Getting Active Again After an Achilles Tendon Injury

Your feet and ankles carry you through the world, and when you hurt one of the crucial structures that support your weight, you become acutely aware of how important they are. Your Achilles tendon is the largest tendon in your body, and it allows for amazing mobility. 

At Performance Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, our providers treat numerous ankle problems, but we’ve noticed that Achilles tendon injuries often bring about impatience in our patients. You want to get back to doing the things you need to do, and the things you enjoy doing, but it’s important to return to activity safely. 

How Achilles tendon injuries happen 

Your Achilles tendon connects your heel bone to your lower leg muscles. It allows you to flex your feet and to rotate your ankles. If you consider how often you make those movements, you realize just how important your Achilles tendon is. 

Many Achilles tendon injuries happen when people are playing sports, at any level. Uncomfortable shoes can play a role as well. Bone spurs, arthritis, and even an unusually shaped foot are also associated with Achilles tendon problems. 

Returning to activity without surgery

One of the most important aspects of recovering from an Achilles tendon injury is making sure you’re ready to begin returning to normal physical activity. It’s important to heal.

Depending on your injury, you may need a medical boot or some other device to help stabilize your ankle and foot. Some devices can be worn inside your normal shoe. The idea is to reduce stress on your injured tendon and allow it time to heal. You’ll likely need to do some exercises to help you strengthen your ankle, too. 

Returning to activity after an injury

If you’ve had surgery to repair your Achilles tendon, the following recovery process is common: 

2 weeks after your procedure

Your stitches and splint are removed, and you’re fitted with a medical boot. You’ll still need to avoid putting weight on your injured foot, and you’ll need crutches. 

4 weeks after your procedure

You’ll work with a physical therapist to learn how to properly move your ankle after wearing the boot. Your therapist will teach you exercises to strengthen your muscles. 

6-8 weeks after your procedure

By this time, you may be able to start putting weight on your injured foot, but likely only for short periods. You may be able to start doing some activities such as swimming or taking short bike rides. 

4-6 months after your procedure

As long as you’re healing on schedule and you don’t have complications, you should be returning to your normal activities by this point. However, you probably won’t be considered fully healed until one year after your surgery. 

Get tailored advice from our experts

If you’ve suffered an Achilles tendon injury and you have questions about recovery, consider scheduling an appointment at Performance Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine. Our providers are happy to answer your questions in the context of your situation.  We have locations in Toms River and Shrewsbury, New Jersey.