Achilles tendon injuries

Welcome @cathan. Please meet @success101 @dailychronicsupportgroup @gonefishinmt @billindc - fellow Connect members who have talked about achilles tendon injuries or achilles tendonitis.

Can you tell us a bit more about achilles tendon injury and how it was neglected?

@cathan:

Are you asking about treatment of a neglected injury or are you wondering whether its wise to skip surgical repair of an Achilles tendon injury?

Welcome aboard,
@gonefishinmt

I tried other ways. Chio proractor. Stayed on foot too long,becauss im the one in charge.Husband,has serious issues.
Last week had a huge surgery. The bonespur very big. A piece of it broke loose,causing it to shredd the achilles.
Now on road to heal.expect to be awile.
Pt,will be next no doubt. The foot hurts
Like. Everything,but,one pays a price for
wanting to try other avenues,before the
knife.
Success101

101 continued.
Just a note, some. Doctors, may have a
Gentler way, i did encounter the opposite.
Quite rude. I guess, being a sensitive
Individual,i figured it was me. Time for me to shape up quit complaining.
Well, to say the least, i paid a price.I would
not go see a doctor for long time.
When i did,too late. Damage DONE.
I believe one should listen to the patient.

Hi Cathan…….In response to you Achilles tendon problems, you haven’t perchance been on the antibiotic Cipro have you? Back in the early 2000’s, I tore both of my biceps and I was told ”nothing could or should be done to repair them” by two different orthopedic surgeons using the exact same words!!!!! Three years later it showed up in the PDR (Physician’s Deck Reference) that Cipro can cause ruptured tendons, and stated that usually it is the Achilles tendon that rupture. I had pain for 4 months in my right shoulder before that one tore and the next year I had pain in my left shoulder for 3 months before that one tore. All x-rays, etc., showed nothing but each time the doctors thought it was rotator cuff problems. So if you are on Cipro OR HAVE TAKEN CIPRO IN THE PAST, (my tears occurred after I was on Cipro previously!!!!) the recommended care for sore tendons is REST and immobilization before the tear occurs. Achilles tendon tears REQUIRE surgical repair. I trust that is NOT what is happening to you. @gailfaith

I took it. Had a ruptured Achilles playing softball and now 2 years later after reconnect reparative surgery, still having numbness and pain. Anyone out there have any ideas to help me. Email me directly. Forrest dot cain at UT Southwestern dot edu. Thank you in advance.

Hi All,
I'm a newbie here . I am looking for some answers/advice . I am a 54 yr old women. Not an athlete but not a couch potato either. I completely ruptured my Achilles tendon on April 26,2024 and had surgery on May 1. I'm 7 mo into my recovery. I followed my surgeons and physical therapist instructions to the T ie: cast , boot, PT, wedges, ect. I am finally walking without a limp. However I have noticed some significant weakness in the muscles in my legs. I mean when I walk around my block my calf muscles are screaming, and when I walk up the steps my quads feel like I have just run a marathon ( mind you I live in a split level house so my steps are only 5 at a time.) So my question is has anyone experienced this or is something else going on. I take 2 statins for hereditary high cholesterol and have recently heard they can reek havoc on your muscles. Does anyone have any advice or a similar injury ?
Thank you for your feed back in advance.

@shar714 I'm sorry you have been through all this with your Achilles tendon. My husband ruptured his (we don't know how), but he was lucky and it fibrosed itself and he didn't need surgery. I think that this happened because of wearing a boot on the other foot for a stress fracture, and he did not have his legs level, so it may have stressed the Achilles.

I have had similar issues after an ankle fracture and 3 surgeries. When there is an imbalance of muscles in the lower leg, it does cause fatigue and pain. Surgical scar tissue adds to the tightness and likely adds to the imbalance. I did myofasial release to equalize the tension on each side of the leg. MFR can stretch out tight surgical scar tissue. This helped me and relieved the pain. It allows strengthening with the leg in a proper alignment. Here is our discussion on Myofascial Release. You can find a provider search at http://mfrtherapists.com/

Neuropathy - "Myofascial Release Therapy (MFR) for treating compression and pain"
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/myofascial-release-therapy-mfr-for-treating-compression-and-pain/

Hi @cathan
As well as the previous advice, may I suggest a chat with your doctor re your statins.
Initially, I was tried on several, but all gave me muscle weakness. I am now on Ezitimide with no problem, and a good cholesterol level.
All the best in your recovery.

Hi Jennifer thank you so much for the advice . That makes a lot of sense. I have a lot of scar tissue and it is definitely stuck and I was pretty much immobile for a good 3 months . I will certainly look for a provider near me . I appreciate your feedback back thank you