Hey Chi! Thanks for these videos!! I chose to naturally heal my Achilles after rupturing it during an indoor soccer match… it might sound crazy to say but I rested for the first 6-7 weeks (No cast just rest and ice and massages). I’m now on week 10 and I’m walking around with the tiniest limp kind of like a penguin walk lol!! I’m able to walk, swim, and use the peloton right now!! It probably also helps to imply that I’m 21 and superrrr motivated to defy the odds on this injury lol… but yea man this has taught me how to be super disciplined and patient more than anything. I’ve followed your process through mine, so thank you boss!
Hey Chi! I just wanted to thank you for these videos. I’m at 11 weeks op post for bilateral Achilles ruptures 🤦🏾♀️ yup both! I’m still in my air casts but can start walking without them the first week of January. I can’t wait to start using your tips in the new year ❤️
Oh wow, both of them at the same time? How did that happen if you dont mind me asking. Keep me updated with your recovery, I'd love to follow along and hear how youre recovering. Having both must be tough but keep your head up and sooner or later it'll just be a distant memory. I'm pretty much fully healed from my second achilles surgery and feeling back to normal! My thoughts go out to you and your recovery! All the best!
@@ChiChen3 I thought I could still do gymnastics after not training for years and having two kids 😂🤦🏾♀️ clearly that didn’t work out for me. I’m doing a lot better! Still have tightness on both sides but I’ve been walking since February unassisted 😅
@@crzychck89 Oh wow glad to hear you're doing better!!! I bet it was a lot of time in a wheelchair. I am 3 weeks post op and just starting to gingerly hobble around in my boot lol
Two days later I will be on week 12, definitely not jumping ropes😂, barely step on ground with shoes in the house. Whenever going out, I will put boots on. I am following Chi’s timetable which is faster than mine in the first 6 weeks but getting almost the same after week 9. Couple of things I found extremely important also mentioned in Chi’s videos: 1 knowing your pain tolerance and never rush if experiencing sharp pain, 2 be patient with yourself, especially when getting out of boots, rather be conservative than regrettable. 3 take one day at a time and be disciplined on your exercises. I use Dit Da jow( 跌打酒）for each night to reduce swelling and it worked well.
What’s going on man? Been watching your videos since I tore my Achilles the end of December. Had to make an account just to comment hahaha. I’m almost to week 12 right now and I’m still feeling the most pain in the bottom of my heal and the top of my foot. Did you experience this? I’ve been out of the boot week 9 and the walking has gotten better but the heal pain is a solid 5
Hey man! Haha I appreciate the effort of going to make an account to comment. I'm sorry I didn't reply sooner, I've been pretty busy with a new job. To answer your question, I did have heel pain right when I came out of the boot because thats when your foot, ankle and achilles are getting challenged the most again. While you were in the cast and then the boot, you experienced a lot of muscle atrophy in those areas. So your body needs time to adjust and start building muscles in those areas again. The extra range of motion being out of the boot paired with weak stabilizer muscles in your ankle will lead to that pain in your heel and achilles.
Chi, what's up bro.. last update for me: I'm finally at week 13.... I started jumping rope again this week...very excited about that. Somehow I still have a limp but my doctor says it's mental now... I'm able to jump rope for 20-25 min high speed..... I can't do double unders only single but man, the healing has been fast... I watch your videos just to remind me that it's all about attitude man... thank you again.
@@pr3sxovcsi thx but no its not to be honest man. It hurts when u first start but just dont be easy on yourself and itll get better really fast. Im 4 months post op and feel like Im almost back to pre injury so hopefully by month 6-8 its true. Best wishes with your recovery as well.
Hey man im just starting week 13, I think I kind of with ur mindset. Dunno if I’ll try jump rope yet but. Been doing exercise bike daily and then heel raises and trying single leg heel raises not with full body weight yet. Just curious how long it took you to stop limping? Last few days it’s seems like in the mornings I don’t have much limp but then by the evening my leg gets tired and I start limping again.
@@sammysamosa1 honestly what works for me, although it can be uncomfortable, is massage your achilles in the morning and the night and with good force. You feel it loosen up. I know i did a good job when I can no longer feel that rigid achilles feeling. Its supple and pliable. The chinese dudes at the mall who do massages taught me that. Works wonders. And remember dont be soft on yourself!
That sounds like you're recovering really well! I was definitely not able to skip rope at Week 13 but as long as you follow your doctors advice then I think you're good to go. Listen to your body if it feels any sort of sharp pain which will tell you to ease off but keep up the good work!
Just updated it with a new video. Sorry I wasn't able to go week by week but after Week 13, it's just about doing more of the same thing, which is knee to wall stretches and also strengthening through calf raises. Once you feel comfortable, you can add a decline to the calf raises and do them off a stair or step so your heel can go even lower than parallel. So you get a larger range of motion to increase your calf size and strength.
@@ChiChen3 just had it yesterday and everything went well! i’ll be on my ass for 2 weeks while im in the cast but transitioning into a boot on may 3rd! your videos helping out a lot thank you so much for making them
Hey Chi, I'm around week 12 and my foot is recovering and getting stronger everyday. One thing I'm concerned about is the flexibility, as it's super tight at the 90 degree mark (neutral) and no way close to the knee-to-wall progress that I was hoping for. Do you think this is normal? I'm worried that it's healing short...
I got out of the boot at the end of Week 11. The protocol says to wean off of it starting Week 8 or 9 but I still had heel wedges to remove and I didn't want to stretch my tendon prematurely.
Hey there! Love your videos. I had a vacation planned on Week 12 and wanted your input. The thought of walking in the airport already makes me anxious. Do you think I would be in a good spot on Week 12 to walk comfortably? Maybe around 1-3 miles of walking a day during the trip.
Hey man, I'll be honest with you and say that its definitely doable, I did a mexico tulum vacation for a week on crutches and in the boot but its definitely very exhausting. Id recommend a knee scooter if you can.. crutches on the beach made me want to cry...
I am at week 13 post-op. I started PT last week and will be going in weekly for the next few weeks. Been doing the stretching exercises they've taught me and been walking more on the injured foot without the boot. It stills feels tight but I can feel the calf muscle gradually coming back. The calf raises really burn but help a lot. At about what week did you start walking normally again? Thanks again for your posts.
Hey Andrew, it sounds like you're progressing well and just keep focusing on that mind muscle connection when you do your calf raises. It helped me a lot to close my eyes even while I held onto a wall or counter for support and visualize my calves activating as I was lifting up. I started walking more normally around Week 20+
Yeah thats perfectly normal. Based on my protocol, you should be weaning yourself out of the boot around Week 11 or 12 and very carefully letting your injured foot start to strengthen your ankles being out of the boot.
Hey Chen, I have been watching your videos and i have not heard anything about the sensibility around the area of the operation... it has been that and the possible extra tendon stretch what hurts the most... sometimes feels like it is the skin stretching as well.... at the same time the swelling area of the tendon feels really warm... is this all normal?
Hey Eduardo, yes this sounds fairly common. The actual incision site was very sore and tender for me for quite some time. There also felt like a sharp nerve pain when I rested my heel on some angles that touched the incision site. This all went away when I stopped babying the heel and just let it get use to the sensation and it went away by itself around Month 6-7.
@@ChiChen3 Thanks a lot man! - that is really comforting... but what about that warm feeling of the area... it seems like it is warmer when it gets swallen...
Hey man, I’m 3 weeks post op today, I’m at 1 wedge and starting to put weight on it, hopefully 3 weeks from now I’ll be able to put my full weight, what week in we’re you able to fully walk on your with the boot on?
Around week 6 I was full weight bearing. So that sounds about right if you're following the same protocol. drive.google.com/file/d/1dtyQQ5hptCaJfPSS1pw0qyad8P7il8zA/view
Hi Chi, thanks for your videos. I'm at about week 7 and I've been trying to walk a lot with the boot (with 2 wedges in it still) as recommended by my PT, but I have noticed that at the end of the day it is a bit swollen (but not particularly painful). It's good to hear that most people have been having the same experiences, and after I ice it and go to sleep after, it's perfectly good the next day. I wasn't too sure if I was pushing it too hard, but looks like I am doing a good amount of PT.
Yes this is normal and what you should be targeting so great job! You want to keep challenging your tendons and muscles so they can adapt and grow. Just make sure you ice it and rest in order to recover before you challenge it again!
I’m week 12 and started to walk from 8th week with larger limp. Even in the 12 the week still limping and heel pain hurts too much. Is the same for u? And what is ur opinion?
@@drsuvadeepsarkar6414 hm... i don’t know of any since I just used my walking boot which had heel lifts inside that I could remove one at a time. Then I went from the boot right into my normal shoes.
Hey chi ... Its almost 1 year completed but still i have a limping problem while walking??? Please please tell me how to get rid of these limping problem chi ??
You'll have to do a self diagnosis and determine whether your limp is coming from a 1) lack of range of motion (flexibility) or 2) lack of strength. Then you'll need to work on either or both to get rid of the limping. Are you doing your stretches and also your calf riases?
Hello, im currently in week 5 cast. Im from the Netherlands and my doctor doesnt do the boot. I can walk in the cast but my question is at what week we re you able to drive a car?
I was able to drive a car at about 15-16 weeks post op when I was out of the boot and walking again with normal shoes and could slam on the brakes with my heel.
At weeks 12 & 13 here, you're probably fine to use the stairs. You may just have to go slow and going up, you may angle your feet out like a duck a bit more because you don't have the flexibility yet but just hold onto hand rails. Or even before that, once I was full weight bearing in my boot, I could go up and down the stairs in a boot before I took it off.
If you don't need to stand or walk around for work (like a desk job) then you can return to work roughly 2 weeks after your surgery. You'll want to keep your foot elevated while sitting but as long as you're fine with pain or discomfort. If you need to walk around and carry things, you may need to wait until Month 3 or 4.
Hey thanks for sharing all your process, did you experienced heel pain at any point of your rehab? Thanks again, it helps a lot to understand what’s kind of normal or not during this long journey.
Yes I did, when I stretched it, I always felt a little tug in the heel and also there was sharp pain on the incision site whenever I put too much weight on it like putting my leg up on a table. It all slowly went away as I healed.
Hi chi ! Starting tmrw to put my foot in the boot with no wedges anymore , I’m nervous honestly . I tried to walk without boot a few steps and I’m having like a small mental block to fully let go and get a full stretch on foot but not so much pressure off the toes . Any tips to not be scared anymore ?
Yeah, if you slowly progressed to no wedges, your achilles will feel a stretch but its still limited in the boot so it won't tear, may just feel a little uncomfortable at first similar to whenever you removed a heel wedge. So I guess tips to not be scared is that as long as youre in the boot, you won't be able to tear your achilles so don't be worried about that. Just slowly ease into it, no need to walk right away cant just start with resting your foot in the boot flat and then once its less stiff, you can walk on it.
I started driving around Week 16 after I was able to press on the brakes very hard like I'd have to in an emergency situation. However I'd check with your local rules, I believe some places allow you to drive with your left foot but I'd recommend against that.
It's been good, I'm at about Month 8-9 right now and aside from not having as much stamina as I'd like, I can only jog for about 2-3min before I need to walk and rest a bit before I start jogging again.
I started driving around Month 4 post op? Maybe week 16? When I was out of the boot already and walking without the boot and able to slam on the brakes with my heel.
Hi! I am currently at week 13. I still struggle with calf raises. It just feels so week and I feel like I am not putting any weight on my injured leg. Idk if its fear or just too weak. Also, how active were you without the boot at this stage? I have transitioned to being without the boot. The last 2 weeks I walked without any assistance. But by the end of the days (working/gardening 6 hours a day) my foot is so sore. Specifically my heel. I had an open repair so I know it isnt any screws down there. Is this normal? I wear regular shoes/sandals so this may be the culprit as well. Thank you for any advice :)
Yes this is normal and just means that you are challenging your foot. These are all good things. Just make sure you have a healthy diet and give your foot enough time to rest and heal before you challenge it again the next day. Regular shoes and sandals are fine and I actually preferred sandals because it didnt have the back of the shoe rubbing against my achilles all day.
Hey Chi! Just checking in! Hope this question helps others. I just got week 12 post-op. Been at PT for 4 weeks, in sneakers for 3, walking before PT because of your videos. We're doing lots of balancing and strength exercises, which have really helped. This week, I can walk down stairs straight, with just a tiny pain. Dorsiflexion is back to normal as of yesterday. Started at -14 at week 8, am now at +12 degrees. I can stand 1.5" from wall to touch my knee. My good leg can do 5", so still progress to be made there. Yesterday, we tried standing hop and holds, then toe walks. Hops were easy, but toe walks, Id call it 30%. I did it, but it was more hobbling haha One thing I'm suffering with is two legs up, single leg down. I just don't seem to be getting stronger to do it. Worse, I'm getting a shooting pain about an inch up from my heel, right at the bottom of my incision. My PT thinks it's the tendon getting tight against the back of the incision where the doctor tied things off, but it's scary as all hell. It's like a 6/10 burning pain when I attempt to push. Do you recall pain when transitioning from 2 leg to 1 leg exercises? Sharp pains when really pushing it and applying weight? Hope all is well and love that you did this video series!
Hey man, sounds like you're recovering well! During my recovery I also felt this kind of sensation where my doctor tied things off. It's not going to tear with slow controlled movements and definitely not from single leg drops since the furthest you'll be able to fall is to neutral once your foot lands flat. However if it feels too uncomfortable, just focus on walking when you can.
@@ChiChen3 Thanks! I think the one thing that’s been hardest during the whole experience is knowing what to expect next. The incision healing has been a new experience, as well as internal healing directly behind the incision. So much going on. I’m sure I’ll toss you another message at my next milestone, if not just to say thanks, but so others can read it. You’ve seriously helped a ton with these videos! My PT guy puts me through the motions, but you’ve helped answer the “why” we do certain things. It’s also good to see what the next steps may be, watching your videos! You have a Venmo? Can I buy you a beer/coffee?
