Hi,
Does anyone have any experience with this? How long after surgery before sailing is recommended? I dont' reckon my specialist has a good idea of what windsurfing entails with regards to forces through achilles tendon.
I'm thinking sailing an SUP in 10-15 kts without footstraps will be the first step, but after that, who knows?
Cheers.
I treat them all the time.
i would say 6-8 months at a minimum. sorry but they are one of the longest rehab injuries. I have seen too many that have resnapped and or the other side go. Do it properly.
Most people take 12-18 months for a full recovery so any return earlier than this will hold some inherent risk.
Sorry to here you news Grandfromage.
If it makes you feel better, I've got a broken foot and will not be windsurfing for sometime (6 months plus). You will be in a moon boot like me!
My sympathies. Came out of hospital 2day after knee replacement
but haven't sailed for over 8 months, so hoping to get back out there asap.hopefully before summer ends, and will get out and surf a bit in the meantime. Hang in there mate, at least it is under repair!
zubby, i did hear. not good news either. it's ****t driving past the beach seeing people out, still somehow give you a little lift though.
h2o, whats the deal with the other one snapping? some sort of compensation, loading the other foot more or something? i'd be seriously ****ted off if it happened again!
Very commonly it's a colagen weakness. When you rehab one you rehab both. Yeah it's sh:t if the other goes. Do the rehab. Do the time.
I agree that this is one thing you don't want to rush.
Use a sport like touch football as a comparison, though I don't think sailing is anywhere near as stressful as touch.
Cheers for the advice guys, glad i asked, 9 months sounded excessive but now not so much. I did it playing stupid footy, should have stuck to darts.
I know your pain Grand. In 2003 had just got back into windsurfing for about 6months and then did my patella tendon playing Rugby (too old and too slow!). The patella (knee cap) was wired to the tibia [see below] so the tendon had a chance of repairing itself (It was a 100% rupture). Second op to remove the "fencing" wire hurt more than initial and it took 12 months just to walk normally and about 4 years to be able to kneel on it as the knee cap was out of normal position and scar tissue made it unbearable. Really started sailing again in mid 2007 but was very cautious not to do anything too stupid like triple loops 
. I strap it with a brace everytime I sail but with the achilles there's not a lot you can do but let it repair itself fully. Recently I have become very conscious of my achilles especially when I am standing on my tip toes reaching for something -have felt a few twangs and hopefully they aren't past their expiry date.
Chin up and even though it will feel like an eternity, it'll be a distant memory one day.
I feel for you mate, spent the last 7 years not wave sailing because of a dodgy right ACL, partially torn. Nothing like going for a blast and feeling your right knee come apart and start slapping against the tibia.
I had the op (Peter Annear - brilliant surgeon) and had the new LARS graft, technically back on the water in 5 months but I took the long rehab and gradually built it up. Back playing all my sports and lost 10kg's because I can run again
I have a dodgy Achilles from years of hockey and have had some rehab on it, my physio says not to mess with it and treat it like a friend, rest when required and don't sail with it sore. She was adamant if I tore it I was looking at 12 months at least off the water.
. I strap it with a brace everytime I sail but with the achilles there's not a lot you can do but let it repair itself fully. Recently I have become very conscious of my achilles especially when I am standing on my tip toes reaching for something -have felt a few twangs and hopefully they aren't past their expiry date. 
I had my achillies operated in around april last year, in plaster for 6 weeks, physio for 6 more off work for 13 weeks in total , back in the water to "try" to surf (gentle surf big board could hardly stand up) in the last 2 weeks of my time off work, while I was off work lots of fishing , walks along the beach ( with a moon boot on) and swims/walking in a heated pool to try to strengthen leg (was not allowed to drive untill week 11 with permission from the physio). amazing that you lose so much strength, windsurfed from that August but was cautious of pushing too hard to early and of getting caught by one strap, but seems ok now, still a buildup of scar tissue from the operation. Still do stretches for my ankle. Sup with a sail in 10-15 kts would not be a drama I wouldn,t think ( I'm not a doctor) but take it easy it takes a while to even walk properly again
Judging from the scar i have, i imagine my leg looked something like this at some point, except my tendon shat it's self about half way long.
The day after the op, if somebody had've handed me a saw, id've cut the whole lot off. No amount of morphine or endone would do the trick, christ it 'urt. But the problem i have now is probably a false sense of security. No pain, other than that of being able to do nob all, that's the worst thing for an active bloke, i think. Got to be careful though. To all the leppers out there, keep your chins up (or on)...
Holy Shyte!!! What a pic -FMD! I am giving up rugby and basketball! Only stick to swimming now!
Didn't realise how gruesome the achilles op is!
Already got on that train. One has a mast track, i think that'll be a good start. Today looks great a semaphore for a bit of light cruising, but if i fell off i think the moon boot would sink me!
Thinking serioulsy about whether or not to go back to playing rugby though. It's tough being injured with young kiddies, missing doing things with my boy. Climbing on me has become one of his favourite pass times lately, he has learnt to avoid "the leg" though, he didn't make that mistake twice!
