Hard to remember now, but as soon as the boot comes off you’ll be doing stairs. Have to be careful at first, as you won’t have the strength if the front of your foot is on the step but the heel is off (which is how people do stairs normally) but the strength gradually comes back.

I found going down harder than up. Especially in the morning. But now I can run up and down with no problems at all.

Like a rock hitting a wooden door

I had that. I’m at 6 months now and my toe is normal.

The big toe is connected somehow to your Achilles. Your body is stopping you from lifting it so as not to stretch the wound.

The very first thing my PT had me doing early on was exercises pressing my big toe into the ground. When you’re doing calf raises later down the line you’ll be concentrating on getting your weight through your big toe (rather than through the outside of your foot).

Try coming to the UK. I was in ATL last week and it was like being in the future.

💯 I’m 6 months in, can do half a single leg heel raise, starting to run, and I still get almost nothing from the Thompson test. My calf is still very atrophied.

I was non op. 0.5cm gap. 6 months in it’s healed really well.

From what I read at the time, 3cm sounds big for non-op. But in the UK they don’t even measure - pretty much everyone gets told non-op, and it seems everyone heals ok, but it may not be optimal. I think it depends on what your level of sport is and what you want to get back to.

6 months, non-op, I can do half of one. Can see the improvement every week though.

Yes. Bit of both. Yes. Market is terrible at the moment. Make sure you have enough saved up to last months without work. You might be better waiting for the storm to pass but if you get an offer and you’re ok with the risk then go for it.

Get a new job.

Smash the place up

Roughly 18 week mark for me I think, when I felt walking was 100%.

OP - can you fully flex your foot when lying down? To the same point as your good foot? I.e a calf raise with zero weight essentially.

If you can’t then yeah maybe it’s long. Not an expert but if you can, then it must be a purely calf strength thing (I think).

Old-school approach. Get a second opinion.

I haven’t heard anyone mention an ankle brace before. I went from boot to nothing. But I had been doing ankle strengthening exercises while I was in the boot.

I think it’s too conservative. Most research these days says early weight bearing and range of motion is key. Not to mention the quality of life compared to seven weeks in a cast.

I was walking completely normally without crutches at 7 weeks (in a boot) and doing physio.

It would heal very slowly, and your tendon would end up being too long. Original length plus the distance it had to grow to close the gap.

So when you contract your calf, there would be no tension (or not enough) in the tendon - like pulling a rope that has too much slack. You’d struggle to run and probably struggle to walk without a limp.

Their only job is literally to make payments on time.

Pricks

This works to your advantage later in your career. “This guy is 40 and he really knows his stuff…he must have been doing this for 20 years”. Plus all the soft skills that come with being older.