Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Achilles Rupture Rehabilitation: Week 10 for a the physically disabled athlete due to injury.

The danger with an achilles rapture and repair after about 8 weeks is re-injury or damage to the repair.

This is the reason doctors are so cautious and want you to sit around until the tendon is totally healed at about 12 weeks. This makes rehab last much longer but you do end you with a safe strong tendon. Most active people can't take the extended recovery very well.

So at 8 weeks they normally let you walk with crutches and then at week 10 they have you walk with a heel lift.

I'm riding my bike on the road, and doing so on hills, for approximately 1 hour. I walk reasonably well, but after all these activities my tendon hurts. It takes about two days of recovery until I can do the same again. The results are good. I'm always strong after a two day rest.

I do message and physio, I stretch, but it's hard to tell how much stretching is good and how much is damaging the repair. I am also using the rubber bands to develop strength. But getting strength is easy, it's the range of motion that is difficult.

Full weight bearing on the injured foot is the goal, that opens up standing on your bike peddles and rock climbing.

I am getting the upper body prepared, but there is nothing like hanging on rock to make you strong.

I am working on assisted one footed toe raises. I'm a long way (probably at best two weeks to 4 weeks, hard to tell) from achieving that one.



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