Questions About Recovering From Achilles Tendonitis Surgery

by paula
(maine)

Hi I am 5 days post op. from Achilles Tendonitis surgery. I have some questions about foot elevation, sitting, and walking casts.

1. How long do I have to keep my foot elevated.

2. Can I sit and let my feet dangle??

3. How long before you get a walking cast?

Thanks



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Joshua Answers:


Hello Paula.

Good questions.

I'm curious, what self care protocol did your surgeon give you?

And how bad was your Achilles Tendonitis?

Regardless of the type of Tendonitis one is going to have surgery for, one would think that it's IMPORTANT to leave surgery knowing exactly how to recover from surgery quickly and fully.

Hopefully your surgeon gave you all the information you needed


1. The time you need to spend with your foot/leg elevated depends on how much damage the surgery did. The cutting and tearing done my surgery causes swelling and increases the already present Process of Inflammation.

Elevating the foot is one of just three ways to get all that extra fluid out of your lower leg. Gravity pulls fluid, so elevating the foot has the extra fluid flow downhill, so to speak.

The general answer to your question is 'The more the merrier'. The more you can keep excess fluid from pooling, the better.

The added benefit is that when you stop elevating your foot, new blood rushes to the area.

You may also want to learn How To Reduce Inflammation.

Massaging the lower leg also help to push fluid back up the leg.


2. Yes, you can sit and let your feet dangle. While you're at it, you might as well keep the foot/feet moving, just small movements to create some lengthening and shortening of the tissue.

This is good for a huge variety of reasons, including increased mobility, increased blood flow, and increased nervous system activity.


3. I don't know how long it will be before you get a walking cast. You weren't sent home with one?

Really it depends on your surgery. Did they get in there and cut a lot? Cut a little? What exactly DID they do in there?

You may not even need a walking cast. It's really up to your surgeon.

Having said that, the more mobile you can get your muscles, connective tissue, and tendon, the better.

Keeping it immobilized is going to make everything shorten. Which may be a fair trade off while it heals.

But sooner or later you're going to be walking on it again, and you'll need to lengthen and loosen everything.


More questions, more answers.




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Joshua Tucker, B.A., C.M.T.
The Tendonitis Expert
www.TendonitisExpert.com