The Achilles tendon is the connection between the heel, and the muscles of the lower leg, which is called the calf muscles. As you well may know, the most powerful big muscle group is the leg muscles. On the other hand, the thickest, and the strongest tendon is the Achilles tendon. Your Achilles tendon is subject to tension, and workload that is up to 3-12 times an individual's entire body weight when sprinting, and pushing off, which is dependent on the speed, stride, terrain, and additional weight. If the Achilles tendon is ruptured or hurt, then surgery may be done to remedy the problem, and it can take a long time to heal.
Types of Surgeries for Achilles tendon
When there is an injury to the Achilles tendon, the treatment is dependent on how severe the injury is. Other injuries may only require casting but in some cases, surgery is needed to hasten healing. There are two major surgical choices especially on a severe Achilles tendon injury such as tendon rupture: open surgery or the percutaneous surgery. Open surgery is done through a single large incision made at the back of the leg. The ruptured tendon is then stitched back together. The percutaneous surgery involves several small incisions instead of the typical large incision. The tendon is then stitched back together.
Length of time of healing
When the injury is not really that severe, and is treated in a non-operative manner, the application of cast is warranted until healing of the injury is ensured. The healing time is dependent on the severity of the injury, and it is often variable. According to WebMD.com, it can take between six to twelve months before the Achilles tendon is completely healed.
What occurs after surgery
After the surgery the patient will have to wear a boot, to keep the foot intact. It is important that you rest, and do muscle strengthening exercises as well as physical therapy and ice compresses on the area of the injury. You might need to be completely immobilised in order to achieve complete recovery from the injury.
After surgery, EMedicineHealth.com says, comes with many risks, such as infections, blood clots, scarring and even nerve injury.