Achilles Rupture - Ski Season Over?

A snowHead

Managed to rupture my Achilles last week playing Squash. Looking for some advice on time scales to recovery for skiing. Made a great noise when it went though.
Cancelled my trips in Dec and January. Possibly looking to March if fit.
Had the op last Friday anyone have any experience of this injury, apparently very common in 40+ tennis, squash players, no prior indication and did warm up in case anyone asks.

Skiers/Boarders of a certain age beware.

A snowHead

markgraf2004, I did mine playing squash - about 16 years ago. From memory, I'd say it's not out of the question to ski - perhaps gently - by the end of the season, if you keep to your physio regime religiously. But this is not a medical opinion!

Commiserations. Sad

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markgraf2004, Sad

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markgraf2004, sorry to hear about this injury. Are you in a cast yet? I would assume you would be,or will be shortly after an op such as this, in which case you would probably be in that for at least 6-8 weeks. From there you will probably need an extensive period of rehab. Unfortunately as we get older, injuries take a lot longer to heal properly and whilst we still all want to be 19 again when we may have felt invincible, a sure and steady rehab programme is really the only sensible way to get better completely.

Rush things and invariably you end up re-injuring the same spot or another part of your body which overcompensates for your weaker body part not being able to perform it's full function at the required strength.

This site might help giving some indication of peoples recoveries and incidence of achilles injuries. http://achillesblog.com/

Everyone is different though and the only person who can really know if you are ready to ski, is you. If all goes well though and you feel good and do ALL the rehab recommended, then you may have a chance of skiing come the end of March. Just DON'T rush things and let your body with your physio/rehab specialist, be your guides.

Just for the record I am no medical specialist, but speak from the experience of having had MANY injuries in my competitive sporting career and making as many mistakes in trying to get back to full fitness too quickly.

Good luck

TG

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markgraf2004, really sorry to hear that you have ruptured your achilles. I ruptured mine on 5 April this year, fortunately after trips to Courchevel and Tignes. I didn't go down the op route, so your recovery is likely to be a bit quicker than mine. I am now running a few miles at decent pace and my physio is more than happy for me to go skiing in January.

I would really recommend checking out the website mentioned by Touchguru - it is very therapeutic to read about people who have recovered from the injury and any questions you have will be answered by people who know what they are talking about. There are loads of blogs from people who went down the op route, so you will get a good understanding of what to expect in the coming weeks and months. I have written on my conservative treatment experiences on the site.

At the stage you are at, it is difficult to put a timescale on the recovery and time back to skiing, I'm afraid. Once you are out of the cast / boot the best advice is to get yourself a good physio and follow the exercise regime you are given.

I am sorry to say that skiing in March 2010 will be very touch and go, but the important thing to remember is that you will ski again.

All the best in your recovery.

Simon www.achillesblog.com/thedukester

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Thanks all, the cast will hopefully come off a week Monday and hopefully get into a boot, was hopeing to try for March but as a couple of you have said the temptation to bounce back early if you will pardon the pun will have to depend entirely on me.
Spotted that blog touchguru and it is very good, so I guess its up to me now to follow the regimes and stay positive. As the dukester says at least I will ski again.

Thanks again to all and happy skiing

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markgraf2004, don't rush the recovery and concentrate on rebuilding strength and flexibility. It sounds like you didn't have a full separation as you've not mentioned a surgical repair so it will be a little longer till you can fully commit to active sports. Mine was a full separation and a 10 inch scar to pull the ends together but I was boarding and skiing just less than a year later. You may want to consider this season to be too early in your recovery to risk re-injury. But don't worry, you will ski again with all the skill and vigour you had before wink

After all it is free

Thanks Masque, have had the op, full rupture so consultant recommended surgery. Picking my skis up tomorrow after service, at least I can look at them again lol Sad

as for skill and vigour I still ski like a biff wink

I did mine playing badminton 25 years ago, despite having warmed up. Apparently it is a fatigue injury, and I was tired and overworked. My surgeon didn't want to operate. He said if the tendon was cut it was OK, but if basically snapped it was like trying to sew two mop heads together. I was in a cast with toes pointed down for 6 weeks and the tendon just grew back. Apparently some time ago in the US prisoners used to slash their Achilles in order to get out of work gangs in the fields. There was an outbreak of mass hysteria in one prison and every inmate slashed both Achilles! They shipped in a team of Army surgeons and carried out a trial, operating on one side and just putting it in a cast on the other. There was a better success rate on the non-operated side, but clearly not all injuries are the same, and that was a long time ago. Medicine must have moved on since then. I took my time recovering and have had no recurrence, and agree with others that rushing it can set you back. www.achillesblog.com looks good.

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markgraf2004, Sorry to hear about that - I would be gutted having to cancel ski hols. Good to see you are looking on the positive side of things though - at least you will be able to ski again.

My cat has just done both of hers in, funnily enough, they pinned her legs straight (£500 a leg!) she's been stuck in the dogs crate for the past month as she has to have limited movement!

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Thanks Shimmy, thought of maybe getting the guys to play nails on my calves, after a bit of apres to achieve the same effect as your poor cat at a fraction of the cost but in retrospect think I'll take the longer root to recovery. Besides which don't have a mono ski!!!!!!

PS Hope your cat gets well soon.

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markgraf2004, shes a lazy thing and despite being locked in the dogs crate for the last 4-5 weeks she looks blissfully happy rolling eyes

She does look very odd though with her legs pinned straight Shocked

I cant believe that she mustn't be in pain but she doesn't look like it at all.

Just be grateful you are not a girl....babies can mean a non skiing season Shocked

I ruptured mine at the end of april and am now just back to competitive sport this week. Although very tentative it feels ok. I have been given the all clear to ski in February and was told by the consultant I could ski at christmas if i wished as whilst in the ski boot the tendon is well supported.

You know it makes sense.

Years ago I tore, not ruptured, my achilles playing rugby. I was back on a squash court in about two months but rugby took longer because as soon as I tried running on grass, it made me very much aware of how the uneven surface puts all sorts of little twists onto the achilles even though it was a good quality pitch.

However within a week of the initial injury I was booked for a skiing trip and after speaking to my physio I went ahead with it. Although I was cautious on the first day, I soon got into it and skied normally for the whole week. I found that because I was locked into a ski boot, there was no serious streching of my achilles and even going over bumps there was no pain which was something I was concerned about.

Obviously my injury was not as severe as the one mentioned in the opening post, but it was serious enough to stop me playing other sports for some time which is why I mentioned that.

I would suggest that from my experience anyway, an achilles injury very unpleasant though it is, with a bit of luck may not be as restrictive as you might think when it comes to skiing.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Thanks Netballdi, out of interest how long did it take for you to get back behind the wheel of a car?

A snowHead

Cheers Rich, food for thought, will wait for my first follow up to discuss with Consultant. The guys have cancelled as well now due to another issue so may get to ski late March. Fingers crossed and dependant on treatment going well and sign off by doc.
Smile

A snowHead

markgraf2004, Just thought I'd add another note of supprt. I did mine mid August last year (unexpectedly dangerous game is rounders) and went the surgical route. I think normal recovery period is 6 months to a year but everyone is different (I was allowed light gym work a month after the cast came off and went skiing in Mid March this year).
At least with skiing you get quite a bit of support with the boot - I guess you need to take advice from your consultant and physio.
You'll also need to clear it with your insurance company - I would imagine that'll be the main limiting factor.

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Thanks Hamish, already put it on my insurance for £4.89 so covered now as long as I can get medical sign off. You right though everybody recovers at different rates.
Got a nice pic of the foot of snow in Val Thorens outside the hotel I should have been in on 9th Dec from the guys at work.

How lucky am I Crying or Very sad

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markgraf2004,
sorry to hear about your achilles. I did mine whilst snowboarding a couple of years ago (full seperation and surgery). Ruptured it in early January and was back to very gentle jogging by the July, so that seems consistant with about a 6 month recovery that others are talking about. I would recommend that you insist on getting into an aircast boot after the initial plaster cast - I have several friends who are physios and they all said that it gives you a better chance for quicker recovery. It is also so much easier to get around in than a cast. (If you don't ask for a boot, they might just keep you in plaster that they take off and replace every 2 weeks to adjust the angle of your foot as they gradually stretch the achilles.) I'd recommend that you try and do some work on your general fitness whiile you are in your boot/cast - you'd be amazed at how quickly it all goes, but even more shocking is how much calf muscle mass you lose - mine still isn't quite up to the size of my other calf, and thats nearly 3 years on, although I have been very lazy!! Finally, try and work as diligently as you can on regaining the muscle strength in your calf - as I say, mine isn't quite up to standard and I'm getting a bit of a problem with my hips which I'm pretty certain is due to the imbalance in my calf muscles.
As others have already said, you will be back skiing soon enough - other than the psychological challenges ( Shocked

!!) of getting back on the board after the injury, I haven't had any associated problems.
Good luck

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markgraf2004, To answer your driving question I did so almost straight away (right leg damaged) that I came out of plaster. Fortunately didn't need to do an emergency stop! Like others my calf muscle almost vanished, and after over 20 energetic years it is still smaller, but the other one must just be excess fat as it seems just as strong.

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Thanks Welshskier, and your right about the calf can't seem to move it much at the minute, now in a boot that I can take on and off so not to much of a bind, still not driving yet but hopefully be backbehind the wheel in the new year. Just glad I can keep working from home.
Thanks

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Achilles Rupture - Ski Season Over?

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