Achilles Rupture - does the strength ever come back??

[avacadotoast]

ok...long story short. Ruptured achilles on 1/4 due to a lovely little stump hidden under a couple inches of snow. Surgery on 1/9. I came back inhumanly fast according to my PT guy. I actually skied @ 3.5 months post-op (although with 2 tongues and a big heel lift in my old much stiffer race boots)...pain free (& fear free) skiing by around memorial day. I really don't even notice it much anymore. Not when mtbing - a little bit when hiking & going up or down. Once the flexibility came back I was golden...

...except for one thing - I still have no pushoff. Almost no strength. I can hold it there but it's got no pop....and I can only get my heel about 1" off the ground doing single leg raises. I'd say for a solid 2 months now it just hasn't got any stronger.

So will this thing ever get fully back? Any helpful tips? Am I just being impatient and I need to chill? I want to get my hops back so I can dunk again!! Well not really but I want to run a little bit and maybe play some tennis and hoops and as it is now I'm just pushing off of the heel and clodding around - I can't really do it.

Oh & for all you rubberneckers, here's a pic of some carnage:

[Sinecure]

I did mine on 1/2/05. Skied again the following season. By around October I was finally feeling like I had a degree of strength back. It didn't help me that I broke my hip on 8/17/05 so I had to rehab that as well.

To this day, I still don't have the push-off strength in my right as I do in my left.

[Vinman]

Try modified calf raises, go up with both calves but down only with the one. Go down under control but up with force.

[avacadotoast]

To this day, I still don't have the push-off strength in my right as I do in my left.

You mentioning this to me at Mammoth was partially why I posted this. I'm curious to see if this the norm...hopefully not.

Vinman, I've been doing those since April. I made initial gains it hasn't got any stronger since early May. Although I have been slacking since I hit my PT visit limit. Walking up an incline seems to be the best thing because I get the flex and then I can use momentum to max out the push.

What about those funny calf training shoes? Think they would help?

[Vinman]

try some single leg balance on a BOSU, some single leg balance plus calf raises, calf machines, calf raises plus weight, donkey calf raises, light agility drills anything you can think of to build not only strength but power(being able to contract with force)

I would not reccomend those shoes to someone who has had a recent Achilles repair.

[avacadotoast]

try some single leg balance on a BOSU, some single leg balance plus calf raises, calf machines, calf raises plus weight, donkey calf raises, light agility drills anything you can think of to build not only strength but power(being able to contract with force)

I would not reccomend those shoes to someone who has had a recent Achilles repair.

I was a little intrigued but the shoes were a bit tongue-and-cheek. Too much force needed in a flexed position?

I like the balance+calf raise and agility drills ideas. I don't have access to a calf machine or a BOSU unfortunately.

Thanks for the ideas...much appreciated!!

[XXX-er]

A local 53 yr old ski guide friend snapped BOTH his achilles skiing and skied the next year , of course he was pretty motivated , he sez he is 100% recovered