u/Infinite_Relation378

Hi,

I hope you are all well!!

Wanted to share another week’s update.

At 8w post op I did 3 single calf raises
At 9w post op I did 12-15 singles and started eccentric wieghted work

Now my physio introduced some „endurance” work for the tendon - single leg calf raises but faster, aiming to pump the tendon and attack endurance. All of it to prep myself for getting back to running. He said we will be introducing more of it in the following weeks and if it will be pain free and progressing then we will start thinking about running.

My strenghth both in dorsi and plantar flexion increases by a lot (added charts from measurements from last 3 weeks). My physio barely could hold resistance during plantarflexion work so my push is looking better and better.

I am super happy about improvement in dorsiflexion mobility, 8 days ago could not touch a wall while my foot flat on the ground, now I progressed to 6cm from the wall still touching a wall with foot flat on the ground.

Apart from it, biking a lot, also on gravel and hills which was super fun!!

Wishing you all the best!

Hi,

I hope everyone recovering well!

Wanted to share an interesting (at least for me) observation.

I am now almost 10w post op and I am very happy with the strength (doing 10+ single calf raises, lots of tiptoe walking etc.)

Yet, what really prevented me from getting natural gait was dorsiflexion. My physio said it is not yet time to do stretching but he said it is ok to do light mobility (mainly moving the knee forward/backwards without much effort in it and almost 0 pain). I did it and it worked but what I noticed is how much of a difference glute activation make in dorsiflexion.

I started activating my glutes with a mini band more often and mobility drastically improved. It was not the only thing I did so hard to say its because of it but I felt it had an impact (I am not a physio so dont know mechanism of it).

What I also wanted to share is my way to measure the progression - using bar tape and marking a line every cm and checking at which point I am still touching a wall (without pushing for it, foot fully flat on the ground)

Now I am at 5cm - 5 sun marks hah :) Gait is easier also

Hi,

I hope you are all in positive mindset as it is an extremely hard injury..

Wanted to share something which surprised me:
How singificantly calf strength can increase.

A week ago I started doing single calf raises - then it was 3, now I can do ~12-15. Also my physio started measuring my strength in the plantar flexion it moved a lot (added a plot from the tool he uses, moved from 28 to 41).

I also progressed in tiptoe walking, now I am trying to incorporate multiple times a day walking eg from dining room to kitchen and back - all on tiptoes

I also was with my friends camping and was about to take a lift to the top of the hill but part of it was closed so I was forced to do a hike (in a boot) - no issues. I think walking up the 10th floor as a workout paid off.

I also incorporated bike outside(in a boot) on a daily basis - had 7.5h on bike last week - no pain no issues, feels amazing.

I also keep swimming, faster intervals as well no issues there as well.

What is difficult for me is dorsiflexion - my physio gave me green light for mobility (but not static stretching) work which helps but I feel like I can sit for just a little while and it gets back to almost as before. If you have any tips or experiences on increasing dorsiflexion, please share!

All the best and I am really thankful to this sub community.

Hi,

I hope everyone is recovering well and keeping positive mindset.

wanted to share progress after 8w post op (+2 days now). I am happy about it as I put a lot of effort into PT and it is getting better each day.

I’m happy because in past week I:
- started transitioning to swimming without a pull buoy (still using it but adding more and more laps without) which means I am doing more and more of flutter kick (so essentially using my legs). Going almost daily to the swimming pool.
- went on a bike ride outside (in a boot) - it went amazing I will be doing it now regularly. Previously I sticked to a turbotrainer.
- managed to do stepping on toes exercise (previously in pool only, now outside)
- managed to do few single leg calf raises (previously in a pool, now outside)
- managed to have 15k average step count per day
- started doing walking on stairs cardio (thanks for inspo Achilles Recovery Lab) - I was going to the 10th floor in a boot then using elevator to go down and doing it few reps.
- still learning to walk and normalizing gait, but limp is there still

I am super thankful to this sub for support in these hard times.

All the best for you 🙏

PS thanks for inspo with riding the bike outside in a boot - it feels really good.

Hi,

I wanted to ask, is Canyon now the only brand which sells hardtails with multiple mounting holes (like eg on the top tube; at the rear to mount rear pack etc) at a decent price (AL7 is ~1200 USD): https://www.canyon.com/pl-pl/rowery-gorskie/rowery-trailowe/grand-canyon/grand-canyon/grand-canyon-al-7/4392.html

I know eg Surly does it as well, but it is way more expensive if wanting to have decent gear range.

I’m asking because the current colourway of Canyon is not the best so would pick an alternative happily.

I’m looking for hardtail with mounting holes as I want to use it also as a commuter / for bikepacking trips and I don’t like the strapped bags/rear pack not using mounts is not stable in my experience. And I also don’t want it to be expensive as I would be too afraid of leaving it on the street locked.

Hi,

I hope you are good and recovering well.

Wanted to share the results when it comes to calf atrophy. I was doing seated calf raises since 2.5w post op, standing calf raises since month post op and walking without a boot for last 5 days.

I’m happy with my calves becoming more and more similar. They are still different, but it’s getting better and better each day. Last time I measured it was ~1cm difference.

Hoping it will facilitate the recovery.

My injured leg is right one.

All the best to all people on this sub, it’s a tremendous help for me in my recovery.

[Edit - adding my PT routine below - I’m 30, before injury I was training 9-12h a week - triathlon]

11days post op in cast -> on day 11 getting a boot and moving straight to FWB on day 11-12 -> 6w post op leaving the boot and using it only during night while

1w post op first PT - massage of the wound and calf

2.5w second second PT and starting exercises:
heel presses with a band (progressing over time from light band and not pulling it much to thicker band and pulling it a lot to make it more difficult)
light ROM exercises - just moving the foot right left
Plyometric pushes - pushing the foot against the ground wthout lifting a heel with a wedge under heel
Seated calf raises with a wedge under heel
After a month: introducing standing calf raises (both legs) with a wedge under heel

After 6w (5 days ago): started walking without a boot with one principle from my physio: I can’t walk with a „dead” calf; my calf needs to be activated so he recommended eg walking as if I was stepping on toes (which is my next progression but cant do it yet - thinking helps activate the calf)
+balancing on one leg progression: normal single legged standing -> same but with closed eyes -> using balancing pillow -> same with closed eyes (I’m now between step 2 and 3)
+plyometric holds at the top of standing calf raises so pushing it at max height with two legs, then holding st the top on one leg and then going down with two legs
+ pool work - all of the above also done in a pool to try more difficult variations/try to walk better

In all of the exercises physio said that when it comes to dosage: as much as you can (while controlling for pain as a signal of doing too much)

So this means I do them whenever I can - I work remotely so eg during meetings when I remember I have been doing seated/standing calf raises etc. When I remember during meetings with friends also doing calf raises - basically whenever I remember and can even when eg waiting idle for a friend to come dropping few standing calf raises.

Beyond what physio prescribed I am going to the gym/gym at home since day 3 post op, riding on turbotrainer since day 12 (right after they gave me a boot) and swimming since day 27 post op (without legs). I don’t know how much it helps, but definitely my heart is pumping.

I am going to physio 1x week to check in and he was massaging the wound for first 6w

Hi,

wanted to share sth which proved useful for me. When vacationing I was doing my pt in a pool outdoor with a swim ring

It looks like if I was chilling but I’m working hard to recover from the rupture (walking, calf raises, „bike” movement in the water - a lot of it) - I have waterproof earphones so listening to a good dj set by Fred again.

Totally recommend it :) this is a hard injury also when it comes to mental health and this is one of the ways to maintain good vibes 🌞

Hi,

I hope everyone is well and recovering!

I wanted to share a milestone, I’m 6w post op and today is my first day without a boot! My doc and physio cleared for walking without a boot :)

Inside I am walking without crutches, outside I use cruthes but only to prevent accidental falling (so no weight on them; ofc I hold them normally not like in the video).

I was wondering how were your experiences with getting rhythm in walking (transitioning from limp to normal walking) was there anything particularly helpful in that transition?

I was doing double leg heel raises sitting (since 2.5w post op) and standing (since month post op) - it’s going good, managed to activate the calf and it started to work consistently.

Wishing all the best to you, this sub is extremely helpful 🙏

Hi,

if there are any swimmers here, I wanted to share my way to get to the lap swimming pool, maybe someone will find it useful.

What I did was:

- use a plastic bag to cover my boot to not walk in the pool area in a „dirty” shoe

- the other leg I wore flip flops as I usually do

- I was super focused not to slide as its slippery obviously there

- I walked to the pool side and then took off the boot and left it there

- I slowly moved into the water to avoid my injured leg touching the ground

- I used pull buoy to swim while not using legs

- I did flip turns but with one leg

- the only part which was tricky was moving through this small part after changing room where they put a little bit of water for disinfection - I just single leg jumped through it but it was the only „difficult„ part of the journey.

yesterday I swam around 2k with a decent pace and no issues, but it felt amazing!

Hi,

few days ago I asked you how to activate the calf, as I was starting to do standing calf raises, but without activating main calf muscle. Thanks to everyone who shared tips and insights!!

You shared a lot of good tips with me and finally I got back the calf activation! It’s 33rd day post op.

Sharing what I did and what helped:

- focusing on pushing from the ball of my foot not fingers only movement

- starting with my healthy leg midway to simulate it having a wedge underneath

- doing lots of reps, both sitting and standing

- when I felt the neural connection with tye muscle coming back I kept doing the exercise to maintain it

- focusing on moving the weight more and more to my injured leg (I’m still not putting a lot on it, but trying to decrease weight going to my healthy leg at least)

Hi,

I hope everyone is recovering well! Thank you all for contributing to this sub!

I wanted to share a little milestone, physio cleared me for standing calf raises - happy about it!

I can’t fully activate the calf yet, especially the biggest muscle (gastrocnemius muscle - I think it’s called).

How was it for you? Was there anything which helped you activate it?