Why Does My Body Hate Me? (Screw You, Achilles!)

|||||| Warning: Graphic Image at the bottom of the thread of a surgery ||||||

While that's a rather rhetorical question, here's a run down of my last year or so:

July 2017: Left shoulder surgery for rotator-cuff tear...turned out to be no tear, but the labrum needed some clean up. The recovery after this was multiple months before I could get back into martial arts and resistance training, and nearly a full year before my shoulder was back to 100%.

January-ish 2018: Popped my left LCL, and while there was no major issue, it robbed me of a few months of martial arts training and running (and comfortable walking every day) for a few months.

April 2018: Partial tear to my right calf muscle, and while I'm only 4.5 months out from that tear, it has healed relatively well, but certainly isn't 100% yet. This robbed me of a couple of months of martial arts, and I still haven't done a full leg workout because of it, although I had started running short (1-mile) runs in the past few weeks trying to slowly get back into things.

August 24, 2018: Ruptured my left Achilles tendon while playing basketball with my son in the driveway, and have surgery scheduled tomorrow at 9:30 am. This will be yet another issue where it is an expected 12-month full recovery (although if things go smoothly, I'll start physical therapy four weeks post-surgery).

You know, I have tried very hard in my life not to succumb to the lazy-ass American way of life where people just succumb to laziness and obesity. But it seems like every time that I try and keep things going on a nice physical path, my body throws up its middle finger at me and laughs and hearty chortle.

It's very, very hard not to simply just give in and welcome the lazy lifestyle with open arms. I practice three martial arts and am an instructor in one of them, and while I ponder a lazy lifestyle half in jest, it's just so damn frustrating that each time I bounce back a bit, I get another issue thrown in my face. It's not like I'm out there powerlifting or hurting myself through obvious stupidity, here, I think that it's just a combination of getting older (I'll be 40 next year) and just bad genetics (my dad gifted me his tight muscles/tendons/ligaments)...but dammit, just throw me a frickin' bone here, life.

And the reality is that I've been consciously and purposefully scaling back the intensity with which I approach physical activity with age in mind, and ever since then, I have been getting injured.

I highly recommend never rupturing (complete tear) your Achilles tendon. The best description of what it felt like is as if someone swung a baseball bat as hard as they could directly into your Achilles tendon...but then your foot just kind of flops around afterward. But, it is what it is--9:30 AM tomorrow morning, I'll be on the operating table.

My foot now:

My foot tomorrow:
files.abovetopsecret.com...

a reply to: SlapMonkey

Not sure if you follow basketball, but did you see DeMarcus Cousins when he snapped his Achilles?
Took him down just like that. He is a world class athlete with top of the line training, and it happened to him. What i'm saying is don't be too hard on yourself.

a reply to: SlapMonkey

Sounds like you're over exerting your body. Take it easy for a few months.

You know ... it may just be that you're pushing yourself too hard, too soon. Those issues seem to mostly be a progression in your leg, and it could be that the way you've moved while compensating for not being 100% because of the one injury has introduced a strain in the system that has caused the next injury.

You might think about getting into the pool or something where you can still get a workout but you aren't subjecting your legs to the impact stresses they're getting now.

Ouch!

Take good care of it. Your only foot and all that....

Funny coincidence, I just did the same thing to my right toe today by hitting a stubborn piece of furniture. Although is all purple and swollen stiff is not looking as dramatically as your foot, so no pic from me...
Also I don't believe a surgery is necessary. I'll limp around for a few days since I cannot step on it and if it doesn't budge I may consider some x-rays to see if it's broken.
Take care and take it easy; maybe your body is trying to tell you something...

a reply to: WhiteHat

Isn't that the worst pain! I've given birth with no medication and I don't remember it being as painful as crunching my big toe!

damn sounds terrible man.

Im going through some injuries as well if it makes you feel any better.

I've had the rotator cuff tear, elbow shattered needed surgery, two knee surgeries, one for MCL, ACL, Meniscus, one for the other Meniscus. Now more knee problems. Been layed up on the couch like half this summer waiting for my knee to get better and doing physical therapy.

I'm usually rock climbing and mtn biking all summer, so my adrenaline rush has not made it quota at all this summer.

It's just really frustrating/depressing when your not the lazy type but your being forced to sit on the couch.

Mediation has helped keep my sanity. I actually just woke up from an astral projection where I flew further into space than i ever have before.

But damn, I feel your pain brother. Keep your head up, maybe learn an instrument or learn to play one better... That helps a lot as well.

Heel Up!

a reply to: SlapMonkey

Tore mine chasing my then two year old at a playground (on vacation too!). Literally felt my entire ankle fold over beyond 90 degrees, it was sickening.

This was two years ago. The ankle still swells up and feels weak. The tendon pops a lot too now when I rotate my ankle. Never really got full motion and flexibility back. I'm afraid to really exert myself for fear of doing it again.

a reply to: Edumakated

It's that last that brings down a lot of top athletes, not saying you were or anything, but that fear after a devastating injury that it'll happen again.

I understand it though.

I didn't do anything like you guys have done, but I severely sprained my ankle, and I still have flashbacks and am afraid I'm going to roll that ankle and do it again.

originally posted by: ketsuko
a reply to: Edumakated

It's that last that brings down a lot of top athletes, not saying you were or anything, but that fear after a devastating injury that it'll happen again.

I understand it though.

I didn't do anything like you guys have done, but I severely sprained my ankle, and I still have flashbacks and am afraid I'm going to roll that ankle and do it again.

Yeah, it can be mental. I was very athletic when I was younger. However, in mid 40s now. Body doesn't heal like it used to. I sprained ankle and had other injuries when I was younger and often times played hurt. There was no walking this last one off... i was down for count and off to ER. Had to wear a boot for almost two months.

I know the ankle isn't 100% and never will be again. I can feel how weak it is so it keeps me from pushing it.

a reply to: Edumakated

And I know that too.

In my 40s and feeling every hurdle I ever smacked my knee into. It lets me know. Tonight I was climbing up onto bleachers at my kid's martial arts lesson, and I thought my knee was going to let me down for a second. Not a good feeling to have.

I miss the days when I could go down to the trainers, they would wrap it in tape, and tell me to go get busy and come back for some ice later on.

a reply to: SlapMonkey

Oh man! Achilles are the worst! Fortunately I've never badly injured mine, but I know some guys who have, and it's ugly!

This will make you feel better though (hopefully). I worked with this one guy in Michigan and he was a sports nut, always playing B-ball and playing other sports with his kids too. He was doing some athletic activity about 18 hours a day (even at work, running stairs, lunges at his desk, never sat down).

One day he was getting out of the shower (cringe now if you know what's coming) and the shower door sort of jammed or something. He slipped on the shower floor and fell through the glass door. He fell out onto the bathroom floor and right about then a large sheet of broken glass fell down across the back of both of his legs completely severing BOTH Achilles tendons just above the attachment point. OMG, what a horrific injury! He had to learn to walk all over again, and it took like 2.5 years. They had to put like 90 screws and pins and all sorts of other stuff in to get everything back attached again. His lower legs looked like an Erector Set in x-rays.

So, look on the bright side...it could be worse!

I feel your pain though!

Good luck!!

a reply to: SlapMonkey

I rolled my ankle inwards last week and I thought that sucked, however I will take the roll over what you have.

My health took a bad turn after turning 40, I was super fit and healthy before that dreaded turning of age,now everything is going wrong all at once. I've never been proked prodded so much by doctors,I don't like it.

I hope it gets better soon for you, feet are the worst place for injuries, well other than hands, I feel for ya...

a reply to: SlapMonkey

I feel it too. Missed a few weeks of consistent running due to various small pains and possibly a hairline fracture.

Is cutting it off and going bionic an option?

a friend of mine cut his when using a gas powered hedge trimmers. Screwed him up a good bit. Be careful and rest plenty.
WLYB.

I think if you have that option that I'd find a good sports medicine doc or physical therapist and work with them for a training schedule and things you can do to get yourself rehabbed and back at it.

They'll be able to give you a realistic timetable and a good set of activities that will help you get back on your feet gently without putting undue stress on it as you heal.

Thanks all for the well wishes and stories. Surgery went well yesterday, but today is my introduction to the nerve block wearing off. It feels like womeone is constantly squeezing my tendon rather intensely. Good times, but all is well.

Trying to stay off of those oxycodone as much as possible.

a reply to: JAGStorm

Yeah, my son informed me. I know that it happens to everyone, it just sucks when it’s so mich all at once.

a reply to: Wide-Eyes

Yeah...no choice except to take it easy now.