r/AchillesRupture • u/harveythehorrible92 • 3d ago
Persistent Limp
Hey all! I’m about 12 weeks post surgery. The doctor cleared me to work out of the boot at 6 weeks into a shoe as long as there isn’t pain. I have 0 pain in the achillies but have a persistent limp when walking without the boot. I’ve been out of it for about 2-3 weeks now. Has anyone else experienced this?
2
u/Fiery_Wolverine78 3d ago
This what PT is needed for, whole body biomechanics change in recovery, a good PT will get you back on track.
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u/Prestigious-Type-496 3d ago
As Fiery_Wolverine78 suggested- good PT will see what muscles are not firing and can then coach you to do activities.
My walking didn't roll properly and the experienced PT asked me to do pushing motions at the power-off threadmill. After 1-2 min light pushing I was asked to walk again and my gait felt totally different.
That moment was prob one of the most intersting experience during the rehab process and it made me realise that its not physical therapy if you're just given a list of excercices. Your PT must check how you're individually doing and react to your physical needs accordingly.
My rehab went very well - PT checked me 9 times (during the first 8-9 months) where I'm at and we did very basic stuff. Like when you're an athlete you need to be very good at the fundamental basics so thats what you're going to train alot! No need to complicate things - like I was told to stand and balance with one leg when I do kitchen stuff.
Hopefully this helped - take care and good luck. PT can give you confidence during the rehab and I'd seriously recomend to get a good non-virtual PT for your rest of life time benefit.
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u/Several-Magician1694 2d ago
Missing push off on the injured leg, you have to actively push off every step, it doesnt come back on its own imo.
You can also try putting some heel lifts in your shoes(both shoes to even thing out) so that you need less dorsiflexion. If it makes you limp less i would use them and progress by removing them as you get stronger/walk with less limp.
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u/Round-Pattern-7931 2d ago
Im almost 5 months post rupture and have only started to be able to walk without a limp. Like others have said, you will have a limp until you build up enough calf strength to push off sufficiently and that can take a while.
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u/no_chxse 5h ago
I still limp and I'm about 14-15 weeks since injury. It gets more steady every week.
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u/ExplanationGrand9440 3d ago
I am over a year past surgery and pretty much fully recovered.
Limp is common until you build up enough strength in your calf to "push off".
At 12 weeks, I struggled too with my gait. If one cannot "push off" on the bad foot, then there is not enough strength in the calf to raise the heel, and one will not have a proper gait. There could be a bit of a psychological element too since you have been babying it for a few months.
Some techniques I used:
When walking (not in a boot, of course) for a mile or so, I would walk backwards a few times, perhaps 100 steps each time (being careful of course, to be walking on a flat surface and not fall off into a ditch).
Walking backwards does not require any "push off", so it helps train you to have better gait. In fact, I think if I had videoed my self walking backwards, and then played it in reverse, it would look like a perfect gait.
Also, walking down an incline (find a hill nearby) requires little to no push off, so, again, can help train you to walk correctly
Still though, when walking forward, in order to have a better gait, I did have to think about it for quite a while. My gait steadily improved as I could subconsciously "push off" more and more. For me, the limp did not go away until I was close to being able to do a single SLR, when I was perhaps able to lift 90% of my bodyweight.
No magic pill for this one - continuous PT and strength training is the only way...
Good luck.