Achilles tendon how long to rest

Your doctor will tell you how to keep your leg and foot in the correct position. Keep your leg raised such as on a pillow as much as possible for the first few days. You will need to wear a cast or walking boot that keeps your foot and ankle from moving for 6 to 12 weeks after surgery.

You can use crutches to move around the house to do daily tasks. Do not put weight on your leg without these until your doctor says it is okay.

You may shower 24 to 48 hours after surgery, if your doctor okays it. When you shower, keep your bandage and incision dry by taping a sheet of plastic to cover them. It might be best to get a shower stool to sit on. If you have a brace, only take it off if your doctor says it is okay. If your doctor does not want you to shower or remove your brace, you can take a sponge bath. Do not take a bath, swim, use a hot tub, or soak your leg until your doctor says it is okay.

You can drive when you can move and control your foot and ankle, you are no longer using crutches, and you are no longer taking prescription pain medicine.

This usually takes 4 to 6 weeks. How soon you can return to your work depends on your job. If you sit at work, you may be able to go back in 1 to 2 weeks. But if you are on your feet at work, it may take 6 to 8 weeks. If you are very physically active in your job, it may take 3 to 6 months.

You can eat your normal diet. If your stomach is upset, try bland, low-fat foods like plain rice, broiled chicken, toast, and yogurt. Drink plenty of fluids. You may notice that your bowel movements are not regular right after your surgery. This is common. Try to avoid constipation and straining with bowel movements. You may want to take a fibre supplement every day. If you have not had a bowel movement after a couple of days, ask your doctor about taking a mild laxative. Your doctor will tell you if and when you can restart your medicines.

He or she will also give you instructions about taking any new medicines. If you take aspirin or some other blood thinner, ask your doctor if and when to start taking it again. Make sure that you understand exactly what your doctor wants you to do. Take pain medicines exactly as directed. If the doctor gave you a prescription medicine for pain, take it as prescribed. If you rest a body part completely, it will start to lose some of its strength and fitness over time. This means that you can actually weaken your tendon further if you rest your Achilles tendon completely and try to avoid using it most of the time.

Short periods of complete rest may be appropriate for very painful Achilles tendons, but this should rarely last for more than a few days. Relative rest means that you stay as active as possible while your Achilles tendon recovers.

You only cut out the things that really aggravate your tendon and keep everything else. The tricky part is to figure out what level of activity your tendon currently can cope with that does not cause your pain to increase.

If you did something today that was OK at the time, but then you have a lot more pain the next morning, that level of activity was too much and should be reduced. For example, if you can run slowly for 20 minutes without any discomfort during or after the run or the next morning , that run is absolutely fine to continue with.

If, however, you find that your Achilles pain increases every time you try even a short run, you would be better off replacing it with walking, swimming or cycling until your tendon is stronger. Fortunately, the Achilles tendon is the strongest tendon in the body. Often Achilles tendinitis manifests first as stiffness in the joint that eventually warms up.

If, when you first notice the stiffness, you take preventive measures to increase ankle flexibility and pull back on your mileage, speedwork and hill running, then you can avoid it turning into a serious problem.

Simply spend a minute each day stretching your calf and ankle joint. One of the easiest stretches, said Uhan, is to put one foot on the ground behind the other and push into a wall. In addition to stretching, using a foam roller and getting regular massage to keep the joint mobile can help prevent any problems from starting. It can occur at any age but is most common in people between the ages of 30 and You may notice the symptoms come on suddenly during a sporting activity or injury.

You might hear a snap or feel a sudden sharp pain when the tendon is torn ruptured. The sharp pain usually settles quickly, although there may be some aching at the back of the lower leg. After the injury, the usual symptoms are:. If you suspect an Achilles tendon rupture, it is best to see a doctor urgently because the tendon heals better if treated sooner rather than later.

The Achilles tendon tear rupture diagnosis is usually made on the basis of symptoms, the history of the injury and a doctor's examination.

The doctor may look at your walking and observe whether you can stand on tiptoe. They may test the tendon using a method called Thompson's test also known as the calf squeeze test.

In this test, you will be asked to lie face down on the examination bench and to bend your knee. The doctor will gently squeeze the calf muscles at the back of your leg and observe how the ankle moves. If the Achilles tendon is OK, the calf squeeze will make the foot point away from the leg a movement called plantar flexion. This is quite an accurate test for Achilles tendon rupture.

If the diagnosis is uncertain, an ultrasound scan or MRI scan may help. Note : an Achilles tendon rupture is sometimes difficult to diagnose and can be missed on first assessment. It is important for doctors and patients to be aware of this and to look carefully for an Achilles tendon rupture if it is suspected. This condition should be diagnosed and treated as soon as possible because prompt treatment probably improves recovery.

Meanwhile, if a torn ruptured Achilles tendon is suspected, you should not put any weight on that foot, so do not walk on it at all.

There are two options for treatment. One option is an operation to repair the tendon. The surgeon sews together the torn ends of the Achilles tendon, and perhaps may also use another tendon or a tendon graft to help with the repair.

A plaster cast or brace orthosis is needed after the operation. The other option is to allow time for the tendon to heal naturally, resting it in a brace or plaster cast. This is called conservative treatment. If the tendon does not heal on its own, a surgical repair can then be done later.