Chi, for the first time since my injury I didn’t feel alone in this recovery. Your videos have been so helpful and encouraging, thanks for making them!
Again, thanks for all of your videos! I keep coming back to them as I slowly recover. I’m 5 weeks post op now and have started walking on my own little by little (still with my boot on but no crutches!). I actually had my heel lift completely removed in week 4 and was instructed to progressively put more and more weight on my foot (as much as I could tolerate). I have a 6 week checkup and might be completely removed from my boot and will start my physical therapy sessions as well. It’s interesting to see the slight differences in our timelines. Looking forward to coming back and watching the next video!
Sounds like you're progressing well! Keep up the work the positive attitude and this will all be a distant memory soon. Once you're able to walk on your own, your quality of life improves a lot and things get a lot easier in your day to day life. Just don't forget to keep up the work then because it's easy to slip on physio once you're walking again.
I’m on week 5 post op, haven’t started walking yet. I’m seeing the physio on the 13/4 to basically get back on my feet again. Came across this video and it’s giving me hope. Hopefully I’ll be able to get back to doing resistance training.
Ah you're out of the toughest part being in the cast and such. In terms of training, you can still train upper body once you feel up to it. It actually helps you recover faster if you stay in good shape and theres no reason why you can do upper body workouts in a boot. But just make sure it's mostly seated on a bench :)
Great videos! Hope you have fully recovered by now. I ruptured my left playing soccer in 2018 and just ruptured my right playing football. I am 4 weeks post op with heel inserts. 100% weight bearing. I highly recommend “even up” product or something similar that elevates your other foot. It’s a game changer when it comes to walking in the boot.
Ah that's so smart, I never looked into a product that elevates the other foot. It definitely would have saved me some hip biomechanics issues that I developed hopping around crutches with an elevated foot for so long before I got out of the boot.
Thanks for the recommendation, so in your opinion why you broke your 2 Achilles?? I am 3 weeks post operation and I want to avoid any risk of tearing again my Achilles
Ah man sorry to hear that. Yeah I'll definitely take my time and be cautious with recovery. Did you get surgery to fix it or did it rerupture after you went non-surgery rehab?
@@farouqiii damn, sorry to hear that... how did you re-rupture it out of curiosity? Just got my cast off today (5-6 weeks post-op) and am worried about doing the same.
@@theanonymouslegion4811 jogging before calf strength was optimal. Give yourself a lot of extra buffer time. Keep all activity at “low risk, high reward” for atleast 12 months. And lastly, listen to your body.
Thanks for sharing man. Ruptured mine last month and had the minimally invasive type surgery 2 days later.. 4 weeks post op now. It's interesting to see the different protocalls by surgeons, I was allowed to weight bear 100% 2 weeks post op in the boot with heel lifts. According to the schedule I'll be in normal gym shoes with a heel lift at 6 weeks post op.. we'll see how that goes haha.
Ah yeah I noticed the newer minimally invasive surgeries tend to provide a quicker recovery time mainly due to the lessened trauma and scarring for the body. My body needed much more time healing after the surgery from the traditional approach than the second time with the newer method.
Hi Justin. I ruptured mine Last month and i had a minimally invasive surgery . Right now im in the 4 week post op with a boot and Heel lift. I use 2 crutches with full weight. I ask you. When you lift the crutches and Walk with no boot? And what ejercises do you recommend in my current week?
@@gabrieldstefano5179 I was put into a boot when I got the cast off at 2 weeks post op and I started physical therapy at this point (at first it was just moving the ankle and just starting to get mobility back, nothing serious). I was waking in a boot with heel lifts without crutches at about 3 weeks post op. I think at 4 weeks I was frequently doing ankle circles, can’t really remember. I was still keeping the ankle elevated as much as I could. I recommend following the directions of your surgeon, don’t hesitate to ask them.
This one of best series in regards to this topic! We have the same story in response to injury. I am 6 weeks post surgery and everything is aligning with your content
I’m in the process of taking the heel lifts out of my boot on a weekly basis, early weight bearing, I’m feeling more positive after the first three weeks I just felt sorry for myself!! I’m 4 weeks post op and I’ve started working out again pull ups, dips and push ups, it’s helped massively with my mental health so I would recommend getting in some sort of exercise to anyone who’s going through the recovery and struggling mentally! I think your videos are brilliant brother 👌🏻you should be proud you’ve helped so many people, thank you 👊🏻
Thank you for your kind words man. Really appreciate it. This is great advice and I echo this as well. Working out, even my upper body, helped my mental state a lot during recovery. Good luck with the rest of your recovery man and let me know if you have any questions.
Hey Daniel, I just took out my stitches at week 2 and currently on week 3. My doctor suggested to let my wound heal for another week while in a boot and revisit him at week 4. It feels super tight and barely able to stretch my foot to lay flat on the 3 wedges. Is that normal?
@@tranxxaction yes mate you’ve just had surgery so the tendon has been stretched and reattached so it will be tight for a while! Throw In the scar tissue making things feel even tighter as well. Follow the process and keep watching these amazing week by week videos, they help massively! Once you can weight bear again I promise you it gets easier, I snapped mine May 30th and had the operation a week later, I’m 80% back now doing most things I did before so you will get there… follow the process and stay as positive as you can brother, learn a language, take up a hobby! Use the time off wisely to better yourself! I’m stronger now that I’ve ever been before as I’ve been in the gym constantly, I do all my rehab at the gym as well so I wasn’t stuck at home! Good luck brother 👊🏻
@@Smithy316 thanks Daniel! I’m on week 4 and doctor has given me the ok to start PT. Meanwhile I’ve been stretching out my foot (inversion, eversion, and dorsiflex enough for me to set my foot flat on the 3 wedges) and gained a good amount of movement in my ankle compared to before. At this point, were you wearing the boot at all times even during sleep?
Very informative thanks ~ I'm on my 6weeks too since I broke my Achilles ~they just removed my cast last Friday and now I'm doing some simple exercises.
Chi, thanks for sharing these exercises. I’m 5 weeks post op and trying to do the circular motion with the foot is very stiff lol. I’m still fighting mentally to move my foot without tearing anything but seems like these exercise will help with the rehab.
hey man, sounds like you're just past the wound healing phase! yeah it's going to be stiff at first since its been just sitting in a cast/boot for so long. Just ease into it and your repair is definitely pretty secure so these exercises on the ground wont be able to tear it, especially without your body weight with risk.
@@b4db0y hi how are you feeling now? presently I'm in the 5week of post op now... My fingers are very stiff as you said 😩only 5percent I can shake my leg fingers
@@priyankachunarkar7074 Hey, I'm currently 6 months out and the stiffness compared to 5 weeks was day and night. My flexibility has improved since then and I can complete a knee to wall exercise whereas at 5 weeks, that was impossible. I trusted the process and try to work on that day by day. It's a linear progress as Chi puts it. Keep working at it! You will get there!
@@b4db0y nice to hear that yuh have improved alot...thank god ... ...I have one last doubt that... In a day how many times you used to do the foot movements or exercises ???
Really useful video for me - im two weeks post surgery currently at 30 degrees in my boot. Im managing to walk without crutches but its painful so i use them now and then
Yeah, it's great that you're starting to try some weightbearing already, there've been studies that show early weightbearing can lead to faster recovery. Just be careful and don't overdo it. Always listen to your body, when it's sore, switch back to crutches and let it rest.
I just uploaded the Physio stuff I am doing at the moment. But I really like your stuff. So i might add these into my routine and make another video of extra Physiotherapy exercises as normally we rarely see people with these injuries like you or me actually doing them. Just doctors talking about it or healthy tendon people demonstrating it
Hi Mark, I just took out my stitches at week 2 and currently on week 3. My doctor suggested to let my wound heal for another week while in a boot and revisit him at week 4. It feels super tight and barely able to stretch my foot to lay flat on the 3 wedges. Is that normal?
Yes this is totally normal James. Stay in the boot until its comfortable to be full weight bearing with no heel wedges in. Then you can slowly transition out of the boot.
My recovery is a bit slow I’m 5 weeks now post op & was allowed to do Toe Down only but I will definitely try your exercises when I’m on that stage of recovery
Don't worry too much about the speed of your recovery. You can use my videos as a general guide through the progression stages but go at your own pace because we all had different levels of injuries and repairs. My first recovery was a lot slower than this one as well because I was also more experienced and was making these videos to help people which helped me stay accountable to my physio workouts too.
Anyone here have "achilles reconstruction"? (Right Foot) Mine was detached to clean out old scar tissue from haglunds deformity surgery in 1982! Surgery was 2/15, 2 weeks no weight bearing in a splint then 2/28 stitches out and in a cast for 2 weeks. 3/14 getting my cast off, then walking boot with crutches with PT. Im able to start driving too. Like these videos as they are similar to my post op protocol.
Wow, no I never had a reconstruction. But I fear thats what I'd need if I ever tore my achilles again since they've both been repaired. Hope I never tear another one *Knocks on wood*. It sounds like you're recovering well! Keep it up and good luck with the rest of your recovery!
It's kind of crazy to think about how the Achilles Repair protocol is so standard but also so different at the same time. I'm at the end of Week 5, heading into Week 6 and I've already removed 2 heel lifts (I have 3 more). I ditched the crutches at the start of Week 5, and was able to manage about 50% body weight (standing upright normally) and move around. I did feel like my back was sore but I think that was due to all the imbalance built up from the weeks prior of not using my right leg and leaning to one side. I'm not purposefully trying to "rush" things but it does feel like each person has their own recovery time. My being able to ditch the crutches was just me not feeling any pain during weight bearing.
Hey man, yeah the protocol is generally a one size fits all and incorporates a huge age range. Based on your own age, body and fitness, you should be able to dial in what feels right for you. I suggest everyone listens to their body as the best feedback on whether you need to push more or need to slow down, rest and recover. Just try not to stretch your achilles too much too quickly as it can cause you to overstretch it while its healing and lose some elasticity and explosiveness.
It’s amazing how much difference in scarring there is in each leg. I’m three weeks post op and they’re making stay in my cast until the end of week 6. This really sucks. 😕
Ah everyone heals at different speeds and every doctor has different recovery protocols. Try not to get too stressed or down about your timeline. Just be patient with yourself especially at the beginning. "This too shall pass". Good luck with everything and let me know if you have any questions.
Yeah the process is not fun but if you can get through this, you're part of small % of people who have the will power and strength to face something like this and overcome it! You got this!
Finally at the weight bearing step! One month to be off crutches completely.. still no heel wedges which is a bit odd to me but going with the flow. PT comin soon too
@@ChiChen3 if you don’t mind sharing. My surgeon wants me to be off crutches in a month /by the time I see him again in mid July. I’m currently week 6 going into week 7. How do I know if I’m ready to take the step without the crutches or when I can use one crutch ? I’m still with no heel wedges but I see that my foot is slowly starting to go back to a neutral position.
Many Thanks for your effort and explanation, very informative and helpful, much appreciation. Am on week 5, cast being removed, on boat with 45 degree of motion, no wight bearing at all as the Dr informed that he don’t want to risk it at all. Physiotherapy will start on week 6 will adjust the boat degree as well, only massage for physio no exercise yet and am not sure about such protocol as am going to be in week 6? I saw a lot of videos where people start wight bearing from week 3 >
I just found the bands on Amazon, no-name generic therabands www.amazon.ca/TheraBand-Resistance-Professional-Non-Latex-Exercise/dp/B01A58FHQ8/ref=sr_1_5?gclid=CjwKCAjw9-KTBhBcEiwAr19ig1DKmS7HYWL5b7bQL6_0E54-q5dNavqz2ZRjtcc1Fhcn6hcCCinGmhoCGW8QAvD_BwE&hvadid=475187341892&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9000970&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=10295088373246860651&hvtargid=kwd-307803311657&hydadcr=19470_10113969&keywords=therabands+amazon&qid=1652113758&sr=8-5
Ah yeah Ive heard of a few of us who've torn both. I figured it's like tires on a car and that after one tears, the other may not be long behind. But that may not be the case.
Yeah, when doc cut my left one open he described it as appearing "sickly" and stated that my right one was likely in the same shape. So kind of expected to hear that infamous snapping sound again.
Hey Chi, just wanted to clarify something. When you ditched the crutches and started walking around the house for the first time, did you have all heel lifts in? Thanks man.
Yeah I waited till I was 100% weight bearing in the boot without crutches before I started taking heel lifts out. I'd say 1 week of 100% weight bearing, then take 1 heel lift out per week after that.
Hi, loving your vidz. When did the back of your achilles stop feeling stiff (how long did it take for flexibility and scar tissue to leave) ...i don't have a normal gait yet because it's still stiff.
What post-op week were you finally able to use soap on your incision? I'm living abroad right now so there's a language barrier with my surgeon. I'm week 6 myself and he finally let me get a boot and told me that I could rinse my leg with water but to not use soap and not to scrub the incision.
I think I used soap around week 8 but didn't scrub it and basically just rubbed my fingers along my leg and incision gently to clean it in the shower. You can do that now without soap as well. Make sure you are sitting down as an accident in the shower would be the last thing you want. Best of luck on the recovery!
Yeah once in a while I would, I believe that's just the tendons healing and having all the muscles and ligaments and tendons trying to synchronize and work together again. This happened more right after surgery and slowly subsided as I recovered. Although the wound spot always had a sharp pain when I rested my heel on a hard surface like a coffee table. That feeling also went away as I rubbed it more and got it use to feeling contact again.
Hi Chi Really beautiful videos been watching them for your two encounters. I am om 4th week 3 days post op, can't walk still I put on the boot and use crutches How do I go about carefully beginning to get that first step.
You can start by trying to gradually place more weight on your foot in the boot and removing heel wedges slowly. Once you're ready you can remove the boot and very slowly try to walk around without the boot but make sure you're following a protocol or your doctors advice.
Your videos are very useful. I’m 5 weeks post op but I was aloud to take out my first wedge of 5 today. But I’ve been told not I can’t start physio or exercises until I get my boot off in another 4-5 weeks time?
Yeah there's no need to rush the physio at this point. You can do light banded work and things I show in this video but this is mostly for maintenance and to avoid as much muscle atrophy as possible but it's not necessary. The main goal right now is to let your wound heal and your achilles to heal up before you start stressing it.
It'll be a while before you can start playing competitive football / soccer again. I think it'll likely be around Month 9 before you're back on the field.
Has anyone felt pain in their big toe or front pad (ball) of the foot when weight bearing after surgery? Also, controversially my Dr said I can sleep without the boot at night and my ROM has been really advanced because of this. 5 weeks post op.
I did not personally feel pain in my big toe but I felt it in my heel but most of these minor pains go away as your foot heals. I also did not sleep with my boot at night but it was my second time on this ride so I know how to sleep without moving lol. I do think that sleeping with the boot sometimes is good because it keeps your foot in that stretched achilles position which stretches it out more before you remove a heel wedge for the next week. It helps with the progression I mean. At least for me. Otherwise, my foot was always resting pronated and never got stretched when I slept.
Same here. A lot of pain in the heel, ball of foot and toes. All cramped up. Having PT for it 2x per week since week 4 to remedy this. Now 7 weeks post op. Still in the boot at 30% WB with 2 wedges. Evolution depends on the state of your tendon, mine was really frayed so I have to take it very slowly. Just basically doing AROM exercises for the foot and my leg and stationary bike (with the boot) for 20min a day. Hot/cold treatment (alternating between a hot and cold foot bath) really works well to loosen you foot and toes. The scar must be healed completely for this though.
yeah i'm about to hit week 5 and i saw your scar on the right leg looked so good mine is probably somewhere between your left leg and right leg. but yeah man thanks for the videos. my doctor hasn't really told me to do any of those ankle rolls. should i just start them on my own? also i've been walking basically full weight baring around the house since the last 2-3 days...anyways thanks for the video's man really helpful.
Yeah I'd recommend adding it to your physio exercises slowly and see how your body reacts but it sounds like you're recovering very well. Walking is one of the best forms of physio to help your body get use to the movement patterns again.
Hello, Thanks for the video. I’m about 6-7 week post op out my cast into a boot 3 days ago. But I’m very concerned my PA never got my foot to a 90 degree but said it was okay for me to get in a boot and start doing ankle exercises. I can’t even move my ankle because of the stiffness/ swelling and my foot is still in a downward position I can’t even stand. Should I be worried? Did you experience this? & how did you handle it if you did? Thank you
Yes it'll take some time before your foot will reach 90 degree angle, it shouldnt reach there right out of the cast. You can start doing light exercises like I showed in this video just to get the muscle mind connection going. But yes I took about 4-5 weeks after I got into the boot before my foot was neutral.
Thanks Chi, for posting and very helpful.. Did you have pain at the wound location at this time (-10 weeks post - surgery )? I do and the surgeon said I have scar tissue adhesions
Hey Greg, yeah I did have pain at the wound location whenever I touched it or put too much pressure on it. Especially on my heel when I'd rest it on the ground so I usually cross it over my other foot when I was sitting down. This lasts for a little while until you start to manually massage the scar tissue around that area and the sensation will slowly go away with time.
Thanks so much for the videos. May I ask once full weight bearing, did you walk on it everyday? Did you have rest days? How did you process in number of steps? I keep one having set backs.
Let your body be the guide but I tried to walk on it everyday until it got sore then I let it rest overnight and did it again the next day. It wasn't so much as physio everyday but I just kept on with my life which required me to walk around to get coffee, groceries etc.
Don't worry about the setbacks, just let it rest and get back after it the next day. It's a marathon and not a sprint. Let yourself recover and be patient with yourself
Man I’m only in week 1 post op but your progress in weeks 5-6 is mind-blowing. I’ve still got my soft cast on and I’m definitely able to move my toes more and more each day. I don’t know about you but it’s hard for me to rest my leg in a neutral position with my toes pointing up, probably cause of the stitches. I also feel some tenderness in the calf muscle whenever I bring my knee to my chest, not sure if you felt this before as well. Honestly, I’m constantly terrified that any sudden movement might re-rupture my Achilles…lol
Hey man yeah this all sounds pretty normal. The first few weeks, just focus on healing aka sitting around and doing nothing. They tied your achilles pretty well so don't worry about it tearing that easily but still be careful.
Hey chi, I just ruptured my Achilles on my right leg this morning hooping. First rupture ever. I’m just trying to plan out going forward. How many weeks would u say i would have to wait before I can drive a car after surgery? (Auto shift)
It was about Week 15 or 16 when I was able to drive again. It was my right foot so I had to wait until I was out of the boot and walking again and able to press down on the brakes hard like an emergency stop.
Hm.. unfortunately I did not but I followed a pretty aggressive early weight bearing and mobilization protocol on my most recent achilles and I found it helped me much more than when I didn't do any early mobilization on my left achilles 3 years ago.
Hey brother, I appreciate your videos, I just ruptured my left Achilles 5 weeks ago , and I actually ruptured my right 15 years ago , so like you I have a quite a bit of experience with it lol, the only thing I'm confused about is I wasn't put into a walking boot for neither of my surgeries, so I'm curious to know if I'll be allowed to weight bear next week when I get my cast off. At 6 weeks post surgery we're you able to walk ar all without the boot? Sorry if you clarified this already.
At 6 weeks post surgery, no I wasn't able to walk without my boot. My foot was still too pointed down to be able to flatten out to 90 degrees and even stand straight. When I got out of the cast, my foot was fully pronated down and I went into the AirCast walking boot with all my heel wedges in and worked on weight bearing for a couple weeks before I started removing heel wedges 1x per week. So it's definitely more strange to me that you'll be able to stand or walk without a boot right when you get the cast off.
@@ChiChen3 thanks for your reply, at 3 weeks post op I had stitches taken out then they adjusted my foot to more of a 90 degree angle, then they re -casted they said it would make it easier to stand upright right away. It hurt like mf at first but now it's fine. I'm hoping that might have accelerated the range of motion process allowing me to start weight bearing sooner. This was the same 15 years ago, but when I watch your vids along with many others, I noticed you all went into walking boots at 3 weeks. So I'm guessing my recovery program is just different.
@@LETULIVE39 Yeah I heard that from a couple others as well, that's different than how it's treated here. Both my achilles and physio was done by different surgeons and PTs at different hospitals. I've read in studies that if you stretch your achilles too early, it doesnt get a chance to retain the full elasticity it use to have. It may be quicker to get walking faster but it may affect your explosive power output down the road. That's just from my understanding but keep in mind I'm also not a health professional or physio therapist. I was told to think of it like an elastic band. If you have two identical rubber bands, but one of them you stretch out more so it ends up being looser or wider in circumference than the original band as it's default state. When you go to snap it at someone, it's not going to give you the same elastic rebound snap. So jumping and sprinting push off power from your toes and balls of your feet may feel a little weaker or like a flat tire. I've thrown a million analogies out and didn't mean to write this much but hopefully it all makes sense and either way good luck on your recovery.
@@ChiChen3 thanks bro. Hey I promise last question lol ... out of curiosity, if you can even remember... were you able to get your first repaired achilles back to around the same size as your other one that wasn't injured at the time? I couldn't ... mine was way thicker and I was always worried I didn't do a good enough job with the scar tissue removal.
@@LETULIVE39 No don't worry about that, I'm just past 3 years now on my other leg and it's still slightly thicker than what it was originally. It slowly goes down, I remember it still felt like I had a permanent market in my achilles for the first year or even almost up to 2. It takes a while for it to break down, you can use cross friction massage on it to help it along.
Hey man , im from toronto too and I recently suffered the same injury to my left leg as well. Was your physio covered by ohip ? Because i got my surgery at north york general and they just told me to go to any physio therapist of my choosing
Hey Jay, no unfortunately physio was not covered by OHIP. You can follow along and I try and show you the exercises and things I was given by my PT but it'll be missing any manual massage or work that they do in person.
When exactly did you stop using crutches. Im now week 5 and I tried to do 1 crutch, but actually I can walk without crutches for small journeys and stuff to the point im just thinking to ditch crutches from now as it is pretty much the time you said about 75-100 percent weight bearing. For now i am still avoiding balancing on one leg though or anything that involves all my weight on my one bad leg without the good leg for assistance unless its a normal paced or slow paced walk
I didnt use a crutch for my second recovery and just used knee scooter until I could walk without any crutches. If you're able to walk without them, Id say do it, just make sure youre not walking in a weird motion by hopping around.
Yeah it's now week 8 and I have been deliberately practicing slow walking while trying to replicate complete walking movements since a quite early on. Even when I was on crutches until week 5...I would try to bring my foot down in the partial weight bearing stage and let it go through the normal motions of heel down and rolling forward to gently push off the balls of the feet/toes as close to the normal walking pattern as I could. Same with full weightbearing crutch and no crutch. Now I am week 8 and I can pretty much walk around barefoot or with slight heel raise in shoes but it aches like a bitch because im flat footed. So I prefer still wearing the boot for a while longer and Chinese doctor wants me to keep wearing it as "Even if you dont need it to walk,the main function is to protect your tendon during healing and avoid injury again" He thinks shoes right now are too risky because they dont offer that support and one bad roll of the ankle is all it takes to make progress disappear. But I will wear shoes with heel lifts for little periods of time to gently wean out of boots.
Yes I tore my left achilles almost 3 years ago playing basketball and then I tore my right achilles almost a year ago playing basketball again. I had taken some time off because of COVID lockdowns so my body wasn’t use to the explosive changes in direction and I probably didn’t warm up enough either.
Hey Chi I am 7 weeks post op in a boot now walking around slowly with crutches. Is it okay for me to take the boot off when laying down in bed and sleeping? I don't want to rerupture but feels a lot better without boot on when resting and sleeping. Thanks for the videos man
Hey man, yeah it's fine to take the boot off when you're laying down or sleeping. You just have to be careful you don't toss and turn too much or fall out of bed, also don't go kicking the blankets. The one thing to note is that wearing the boot at night does keep your achilles in a more stretched position, which makes it easier when you take out a heel wedge. Reason being the more time you spend in that stretched position the easier it is to progress to the next level. When you sleep without the boot, your foot rests pointed downward so its not getting stretched at all, so sometimes it makes it a little extra difficult / painful to progress to the next level of the boot when you remove a heel wedge. Hopefully that's clear, I feel like I could've made my answer shorter.
@@ChiChen3 Thanks a lot for your time man! Yes that makes sense I will try to keep it in the boot as much as possible. How often do I take it out of boot to ice you think a day?
Ah just starting the journey, just be patient with yourself and take it day by day. Once you get out of the boot, it'll feel so good and you'll start recovering much faster! You got this
You're welcome! I know how hard it can be for someone mentally and physically. Just know that you'll definitely recover from this and just be patient and put in the work to recover. Best of luck on the recovery!
The Even-Up product that fits on the shoe of your good foot helps to walk or PWB more evenly and naturally and allows for better hip and lower back alignment. It helped me quite a bit.
Im on week 4 atm I hit week 5 Wednesday and I still cannot walk without the crutches. I seen your excersise on here. I’m going to try. It’s tough I’m scared to put to much weight on it
I'm going through the same thing and I found using a thick shoe with a heel lift helped me immensely. Made my legs the same length and walking much easier on my back
Yeah this kind of tactic definitely helps and allows you to walk more normally with a regular gait pattern versus the awkward lopsided walking with one foot higher than the other.
Mine doesnt have a modifier, instead it uses heel lift inserts inside to dictate the angle of my ankles. I just remove a heel wedge to reduce the angle. It goes from 45 degrees at 4 heel lifts and down to 0 degrees once I remove them all I think. Your boot may be the more technologically advanced version that allows you to control the angle without heel lifts. I've never seen or used one but if your surgeon recommends it, I'd probably go with that. Plus it sounds newer and cooler.
hello, i will take off my boot at least a few hours a day. Is it better to try to put it on after each exercise, or can it be kept removed. one month after the operation
No you can keep your boot off between exercises as long as you're not standing up or trying to hop around without your boot to grab equipment. After your exercises, if you're just sitting on a couch or resting, it's fine to keep it off as it promotes better blood circulation. But make sure to still wear the boot a lot during the day as it forces your achilles into a stretched position and holds it there so it makes it easier to take out a heel wedge for next time.
Thanks man ur giving me the guts to stand up and face this situation! Next week is the day I’ll be in boots and is it common to have pain after surgery?😅 cuz like I haven’t got any pain at all and the doctor were surprised that I wasn’t in pain😅 I even feel insecure when I’m not in pain 😂 and is it possible to do small walkings when u wear the boot ?
I haven't seen many people discuss pain. There is nerve pain and muscle pain. I get random nerve pain (not intense) not associated with exercises, many times just sitting or laying. it doesn't repeat, no throbbing. Muscle pain appears to be only from overexercise which I have not experienced. Any comments? Is this normal?
Yes this is normal, nerve pain will go away as you finish the healing process and move into the strengthening process. Muscle pain will be normal and persist throughout the recovery whenever you exercise or strengthen the leg. You want to do this constantly to challenge your muscles to grow. I wouldn't call it muscle pain necessarily but maybe muscle soreness is the better term.
haha yeah unfortunately I tore both playing basketball. About 1.5-2 years apart from each other. To prevent it, I definitely would have focused more on bulletproofing my other leg by strengthening it through the full range of motion, best exercise for that would be single leg calf raises on an elevated surface like stairs etc. Also making sure I warm up and stretch before any strenuous exercises like basketball.. I tore my second one because I didn't do these things.
Thank you for your advice on an earlier video! I'm starting week 6 now and just starting to walk with full weight. Did you have any pain on the bottom of your heel and or side of your achilles right behind where the fibia bone ends and sticks out a bit? It's not right on my Achilles so that makes me feel better but it's still making me hesitant to try walking normally. I know it will ache and be sore but I can never tell where the line should be drawn if you know what I mean? (For reference I got the open incision but it's much smaller than your scar and it's a bit offset to the inside and not directly on the back of my leg and so I can tell it's not from the incision spot)
Yeah it's normal to feel these weird sensations from your feet and ankles at first. The threshold is any sharp pain. If it's a sore, swelling pain, that's all normal and will come and go in waves as you exercise and rest it. If you feel any sudden sharp pains that's what you need to watch out for and make sure you avoid that as much as possible.
@Kat Pankratz Just got put in my boot week 4. Big time pain in the area behind the fibula as well. Also in my 3rd, 4th & 5th metatarsals with 50% weight bearing. Concur with your walking and pain tolerance hesitation. Great video @Chi Chen thank you for making these.
Bro your videos helped me a lot. Thanks. Im on week 4 post surgery and the protocol here in malaysia is quite different (or perhaps its my local state hospital's protocol). I was never put in a cask nor boot but a piece of plastic mold to the front of the leg at plantar flexion position the next day post surgery. Very minimum physio exercise and non weight bearing till week 6. But i have been doing partial weight bearing and increase my exercises since last week. Going through videos like yours and hearing stories from other people gives me a lot encouragement.
Make sure when you're weightbearing that you get an aircast boot or some way to restrict how far you can stretch your achilles. At the beginning of weightbearing, you should only go as far as your range of motion allows. Basically what the heel wedges do for you inside the boot. It allows you to place your weight down without stretching your achilles too far.
@@ChiChen3 hi chi... Yesterday my cast was removed ... doctor has done one more dressing after the cast removal and he told me to remove the bandage after 3 days and told me to bath the wound with warm water by using Dettol ... please give me any suggestions chi about the 1st wound bath can I use soap or no please suggest me
Thank you for your videos. I rupture my Achilles tendon Easter Sunday, April 17, 2022. I had surgery May 13, 2022. Your videos have been extremely helpful due to my circumstances of living on my own and not having any family around. Thank you
You're welcome my man! Good luck with your recovery and let me know if you have any questions. I've been through it twice and fully recovered now in both achilles so I can help with any questions regarding physical recovery or even mentally. You'll look back in a year and itll just be another memory then.
Hey Chi, love these videos man. I’m 5 weeks post-op on my Right Achilles like you. I tore mine playing soccer but I have really been itching to get back to basketball and at least shooting free throws. I haven’t been cleared to bare any weight on my leg yet like you are demonstrating here, but I have been working with bands and 10 min. stationary bike, as well as walking myself forward in a wheelchair at physio. How scary is it to take those first steps once you are able to walk? I’m super nervous! I’m 23 and I was lifting weights every day and playing basketball everyday so the surgeon said it was an absolute FREAK injury for my demographic. Congrats on your recovery brother!
Ah man yeah you sound pretty young compared to the normal demographic for this injury. Sounds like you're doing all the right things, just be patient with it, it's gonna take some time for you to make a full recovery. For the first steps, it wasnt that scary because everything moves with progression. You'll start walking in your boot first but by the time you take off your boot, it'll be exciting taking steps without it but obviously be super careful when you do cause it'll be the most vulnerable, so make sure you have support withh your upper body, like holding onto a table while walking around it.
It depends on the size of the tear. If it's a partial tear or a full tear without a large gap between the tendons then a more conservative approach without surgery is definitely possible and sometimes even recommended. However, it ultimately depends on the severity of the tear
Thanks for the videos! It’s helping me through with my post op. I’m about 5 weeks in and I’m starting physical therapy next week. Did you get any scar tissues around week 5 and 6? And did it get better after physical therapy? Thanks in advance!
Yeah I had tons of scar tissue, especially with my left achilles repair using the older surgical method. You can use cross friction massage with your fingers across the tendon to loosen up scar tissue, or a PT can use a metal scraper tool to mould your tendon as well (painful though). The scar tissue will slowly go down as you progress through physio. It took me up 7-8 months before my achilles started to feel thinner and more like the other side. Its a linear progression so don't worry about it too much, its normal and will go down as you recover over the 6-12 months.
Now entering 7 weeks been off the crutches around the house walking as normal in my boot. Been keeping with stretching as per physio advice. Had a few steps without the boot the last couple of days all feels good not pushing myself. Scar is nearly healed one little scab left and have like a graze scar which was the trauma blister on my heel.
That sounds like amazing progress. Keep it up! Once you start walking around without your boot it'll feel great. A little wobbly and slow but you'll notice the improvements daily at that point.
You'll also notice some swelling around your ankles when you get out of the boot and thats all normal. It's your body trying to limit your ankle mobility to protect you. It'll thin out as you gain your strength and mobility back.
@@ChiChen3 any swelling I have comes and goes around the scar and sometimes if I have my boot on all day because of work. Nothing that an ice pack can sort out. Still have some numbness down the left side of my foot and now some suddenly in the heel to which also feels like a pull. Got an appointment with the specialist on Wednesday and physio on Thursday for next steps.
Ah the fun part begins where you get to start using your ankle and foot again. This is exciting, it'll be challenging and you want to challenge yourself everyday. You can rest easy that any soreness usually means your gaining strength and healing!
It has been difficult for me to talk to my orthopedic surgeon. I keep getting the runaround as I deal with PAs. The PAs have already told me that I do not need to pump air in my aircast nor do I need heal lifts. This seems quite contrary to what you say and other videos say.
That is really strange that your PAs are telling you that you dont need heel lifts right after coming out of the cast. Your foot should be pointed down in the cast after the surgery. Once you remove the cast, your achilles should be super tight and sensitive and would be extremely difficult to get it to neutral right away. Typically you need to let the wound heal as you progress to 100% weight bearing and then remove one heel lift per week as you slowly stretch out the achilles to neutral. I'd be afraid my achilles would snap if I tried to stretch it right away after removing the cast.
If you'd like to jump on a quick Zoom call or Google Hangouts, I can try and answer any questions you may have right now and give you any advice I can. I'd probably need to see what kind of range of motion you have and what kind surgery was done.
@@drajmiller I dont have a paid Zoom account to host meetings yet but if you want to send me an invite chi.chen86@gmail.com, I'm pretty flexible Monday and Tuesday next week after 1pm EST.
@@ChiChen3 hey chi could I speak to you over video call on say Instagram? I’m in the same boat a little confused by my surgeon and he hasn’t been great about answering my questions
Hey Chi , when did you stop wearing your walking boot to sleep ?. Your answer would be very helpful. Thanks again for sharing your journey to recovery.
I stopped wearing it to sleep quite early probably around Week 2 or 3 but I've been through it before and am very still when I sleep during recovery. I've had practice from the other leg. Also, I don't have anyone in bed with me so theres no chance of someone pulling the covers and catching my foot etc.
1 week post open surgery here. My doc says I still need to be in the fibre cast until week6 to actually have walking boot on and physio etc. Since i saw you already starting stretching and stuff on week4, is there much I can right now to prevent muscle atrophy?
There's not much you can do until you are out of the cast. Just focus on eating enough protein and BCAA to reduce effects of muscle atrophy and let it rest. You have plenty of time to strengthen it once you're out of the cast.
Hi Chi Just came across your vids … great content buddy and so useful! I’m at week 7 myself currently. I’m a classic weekend warrior and managed to tear my Achilles during a game of football here in the UK. Partial tear - 2mm and going the non-operative route. Ive been in a cast from day 1 in plantar flexion and after 6 weeks just got transferred to a boot with 4 wedges a day ago. Frustratingly my doc has said I need to keep all 4 wedges and be NON weight bearing for another 4 weeks and then I am able to remove a wedge a week … so ANOTHER 4 weeks … and then I can start physio. Now I’m a 51 year old so older than you but generally quite fit and so the approach taken seems super cautious. 10 weeks in PF and non weight bearing seems to go against current thinking of early mobilisation and weight bearing to me. The doc actually agreed but said this Is a policy of the hospital. He barely even looked at my leg and wanted me in the boot and out the hospital ASAP. I’m likely to pay for a private physiotherapy session and get a second opinion. Would love to know your thoughts though Chi!
Yeah that definitely seems like a safe broad sweeping approach for recovery but isn't likely following any early mobilization and weightbearing protocols because they do need to be practiced more carefully. I'm not as familiar with non-operative surgery protocols but after 6 weeks in plantar flexion, your achilles should have stretched down and tied itself back together again although it'll take time to get stronger. I would look for some other protocols for non-operative route and look for timelines and their PT schedule. This other weekend warrior like us went the non operative route and may be good to check his protocol and timelines as well. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-KAholKQjYy0.html Good luck with the recovery! Personally speaking, mind you I'm not a medical doctor or anything, I think if you're generally fitter than the average bear, you should start your weightbearing and PT as soon as possible. It'll challenge your achilles to recover stronger and you'll experience less muscle atrophy around your leg as your leg just shrinks up. Good news is that your leg recovers muscles fast once you're up and at it again. Just make sure your getting lots of rest, keep your stress levels down, and eat lots of protein and just a good diet in general. Let me know if you have any other questions and good luck with the recovery!
@@ChiChen3 Amazing! Great response Chi and many thanks for taking the time to reply in such detail. I know the videos from the link you've shared and have seen these - to be fair I've been all over this thing like a rash in terms of research etc 🤓 I decided to book a private PT and went to have my first assessment with him today. He asked about my history and raised his eyebrows a few times when I advised him on my recovery roadmap. He did a few gentle tests with my foot, ankle, tendon for basic strength and range of motion and long story short has advised me to ditch the boot and use crutches if needed only outside. General advice was essentially aligned to what you said - i.e. get the tendon working ASAP and strong again! I've been given some exercises for tendon and leg muscles and will be seeing him again next week. I feel liberated! Will definitely go easy of course but so glad to have started the PT sessions finally after 7 weeks. If I stuck with the recovery plan as per NHS I'd be having PT in 15 weeks from impact date at the earliest depending on availability. My leg would have turned into a matchstick by then no doubt! Anyway - thanks again Chi. 🙏🏽
You can put an extra insole or two in your other shoe to elevate your other foot a bit if your trainer allows that without making your foot feel pinched or squeezed against the top of your shoe
I'm week 4 post op second week itself they put me in a Boot without wedges already my feet is 90 degree, don't know why Indian doctors don't give heel lifts or wedges, I can move my ankle up down.
Yeah I don't know either. From my research, that tends to stretch your achilles tendon too much before it's done healing and results in having less elastic tension and less ability to generate explosive force (jump higher or sprint faster) once you're recovered. But I'm not an expert and I'm not familiar with the doctors or procedures in India.
jeez i did not realize you ve broken both...really impressing.. that must have been a true mind challange... thank you for your videos very usefull. i am on week 4, my protocol is a little slower than yours and not weightbearing for now.
I am 3 weeks post op and my foot and toes feel extremely tight like like stretched out while trying to bend toes forwards and backwards also does anyone recommend taking the boot off when going to sleep it is still uncomfortable.
I did sleep without the boot after about a few weeks but my only caution is that it makes it more difficult to take out a heel wedge each week because your foot spends less time in that stretched position inside the boot. Also you want to make sure you sleep still and you dont kick blankets or sleep walk but it is MUCH more comfortable to sleep without the boot.
Hey man, been watching your vids. They’re great. Tore my Achilles playing soccer the 21st of July, had surgery the 28th. In the process of taking wedges out. Started my 25% body weight yesterday. Any workouts you recommend I can do at home?
For now, just focus on resting properly and eating properly to let it heal. Make sure to eat foods that help reduce inflammation which will help with the healing time. Once you are at 100% weight bearing thats when you can put in more work. For now, these gentle stretches and self massages can help improve bloodflow but it's not time to do much *work* yet. Save that for when physio starts!
Thank you for your videos! I’m at week 5 post-op recovery and your videos have been really helpful. When you started PT did you have a lot soreness in your calf?
yes definitely a lot of soreness in my calf, ankle and achilles as it atrophied quite a bit while I was waiting for my surgery and then post surgery in the cast and boot. Give it time but your muscles will recover fast once you start walking without a boot again.
Chi thank you so much for these videos!! They are inspiring and motivate me to start my rehab. I'm trying to see if a doc can give me a intensive recovery protocol cause my current one is more of the idea to have full immobilization for 6 weeks ! Whish me luck. Quick question what is the name /sort of ball you were using in your rehab ?
Thank you for the great series! I’m 2 weeks post op and have started weight bearing in a boot with wedges with crutches. How did you start to wean yourself off using crutches? I feel so scared putting any kind of weight on the injured leg and I just end up doing that half step instead of rolling onto my toes and lifting my other leg. I get to lose a wedge next week, does that help?
I weaned off the crutches once I was near the end of my heel lifts. At the beginning I had to do the same thing and half step but as your protocol allows more weight bearing you can practice with allowing you to put more weight on it.
I didn't start driving until about Week 15 once I was able to stomp on the brakes in case of emergencies but I probably couldve started driving a week or two before that if I really wanted.
It's going to feel swollen for a bit of time, as you challenge it more and more (stretching or weightbearing), it'll respond by swelling up. This is your sign from your body to ease up and let it rest and ice before you challenge it again.
@@ChiChen3 thanx bro very very much your tips and videos really helped me to get my depression out in the last 2 months where I was recovering from my achillies repair op and getting back to my foot still some stiffness it will go wid the time as you said but atleast I can roam around on my foot with normal limp as of now it will improve again thank you bro
Love your channel! This has been very comforting and informative for me as I go through the recovery process. I am noticing that my other heel/Achilles has been in pain for a while and it’s starting to concern me. I don’t want the other one to tear while trying to heal. Is there any tips you could give me to not continue to strain it and possible tear it?
Hey Jasmine, yes this is definitely a normal concern and I felt it too. Typically when you injure one achilles, the other one had the same wear and tear through your life so it may not be 100% to begin with, then after hopping around on that same leg with crutches and all your body weight (more than normal load compared to when you had both legs walking) so its definitely getting extra strained. My advice is to let it rest which means having to sit on your ass more and do less. Or I got a knee scooter which helped A LOT and push myself around was a lot easier on my achilles compared to hopping around on crutches. Also, foam rolling your calf and doing some strengthening exercises like one leg calf raises on stairs helps bulletproof it for the future. But make sure you rest it first, it sounds like its already overstrained and needs rest.
hey Chi. like everyone down below in the comments section, I too have gained inspiration from your videos rather than just being a sadboy about it lol. I just want to play basketball again already!! but I was wondering if at any point of your weight-bearing process, you had some pain/soreness in the affected leg's calf? today is my 5th week post surgery. am I doing too much too quickly? thanks for posting these videos, looking forward to seeing the rest of them as I continue to get better
Hey Alex, I'm so glad to hear that it helped you gain some inspiration. Trust me I understand the sadboy phase and went through it myself at first. Having a goal to play basketball again is amazing and helps your mind and body align itself on recovery, don't question in your mind you'll be able to play again and it'll all come naturally. Sounds weird but this really helped me through my second repair.
Oh as for calf pain and soreness, yes you'll feel this a lot since your calf shrank a lot during the first little while before you could walk on it again. Now it's just slowly strengthening itself again but not too quick so that it risks needing too much from your achilles. Your body will auto regulate you so that it doesnt hurt itself again while youre healing. Anyways long story short, yes you'll feel soreness as it builds up strength and mobility again. Thats totally normal and just let it rest if it becomes too sore before you push it again.
No I never drove with the boot. You don't have any pressure control as it's like wearing a big solid heavy brick. It would be a super jerky ride. I think you can try driving with your left foot and that would be better but still dangerous and I wouldn't recommend it.
You just gave me the first bit of hope since I ruptured my right achilles. I’ve had plaster for 2 days and been worried about not being able to do e.g. maximized running or soccer again. Thank you 🙏
I ruptured my achilles in soccer as well and I'm currently in week 6, just started walking on it today and I'm already getting around without crutches but with a hop. I'm stoked to have found this video so I can start with these exercises. Stay strong dude and thanks for the video Chi!
