My Achilles Tendon Rupture Story

This now 3 weeks since I have started to " run " again. So far so good. Always the same routine, 20 min or so on the cross trainer, then 15 or so min on the treadmill, then 5 min on the leg press. I do that twice a week. I also do many times a day some calf excercises. The only difference between the sessions is the treadmill, I increase slightly the speed every week, and swap between 15 min and 20 min duration. I started at 8km/h for 15 min, then did 20min still at 8km/h, then moved at 8.4 then 8.8 and yesterday for the first time was over 9km/h (9.2 exactly). 18-Nov 21-Nov 25-Nov 02-Dec 05-Dec 09-Dec 8 15' 20' 8.4 15' 20' 8.8 15 ' 9.2 15' It would really be good if I could take part to some events before the end of the year. So maybe I will do: The goal mile  on Christmas day with a target time of 10 min, and/

It has been a very difficult last 6 months, but yesterday I had a bit of good news; as the physio told me, I should go back into running. Here are his orders: So today this is exactly what I did. I went to the gym, warm-up on the cross trainer for 30min, then rub 2km in 15min on the tradmills, and did a little bit of leg press. And I feel great. So this is probably the last post for a while.

Almost 3 months since my last post, things are progressing slowly. I have been able to resume training on the bike and swim normally. A lot of turbo trainer, at the starts it is better because on the road you never know how quickly you will have to dismount your bike. Swimming is great to loosen the legs, get a bit of ankle flexibility. However I am still not able to run, I hope it will happen soon, I am doing calf raises now out of the water and on one leg.

Big day today. The weather was mild, the temperature was 17C and there was a light wind of 13km/h. It was the ideal day to resume some outdoor activities. Indeed hat is exactly what I did; and overall, it went well. I cycled over 30 km in the neighborhood and swam over 1600 meters in the sea nearby. It feels really great to be training outdoor, first time in over 3 months. Also the physical sensations were pretty good, no pain. Even better, after the swim the swelling on the foot had recessed a lot. Some thoughts went through my mind that the average speeds weren't great, I wasn't always well coordinated, obviously some muscle groups are now weaker than other. I make an effort to brush those bad thoughts away, it was the first day training outdoor; and it was great even if I had to use my hybrid bike. Also is only my 3rd open water swim this year. The last one was on the 14th of May. So I just need to be patient, before I pass judgment on my current fitness and set new ta

Today, I managed another milestone; I used my bicycle to go to work. It isn't very far just 2 km away. There is a little hill to climb half way through. I didn't plan to cycle, it just happens. As I was getting ready to go to work my son asked me to help fix his bicycle. While doing this I decided to give it go, I have been training a few times on the turbo and I thought I was ready, and the weather was fine... So I climb on the bike, pedal. Yes, the hill is short but tough enough...but it felt so good to be back on the saddle. Next week-end if the weather is good, I should try the road bike. Hurrah 😃 Otherwise, not much is changing. I am still battling with a swollen foot. So as a result, I am not doing any calf raises. So I am not doing much specific exercises, but a bit with the elastic band. At least, I can train few times a week on the bike trainer, and I swim also 2 or 3 times a week. Fitness wise I can start to see some benefits, That's all for now, while the fo

So when the orthopedist told me I was good to go on two shoes, I was very excited. I knew I wasn't going to run the next day but I was still too optimistic or naive regarding what I will be able to do. So the next day I went to the pool to practice some calf raise exercises, see picture on the right; hardly exciting! So I did a bit of this then I swam a little too. It was complete shock to realize how much water fitness and feel I lost in over 2 months. When swimming I felt uncomfortable not properly coordinated and very slow. I manage to do a couple of 50 meters breaststroke and freestyle. Since then I have been back another 3 times. Sadly I couldn't go during the week, I think it would have helped a lot, but for now I practiced only at week-end, hopefully from next week it will be different. Little by little I am progressing, Every session so far, I have been swimming for longer, and with longer repetition 50 meter, then 100. I am doing a bit of back crawl as well. What I

Finally, it has been a long 10 weeks since I ruptured my Achilles tendon but today I have got the go ahead from the orthopedist to start walking on 2 shoes. Can't wait to go to the pool tomorrow.

Last Friday, I removed the last layer on the heel wedge. At last walking feels natural... well almost! I still have this ugly heavy boot hanging on my leg. Are you ready boots? Start walkin'! So on Saturday and Sunday that's exactly what I did, I went to the gym. I used the ergometer for 20 minutes. Guinness me, I am unfit! Then the bike trainer mainly on one leg. Total of the session a whopping 410 calories 😔. Anyway the next day I was back into the gym, and I did more training, this time 1 hour on the turbo for a simple cardio session, and 34.53 km later I have burnt a satisfactory 620 calories. Cardio wise there is a lot of progress to do, but this will give a benchmark. Well this is cycling not walking you are going to say. Indeed, the walking happened after I walked back home, which I didn't dare to do the week before. Talking about fighting you daemons and indeed those boots are made for walking. Not sure the physiotherapist and the orthopedist who

So on Friday the 21, I have removed another layer on the heel wedge, and I felt good about it for few hours but soon the novelty wear off, and quite quickly it was gone. With one layer less I was able to make more natural step moving my foot forward a bit more, balancing on my injured leg a bit more. That really felt good when it lasts, but too soon I realized I still had this heavy boot on my leg, that I could only walk comfortably on flat and even surface. Taking a different path, steep or uneven, and it was immediately obvious that it wasn't comfortable. The next week-end, I found the time horribly long. I couldn't get a lift to the gym and I didn't have the energy to drag myself there, and to use the upper body ergometer and weight machines. Then I said maybe I should put the bike back on the trainer and do a little session on it. But as I was changing the rear wheel the derailleur hanger went off. I never saw that happening before, puzzled, I looked at it and I notic

So today I am going down heel, and it is a good thing I guess. No I am not (yet) riding the Tour de France, and I am not talking about descending the Pyrenees (today they are cycling from Saint Girons to Foix). But I am talking about my boot (remember the one I got a week ago). As the orthopedist, ordered, I need to remove one layer of the wedge heel every Friday for the next 3 weeks. Reading through other people blog, it seems to be pretty aggressive. Well I had a slow start, as it took 10 days to get the correct diagnostic, then 4 weeks of cast non weight bearing. But since then it is moving along relatively quick, as I went straight, well it took a couple of hours, to non-weight bearing to full-weight bearing. Also it isn't really full weight as I am in a boot with the wedge heel. I can tell between the boot frame and the incline of the foot, there isn't the full weight of my body that sits on that tendon, but it isn't a competition and the good thing is to regain

Today, I was back into action and went to the gym. The session was short, only 35 min, and mainly upper body, but it feels good to be doing some exercise. I started with the upper body ergometer, that I couldn't try last week, then move on to the bike for 5 min on one leg; and to finish about 15 min of arm and shoulder wight training. I didn't have any problems whatsoever with the Achilles. For the rest of the body, it didn't feel easy while I was exercising it but afterwards, I really felt great. Next time I will try to push it to 45 min or so. To top-up the day Lilian Calmejane won the stage of the Tour de France in Les Rousses (not to forget the Lions who battled to draw against New Zealand). Les Rousses is full of memory for me, it is one of the ski resort where I learnt skiing, my brother broke his leg there; and as we were looking for him, I saw him in the sleigh pulled by the rescue team; my sisters went back there last summer, almost a year ago.

I am delighted, I got the boot.😃 So today I was back at the orthopedist. Like the last time he was a real gentleman, he gave me the boot. Here what happens. First he removes the cast, there are many video on YouTube and that's exactly what happens (here is one) ; so I wasn't very surprised. Once the cast off, he examines the tendon, and says " Good, it is ready for the boot. You will be able to start putting weight on it. There are 3 heel wedges, you start with the 3 of them and over the next 4 weeks and every Friday you remove one of them. Every day, 3 times a day your remove the boot, and do those exercises move feet with toes pointing downwards, move feet with toes pointing inwards, repeat ten times ". And he carries on: " In 3-4 weeks we will start physio, then after 2 weeks or so you should be able to start swimming and after another 2-3 weeks indoor cycling." It sounds not so bad, but when you do the maths, it means I will be back in the pool

Well, I don't know how many laps and legs there are in this treatment of my Achilles tendon rupture, but what I know is tomorrow should be the end of the 1 st leg, that was I am hopping for anyway. So hopefully, the visit to the orthopedist will be like a transition and I will be moving to the next leg which should be to get into a boot. It is a bit like if you are doing a triathlon but you don't know the distance, would it be an Olympic, half or full distance? What I know it isn't a sprint. On the other side the orthopedist could decide that I have to move around the buoy and start a second lap, namely have surgery and get a second cast. I am not ready for this. Browsing the internet, and quite frankly this is more than often a waste of time, a lot of people seems to say if you are active and want to recover quickly and to minimize re-rupture go for surgery despite possible complication otherwise go for conservative treatment. Well in my case, I wasn't really of

Not much news, I couldn't go to the gym this week-end, I wanted to practice with the arm ergometer. So I am a bit disappointed with that. Today was IronMan Austria, another impressive performance from Jan Frodeno, and what a finish in the women pro. Conditions were good, hope one day I will be there, it really looks like a nice course, and I want to ring the bell (google it if you want to know what's is all about). This is a show that I wouldn't like to miss if I have the opportunity. The leg muscle has vanished quite a bit in the last week or so, you can really see the difference now between the two legs. So this should be my last week with a cast and move onto the boot, normally. I will see on Friday. I hope for the best, I am not prepared for being told that I need surgery, I know it is a possibility but right now I am pushing it as far back in my mind as I can. This is a show that I would like to miss if I have the opportunity.

On the Achilles side nothing much has happened in the last 2 weeks. I am wandering around with the cast, waiting for some news at the next appointment with the orthopedist. At work I don't move much and for some other reasons I had to fly and lay down quite a bit, so I have learnt few things and develop some new skills: That a little knee trolley/walker is a great piece of kit to move on flat surface while in a cast. It is better than crutches, you can carry thing and stand-up even, for example to do a bit of cooking. How to embark/disembark airplane with crutches... and that my upper body isn't as strong as I thought. How to use the wheelchair services at the ai rport, thanks to  Regulation (EC) No 1107/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 July 2006 concerning the rights of disabled persons and persons with reduced mobility when travelling by air... It is only fair to say this a good bit of EU regulation. How to perform heparin injection to prevent

It is now 3 days since I am back from my trip, and I eventually got this ultrasound appointment. I am waiting. The pain has recessed a lot. I found a way to walk with the crutches putting my foot forward and blocking the ankle slightly bent. It doesn't hurt, and I start to dream, well IronMan Austria is probably not for this year, but I should be fine for the half-IronMan in Dublin mid-August and then the full IronMan in Barcelona early October. I really want to do the one in Barcelona. It is supposed to be a fast course, and I should do well and get a good time. Well it is a cheap way to beat my PB of two years ago, it was in Nice, but hey I am not getting any younger and I have got to take whatever opportunity happens. The nurse call me, she is nice but they are busy so no time is lost. " Please confirm name, date of birth, remove your sock, lay down on the table the doctor will be with you in a minute. "  I do as requested, and while waiting keep dreaming about

I waited the whole week to get an appointment for the ultrasound, but no luck. It is already Friday and the radiology department hasn't call me back. As I am still in a bit of a pain, I go to the nearest emergency and accident department. It is a complete waste of time. They don't have the right ultrasound equipment and aren't able to make any better diagnostic. Tomorrow I have to fly to visit my sister, so I will put my contention socks and hope for the best. 

I wake-up with still a mild pain on my right calf, and I am able to walk with the crutches. I take an appointment with my GP, later in the afternoon. He is a bit surprised to see me with crutches, and wonder what I have done this time. So I explain my story. He checks the Achilles, he is unsure of the extend of the damage. Surely there is quite a bit of swelling, a lot of reduced flexibility, many tender spots on the calcaneal tendon and  gastrocnemius muscle, but whether the tendon has ruptured completely or not is a bit unclear. He refers me for an ultrasound in the nearby hospital, to complete the diagnostic, until then he tells me to keep taking paracetamol and ibuprofen to tackle the pain, and to carry-on using the crutches.

Snap, going back from putting the bin outside, I climb the one step going into the house, I feel a snap like a whip at the back of my leg and fell onto the floor in pain. What a pain! It doesn't last very long 15-20 min, maybe even less but oh goodness it hurts, more than the day where I broke my AC (acromioclavicular) join, well that day I may have been slightly concussed looking at the state of the helmet, so maybe it isn't a fair comparison. Don't know what I have to do, go to the emergency and accident department, wait until the next day and see my doctor?  So as night should bring counsel, I take some paracetamol with caffeine and ibuprofen and go to bed. The pain vanishes a little, I manage to get some sleep.