Kinnaird This recovery has been a seemingly endless string of decisions about "how much is enough/too much". For most milestones successfully reached, I can probably recall an "oops" moment where I did more than I should have or rushed and nearly hurt myself. With regard to stairs and other obstacles, my advice would be to try and ID if you are encountering "discomfort" or "pain". If it is pain, then respect what your body is telling you and wait. If it is discomfort, then work through it with prudent stretching, strength/balance exercises and a "build up" approach... ideally with some input from your physical therapist if you have one. Taking an incremental approach should help ensure that you don't find yourself on the wrong side of a line you should not cross yet, but continue making progress. Good luck!
Evan I am actually terrified to take my first steps again, I'm only in two full weeks I took my boot off at 15 degrees and my ankle can move up and down pretty freely I don't feel much pain this still a little bit of black and blues and bruising but they have been going down dramatically. I'm just afraid to walk I'm terrified when it's time to go to PT.
Hello! My name is Cosmin. I ruptured my Achilles on 22 september 2015, so I am about 20 weeks post surgery in my case. I have watched your videos and I must say that you had done a lot of good by posting valuable information. Gongrats on your recovery! I am a bit behind you at this moment but I am trying to recover. The bad thing is that my tendon swells very much during (mostly at the end) of the exercises/day. I thought that maybe I was pushing myself too much (1:30 - 2:00 of physical therapy and after, gym or swiming ). I tried to relax (stopped gym and swiming for 3 days) and the inflamation dissapeared, but when returning to normal activty (physical therapy and gym) the swelling came back. I am afraid of not hurting the tendon. In your case, how long after the injury this swelling appeared? When does it dissapear? In my country there is a salute (proverbial) which roughly translates like this : Health (I wish you)! That's better than everything!
+Cosmin Cărărușă Thanks for the feedback! By the 20 week mark I was no longer experiencing swelling in the tendon. It sounds like you are more active in the gym than I am. I don't know how much strain you put on the tendon with the exercises you choose, but it may be worth considering modifying your routine to take stress off the tendon until things settle down. I found that running 2-3 times per week was causing some discomfort in the tendon (no swelling, just a "that does not feel right" sort of discomfort), so I took about a month off (weeks 26-30) from running to let the tendon recover. Now, I am back to running 2-3 times per week, at a faster pace, and feeling much better. Good luck with your next steps, and I hope to hear that things improve soon!
i've been driving after two weeks of my surgery. I used my rigth surgery heel to press on the gas and my left leg for the break. I had to do this because i had to go back to work and i live an hour from work. After a day of doing this i got used to it.
Hey Evan, thanks for the videos, they've been informative and inspirational. I recently just tore my achilles tendon (4/17) as well, playing a game of pickup. Seeing how successful you and many others have recovered through the non surgical route, I'm considering pursuing that as well. I was curious, now that it's been a little less than a year, how are you feeling? Thanks!
+Kenneth Zeng Thanks, Kenneth. Sorry to hear about your injury. It is one of those "character building" experiences life throws at us, but it does get better. I suppose I am overdue for posting an update. The rate of progress slows after the first few months, but at 10 months I'm near the top of the final shallow slope to "normal" again. Aside from needing memory foam insoles to keep some heel pain suppressed, I don't have to do anything differently in day to day activities than pre-injury. I'm running three times each week, and do so with normal mechanics, pushing off with my calf (as opposed to the old man shuffle I was using previously). Having said that, I won't be returning to tennis very soon. When I do I will very cautious. Good luck, and I'll try to post an update asap. Let me know if you need more resources to help make your decision and have an informed decision with your doc.
+Evan Brown Hi Evan, thanks for the quick response. I'm not sure how much character building I'm currently experiencing, but I'll try to look at it that way. :) That's great to hear that you're pretty much back to normal. After some deliberation, I have decided to pursue the non surgical route as well. I hope to be where you're at soon. Couple questions I have.. in the first 2 weeks, were you in your boot 24/7 (meaning having it on at all times i.e. during shower, etc.). After your second week, how long/often were you in your boot? Also, do you have a copy of the protocol you used? Is it the same as the one from normofthenorth? Lastly, how helpful would you say your OS was? I went to two OS and one was pushing surgery very hard, and the second was open to non surgical, and just told me to keep my foot in the boot at 20 degrees plantar flexion for a month and see him again then. So I feel like they haven't been too helpful. I'm wondering if I could just follow the protocols and I would have the same result as going to an OS? Thanks and appreciate your feedback.
+Kenneth Zeng 1. I took the boot off for a fair amount of the day while the foot was elevated to let the foot breathe, but was mindful of the fact that the angle was not precisely held without the boot. When I put it back on after too long, I would feel an uncomfortable tension on the healing AT (my resting position was more plantar-flexed)... which I assumed was not especially helpful. I never left the chair or bed without the boot until around week 7, when I started to experiment with tentative no-boot walking around the room. 2\ I also took the boot off for showers, but only because I found a good chair and safe method for getting in and our of the shower without risking any push on the foot (shown in my first video). 3\ I went to my OS only periodically. The real keys were were my own deliberate management of my recovery and physical therapy. I went twice per week for the first several weeks, once per week for a couple months after that and tapered off after that. Their guidance on what exercises were appropriate at each stage was indispensable, as was a healthy awareness of the line between discomfort and pain. I.e., a little discomfort=part of the healing process and a price to be paid for progress, but pain=pushing too far and risking re-injury or a delay in recovery. 4\ My protocol was essentially the UWO/Norm protocol, but I would be glad to share it if you provide an e-mail address or place to upload it.
+Evan Brown Hi Evan, thanks for the info. I sent you a google hangout invite with my email info. You don't need to accept, but if you would please send the protocol you used to that email, that would be great! One more question, did you know whether you sustained a partial or complete tear? Does it matter for the purposes of non surgical recovery? I see on norm's blog that it doesn't, but then many other websites say that it does. Just curious on your two cents. Thanks!
+Kenneth Zeng It was a complete tear, and it seems to have healed just fine. A lot of folks talk about the size of their "gap", as measured by an MRI. My only scan was an X-ray, which primarily checked to ensure there was no additional injury but did not measure the rupture gap... so I never knew the size of the gap and my Doc did not seem to feel it was relevant, given where my rupture was (not close to the calf muscle or heel bone insertion). Good luck!
Evan, I am 13 week Non Surgical from a small tear, when did you notice a significant difference in swelling. Mine still looks fairly swollen but progressing slowly. Thanks
Anthony Ottrando The swelling was related to how many hours each day I spent on my feet. I think that the “max swelling” condition dropped significantly around the three month point or so, so hopefully you are experiencing the same.
On your 5th week since the rupture, did you experience any tendon stiffness and plantar heel pain? I'm now on my 5th week since the rupture and I just had my cast remove(nonsurgical) 5 days ago. I'm feeling plantar heal pain when trying to walk without any boot.
Mine was not measured by a scan, but was a full rupture. My physical therapist said that the fibers of the tendon were rejoined and mostly healed after three weeks, and that the next five weeks were spent in the boot to allow healing to complete before launching into normal shoes again. Even though she said it was healed after three, I was very cautious to avoid a re-rupture. I hope that your healing is going well.
When you ruptured your tendon in the beginning, could you stand or walk on it at all? Did you just stay off of it for healing purposes or could you actually not stabilize yourself on the bad foot? i believe I may have ruptured my Achilles, but i can actually walk kind of peg legged without pain and in a boot. Getting an MRI this week!
The injury was painful in the moment it happened, but after that there was just a dull ache that was surprisingly mild. I could walk with a pronounced limp, because my calf was completely out of the walking equation... so the peg leg analogy sounds about right. If you google "Achilles Thompson Test", you'll find videos about squeezing the calf to see if that puts tension through the Achilles into your heel and moves your foot. That is a good quick check to see whether you may have a rupture. Good luck!
I’m at week 25 right now. And I’m still struggling with the single leg calf raise. I can get like 5-7 cm off the ground. How was your progress regarding the single leg calf raise.
It's a long process. I'd say that by the end of a year I was pretty happy with where things were... but the calf still didn't match the uninjured one. It does now after three years, but I was not as diligent about building muscle once things reached a "good enough" point. You could probably build muscle more rapidly than I did by sticking with exercises that focus on the lower leg. I primarily ran and cycled, so it took me longer. Good luck!
I like your video. I am at week 21, non surgical and slower than you as I started weight bearing about 16 weeks. I am bothered by a limp that I am trying hard to get rid of, "walk normal "is my mantra. My ankle crackles a lot when walking and gets pretty sore, lateral to my malleus.. I heard you say in your video that you feel that your foot bones are not that aligned yet. Any thing you did to help with that. , I do all the circles, stretches, starting heel lifts and squats, plus lots of walking in the neighborhood. Now it is swelling again, but my Achilles feels great, although stiff. What seems to hurt most is my lateral ankle and my knee.
+Mary Cameron Thanks, Mary. I wish I knew a way to accelerate the progression, but unfortunately I think the answer is just time and modulating your activities to what your body is ready to do. Aside from having 1\ a sore heel due to jumping back into work dress shoes too soon and 2\ a calf that still needs additional work to match its neighbor, at 40 weeks I am just about back to normal. I walk without a limp and can do a single heel raise that is about half what my other leg can do. Most importantly, the feeling of things not being quite right inside my foot has passed. Lateral stability of the foot is about the same as my un-injured side, seemingly due to the musculature of the foot and calf building back up. It is so great to not have to focus and strain to generate heel push-off to walk with a normal-looking stride. I think that this stability level and feeling of normalcy arrived around week 32. Keep at it, but recognize when discomfort crosses the line into pain and modify your activity to keep from doing yourself harm. Good luck!
+Mary Cameron. Hi Mary, I wish you a quick recovery. I am almost week 18 post surgery. My progress has been pretty much in line with what you have seen in Evan's videos; thanks a million Evan's for sharing. I can currently walk with almost no limp, didn't start running yet, however I know I can do it and planning to start in a couple of days. I can walk on my toe tips, however it is still challenging for my injured leg. My calf is gaining much of its strength. What I would like to tell you is that there is a point during this trip which I felt I had scored significant progress in very short time. When I started walking in running shoes, about 5 weeks ago, I guess I pushed it too far too soon. Had very bad swelling, inflammation and pain. What has really helped is using ice on the inflamed part 15 mins three times, with a one hour space. I kept walking daily and using ice afterwards in the same routine and this has significantly helped me to overcome the swelling occurring after the walk. It took me almost 10 days and the swelling ceased to occur and I stopped using ice. Another significant shift occurred when I started biking for 40 mins a day. This really helped me to get over this feeling of dislocated bones in my foot and added much strength to my calf. I hope this helps in addition to Evan's reply. Best of luck.
Sounds like your AT is still giving you trouble. I hate to punt, but will have to recommend you take that question to a Doc. If your AT healed long or short during your first recovery, it probably can be surgically "adjusted", but it would come down to weighing the possible benefits, potential that it may not produce the desired outcome, and risks of surgery. I hope you are doing ok!
I'm 5-6 months into this insertional Achilles tendonopathy and still hasn't fully healed. I'm able to do more now but I still haven't figured out a way to walk pain free for more than 15 minutes. What do you recommend
Hi Evan, how long before you noticed the "divot" disappear? I'm in week 3 of my recovery and somehow my mind is telling me that the tendon needs to be completely intact before physical therapy starts.
My physical therapist said the tendon was mostly healed at 3 weeks, though at 8 weeks when I started walking in regular shoes it still felt sensitive and I remained cautious for awhile. Physical therapy is always good... you just need to pace yourself and do what is appropriate at each stage. Good luck!
@@ejbvmi Well said, I think you should post this in the summary - as your videos are recorded at the end of period in this case week 20, it looks like perhaps you had started walking without the boots quite normally before week 8. But excellent video in all, your exercise tips are really helping.
is this vidio after 20 weeks if i heard you correctly ?also your frind reruptur his Achilles tenden and he want to fix it nonsergery rout is thst means the orthopedics they don't want to do sergery again? Frend of mine have same problem.
Depends on the severity. But I don’t think he meant actually walking - more like putting very light weight on it whilst still in the boots and using crutches
Thanks Evan, thats good to know! Coming out of the cast (6 weeks!) after surgery I was so immobile I was a bit upset my hospital didn't even offer me the early weight bearing option. Now, two weeks after surgery I see enough improvements (can walk OK without cruches), so I'm confident I will heal fine. Might take a bit longer than yours but I'm ok with that.
I never took any drugs, beyond a few ibuprofen for a couple days after injury. Walking and heel lifts probably did the most for me. Did you see a Doc about your injury?
Yes, My doctor tried all the methods and medications was only radiotherapy,I do not know how to cure try to exercise, how long you have to carry them out, and when there was a stable result?
There was steady progress for several months. Around 8 months I began to feel like things were generally almost back to normal in terms of calf strength and my foot feeling solid again, at 10 months I was running normally again with a normal stride, and at a year I would say the recovery was complete. If your problem lingers after two years, I would recommend going to see a Doctor you can trust for advice. Good luck!
Hey I ruptured my Achilles about 2 months and also went non operative, I have been following the protocols but I still don't notice my Achilles growing back, there's still like a hole in my Achilles' tendon area. The pain doesn't really exist anymore though. How long does it take to actually see the tendon there again? Please get back to me thanks
The AT area will look abnormal for awhile. As it heals, it will thicken, and as the muscles build strength again the tendon will look more linear. My AT is thicker in the area where the rupture happened than above and below, and from what I read I expect it to remain that way. Are you doing physical therapy? If they have you using your calf to extend your foot, then this is a good sign that healing has taken place.
How long before the gap starts to fill in. It has been 8 weeks for me now I can put weight on my toes and push off on my calf a little bit. but I am wonder if this gap will ever fill in.
I used to refer to it as the "divot" by the rupture. If that sounds like what you are looking at, it will take awhile. The muscular atrophy you experienced during the initial weeks leaves a lot of things not-quite-right, and that is just the most visible example. It is good that you are able to extend your toes... nice when things like that verify that healing has taken place. If you are in physical therapy, use your therapist to help guide you regarding which exercises are OK for you to do at this stage. As you strengthen the muscles in your lower leg, that divot will fade away and it will eventually look normal-ish with a slightly thicker tendon around the rupture site. I'm still working on getting the upper calf muscle back to normal size, so that is one other visible difference, even after a year. It could be closer to the uninjured side by now, but I have slacked of a bit these past few months. Good luck!
Thanks Evan so much yeah I can walk wiggle toes even put weight on toes the 17 of June will be 2 months and can almost walk normal but still a gap that worries me but calf is strong and size is equal to other one.
Wow! It sounds like you are doing well. I had a divot at the rupture site for a few months until the musculature built back up. Good luck with your recovery!
they did a ultrasound and its reconnected now i just gotta be careful. i set up therapy and did it on my own. and it has been the key. the dr. wants me to wait a few more months maybe 3 before therapy but i aint gonna wait. therapy has me walking riding the bike and so much more. i will just be careful. the boot for 6 weeks and i am fine.
thanks evan your post has been tremendous in my recovery and hope. it was the key to me being confident to step out on my own with weight bearing non surgery.
omfg... im walking after 4 weeks with surgery... as soon as they took the cast off i was walking without the boot at 4 weeks... get the surgery or it will take forever
That's bad luck, against a very insistent Ortho Surgeon's advice I am glad so far I went non operative and on the 'Early intervention' road with Range of movement and early weight bearing exercises, I am only at week 19 1/2 but so far so good, driving, walking almost normal (only small limp) and can do 2 or 3 reps single calf raise now (not easy though), I downloaded the Uk's NHS Achilles tendon recovery protocol and it was a great guide to have.
@@jeffcadman2207 Do you have link to this download please? I'm keen to follow a guideline. Any other tips? I just had z shortening surgery on my achilles which I ruptured 6 years ago. Non surgical option (when the rupture happened) didn't work out for me. Hoping this corrective surgery helps.
@@ork_ Here you go Buddy, good luck: www.royalberkshire.nhs.uk/patient-information-leaflets/physiotherapy%20foot%20achilles%20tendon%20rupture%20management%20and%20rehabilitation
