I was diagnosed with chronic insertional achilles tendonopathy, which is medical speak for a mangled achilles tendon. Unlike your typical runner who may come down with a case of achilles tendonitis, this is different, as it is specific to the insertion point – the area where the achilles tendon attaches/inserts into the heel bone. There is very little scientific/medical research about this form of injury, and I have found that there is lots of conflicting information both on the web and among the numerous doctors and physical therapists I have discussed my condition with. After suffering through this injury for 5 months, finally getting past it, and then just a couple of months later re-injuring it, I’ve decided to blog my journey through what will hopefully be a quicker healing process and return to my normal levels of physical activity.
A Little About Me
I am, at the time of this writing, coming up on 48 years of age. I live in the Philadelphia, PA area of the USA.
I was obese for the majority of my life, and pretty much led a mostly sedentary lifestyle as a result. A few years ago, after stumbling on some meta-research that extolled the benefits of a certain type of diet, I proceeded to eventually lose a total of 75lbs. and completely turn around my weight, blood lipid levels, blood pressure, etc. for the better. With the exception of my right achilles tendon, and an abnormally immobile body (aka, I have less flexibility than most people), I’m in excellent physical health and shape. If you’re interested in my weight loss journey, you can find my writings about that here. Before this injury, I was a fairly active fellow. Over the past couple of years I’ve done everything from playing in a soccer league, to CrossFit, to running 5k races, etc. I’m not exactly a ‘workout warrior’ by any stretch, but I enjoy being outdoors and being active.
Why this Blog?
This is neither my first bout with this achilles injury, nor my first time blogging. I started this particular blog on August 6, 2013, with the sole purpose to document the healing process that I will undergo over the next few months. After consulting with my doctor and beginning a new round of physical therapy, I’ve decided to tackle this through my own research and self-experimentation, just as I did to cure my obesity and pretty much effortlessly maintain it for the past few years. Hopefully, as I stumble, fail, and then eventually, hopefully, succeed in fixing this achilles injury, others that stumble upon this blog can benefit from the experiences and eventual outcomes I write about. More importantly, I’m pretty bummed about re-injuring this thing. As an introvert, I’m hoping that writing will help me mentally get through the prospect of not being able to walk without pain for the time being…
Disclaimer
I am not a doctor. I am not a physical therapist. More specifically, I am not YOUR doctor, physical therapist, or any other type of health professional. Use or not the information you find on this site, just as you would be very wise to carefully and critically view any other information you may find on the internet. What works or doesn’t work for me may work for you…or not. If you are not an adult that is mentally capable of understanding this, then move on. I take no offense.
Of course, I cannot say with certainty that the outcome will be “healing” or that it will only take “a few months.” I’m actually hoping for a quicker healing time. Last time it took five months. We’ll see. I may injure myself further.
Wish me luck, at the very least.