Okay, let’s talk about this Achilles tendon rupture thing. It’s not something you plan for, right?
The Snap Heard ‘Round the… Court
So, I was just playing some casual basketball, nothing too intense, or so I thought. Running back on defense, I pushed off my right foot and felt this massive pop in the back of my lower leg. It wasn’t exactly painful right away, more like a really weird, sudden feeling, like someone had kicked me super hard right on the tendon. I actually turned around expecting to see someone there, but nope, nobody close.
Tried to take a step and my foot just flopped. Couldn’t push off at all. Knew pretty much instantly something was seriously wrong. My buddies helped me off the court. The first thing I noticed, besides not being able to use the foot, was how quickly it started to swell up back there.
Getting it Checked and Documenting
Got a ride to the urgent care. The doc did the Thompson test – squeezed my calf muscle. Normally, your foot should point downwards automatically. Mine? Nothing. Dead fish. He was pretty sure it was a full rupture. Said I needed to see an orthopedic specialist ASAP.
While waiting and after getting the initial verdict, I started taking pictures with my phone. It felt important to document this mess from the start. The swelling was already pretty noticeable, kind of ballooning out the back of my ankle. Took a few shots from different angles. Even got one trying to show the lack of tension when I tried to flex my foot compared to the good one. It looked… mushy back there, if that makes sense. There was even a bit of a dent where the tendon should have been tight.
Surgery or No Surgery? More Pics
Met the specialist a couple of days later. We talked options. Surgery to stitch it back together or conservative treatment with just casting. Given my age and wanting to get back to being active, we leaned towards surgery. Before the operation, they had me come in for pre-op stuff. Took more photos then – the bruising was starting to show up nicely, all sorts of lovely purple and yellow colors migrating down towards my heel. Also snapped a picture of the surgeon’s marker lines on my leg right before they wheeled me away. Felt like capturing the ‘before’ state.
Post-Op and the Cast Life
Woke up from surgery, leg felt like a lead weight, all wrapped up. The first look at the bulky cast was… something. Of course, I took pictures. The cast became my new best friend, or worst enemy, depending on the day. Had to keep the leg elevated constantly. More photos – me on the couch, leg propped up on a mountain of pillows. Documenting the daily grind, you know?
- Week 1: Heavy cast, lots of sleeping. Photos mostly show the cast and my tired face.
- Week 3: Got the hard cast swapped for a slightly lighter one, maybe an air cast boot eventually. Took pictures of the incision site when they changed the dressing – looked angry and stitched up tight.
- Week 6-8: Started transitioning into a walking boot. Still couldn’t put full weight on it. Documented the boot, the first tentative steps using crutches but with the boot on the ground. Progress!
Rehab and Seeing the Changes
Physical therapy was the next big chapter. Man, that was work. Started with tiny movements, just trying to get any range of motion back. My PT was great, pushed me but knew the limits. I made sure to take photos during this phase too.
It was crucial for motivation. Took pictures of:
- The scar healing over time – from angry red line to a faded white mark.
- My range of motion progress – how far I could point my toe down or pull it up each week. Used a wall or goniometer in the background for reference.
- The exercises I was doing – calf raises (eventually!), balance work, stretching.
- Comparing my calves – the injured side was so much smaller! Took regular comparison shots to track the muscle coming back, slowly but surely.
Getting Back to Normal-ish
It’s a long process. Months of rehab. Even after finishing formal PT, I kept up with exercises. The photos really helped me appreciate how far I’d come. Looking back at the initial swelling pic, then the cast pics, then the skinny calf pics, and finally seeing a leg that looked almost normal again… it was satisfying.
The tendon still feels different sometimes, a bit tighter maybe, especially in the morning. But it works. I documented the whole journey with my phone camera, just snapping pics along the way. Didn’t think much of it at the time, but looking back, those ‘achilles tendon rupture photos’ tell the whole story of getting through it. It wasn’t planned, just happened organically as I went through the recovery.
