Resolved question:
I have a partial tear of the achilles tendon and I believe a rupture in my calf muscle connecting to it. The doctor says I need surgery to fix both and it will take approximately a year to recover. That is a very long time. Before that I heard anywhere from 4 to 6 months, but a year?! Any thoughts to this prognosis? He also said it would be a complicated procedure because of the injury to my calf whereas if it was just my achilles it wouldn't be so bad. Any other thoughts to this? I'm feeling a little desperate here.
Submitted:
4 Days
Category:
Orthopedic Surgeon
Hello,
Thank you for asking you query at DoctorSpring.
I have read your question with diligence.
It looks from your medical history that you are having rupture of TA, which is probably a partial rupture. Even after a complete TA rupture,complete recovery take place within 6 months. If your rupture is partial in nature then it should heal in less than 6 months.
It seems your Doctor might have considered the worst possible scenario (as in rare cases) and told you the 1 year interval. Do not worry the healing process will start within few weeks and most probably it won't go beyond 6 months. You should of course discuss with your Doctor whether he/she expect anything unusual or any complications. The injury to calf (rather than the achilles per se) need not complicate the situation. Unless of course the extent of injury is large.
The restriction of activity and recovery process will become less dramatic and more of a day to day affair in few weeks. You should be able to carry on with your day to day activities without any problem (I just assume your line of work and life does not involve much manual work). You should take extra care to have a balanced diet, with calorie tracking so that you won't end up gaining pounds once you are recovered. The fact that ligament injuries need 6 months or so time to recover is hard to sink in. It would be different if this was a fracture, so that you could 'see', feel the gravity and your mind be ready to give it time. But remember ligament injuries need their time to heal too. And the process is not going to be as difficult or restricting as you expect.
Whish you good luck and speedy recovery.
Hope this will help you.
With best wishes.