Arclight Images - NY NJ Photography: 2013

First, this post is not my normal photography or music posts, but I hope it helps anyone googling 'Achilles Tendon Rupture' the way I did right after it happened. I ruptured my Achilles tendon on May 31st. There was 5 seconds left in the 4th, we were down by 3 and I....I...ok, I was chasing another dad at a Father/Son Capture The Flag Game...whatever.

It popped, it hurt, and I knew something was REALLY wrong.

I have read a lot of posts on other websites that say recovery is 6 months of hell. I guess for some, it is, but I'd like to give a little sign of hope to those who just had this happened. The first month SUCKS !! I'm not going to lie, I was crawling up stairs, no driving, struggling to do anything, and hating life. But due to a busy schedule, my doc couldn't do the operation for almost two weeks after the rupture and the two weeks post-op were no picnic either.

ADVICE #1 - Get to the doctor ASAP! If you heard the pop and can't even imagine standing on your toes - go to the doc and get on the list for surgery (or start the non-surgical method)

Two weeks post-op my cast came off and I got a Cam-boot.

ADVICE #2 - Buy the Cam boot while you're in the cast, order it from Amazon instead of some Mom & Pop shop. I bought mine local and paid $120 for a $40 boot. I bought forearm crutches because I liked the way they looked on Breaking Bad....don't, they don't really help. Instead buy regular crutches and....

ADVICE #3 Rent or buy a Knee Scooter !! They sell them for $215 on Amazon or you can rent one (mine was $50/month in NJ) They rock!! The knee scooter was amazing and having a basket to put stuff in and a place to sit is invaluable, you can't carry anything with crutches. Which leads me to...

ADVICE #4 Carry a backpack so you can have your water, wallet, phone, etc with you while on crutches. If you have a ton of stairs or rocky terrain, the Knee Scooter might not be ideal, but anywhere else you're faster than regular walkers. I thought I'd get a speeding ticket at my local Target and Home Depot. Honestly, I miss it....*sniff*

I heard a lot of people talk about sitting with your leg raised and staring at the friggin' TV all day, but I was having none of that!
-I was scootering right after surgery
-kayaking one week post-op
-walking on my cam boot 3 weeks post-op
-and in a sneaker a week before my doctor told me it was ok.

ADVICE #5 Buy a waterproof leg protector bag for your leg so you can take a shower, you can even swim in it.

ADVICE #6 I didn't buy one, but I recommend a shoe leveler, otherwise your hips will hurt from being off balance. Crutch covers and crutch pockets would have been nice too.

I'm not saying this is for everyone, I'm 43, in pretty good shape, always been flexible, and probably very lucky, but last week my doctor told me I was the fastest recovery he had ever seen! I did take my aspirin every day to prevent blood clots, use protein powder for muscle growth (don't know if that helps tendons), and took it pretty easy, but I only spent about an hour a day sitting in front of the TV.

Be careful and don't push yourself, you'll know when to stop. I slipped getting out of the shower a week after surgery, landed on my bad leg, and screamed like a little baby! (I know what that sounds like, my wife gave birth the same week as my surgery!...June was a CRAZY month) If your the type of person who is dreading sitting around doing nothing more than the surgery...you're probably like me and this method might work for you.
Ten weeks in and I'm walking a few hours a day, sore when I'm done, but only a slight limp and no pain. Good Luck !!