What can I do with a torn achilles?

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Hi all,

Background story: I'm 27 now. 2 years ago I damaged my knee playing rugby, this went on for a good while, eventually got sent for an MRI after plenty of rest, then physio, then rehabilitation etc and none of it worked. I ended up getting surgery exactly one year ago on the knee due to torn cartilage. There was also fluid in there and my cruciate had stretched to snapping point and had not tighten up again after being stretched according to the surgeon. Due to this injury, I didn't really train regularly for 2 years, and after being a very fit and active person for the previous 20 years (always playing rugby, and at other times gym or 5 a side soccer etc.), I fell out of the habit of training and my diet also suffered.

Roll on 6 months after the operation, I was back training and getting to the point that I was really starting to training again. My diet was improving also. First and foremost I was training to get fit and lose weight and the main goal was to be back playing rugby for pre season training in July. I have done about 4 months of training, was starting to get a decent level of fitness, had lost some weight, had built muscle back again etc. and then had an unfortunate accident playing tag rugby and tore my achilles last week.

I'm going in for surgery on Wednesday, and then will be in cast for 8. And obviously will be paying the physio a few visits once the cast is off .

I'm just looking for a bit of advice, what sort of exercises can I do while in the cast? I obviously will only be able to do upper body work. But i'm just looking for tips and exercises that I can do so that I don't completely fall out of training again!

Thanks all!

jive

I trained with a lower body injury myself and have seen a gym instructor in a cast train for a few months. Obviously working legs is a no no.

Do excercises which are seated. You might find you have to use less weight as a result of not being able to plant your feet properly. Use a weight that you can manage because if you use a high weight and injury your upper body as a result then you are f'd altogether. Lying/seated excercises are your best friend. You won't be able to perform standing movements such as squats/deadlifts/rows. If you have a seated row machine in your gym use that instead of barbell rows which you won't be able to do.

It's pretty much down to improvisation. You might be able to stand for certain excercises but I would avoid it as much as possible because there is obviously a slight risk involved. You will be able to work your upper body adequately using just seated excercises anyway, imo.

Example workout;
chest: flat bench, incline bench, dips/decline bench, dumbbell flyes

back: seated row, lat pulldown/pullup, chin up, dumbbell row (can be difficult to balance without putting weight on leg, however). One thing that is difficult is lower back work; no deadlift and I don't like machine work for lower back. Seated good mornings are the only good alternative that I found.

biceps: incline dumbbell curl, preacher curl, seated hammer curl

triceps: skull crushers, close grip bench press, overhead press, rope pull down (if you can put any weight on the cast leg - better off just doing the other 3), dips

shoulders: seated dumbbell press or seated military press, seated lateral raise, seated front raise, lying rear delt raise

traps: seated dumbbell shrug

*note : for chinup/pullup/dip type excercises obviously try to lower yourself slowly onto one leg when finishing your set.

Bannasidhe

I had a similar thing happen to me about 10 years ago - knee injury, got back to full fitness then snapped my achilles. The thing with achilles repair that I didn't realise and which proved a major problem is that your toes will be pointed downwards while in the cast. This means that unlike broken/fracture bone injuries you will not be able to put any weight on the foot. This will rule out rowing machines or any exercise that requires you to stand etc. You will be able to do free weights and the like but need to be aware that your mobility will be very reduced and factor that in- standing without a crutch for any length of time will be very difficult and the cast tends to throw balance off . You will also have to relearn to how to walk afterwards.