Achilles Tendon Repair
Rupture of the Achilles tendon is a very common injury that results in pain and the inability to lift the foot. Rupture of the Achilles tendon can be treated both surgically and nonsurgically. Surgical repair has a much lower risk of rerupture of the tendon. However, it carries the risks associated with any surgery including infection, DVT & nerve damage.
Dr Prodromos uses an open surgical repair technique that augments the repair using a flap of tendon tissue taken from the gastrocnemius muscle (one of the muscles in the back of the calf).
The advantages of this technique are:
- Allows immediated weight bearing and early motion
- Patient is out of a cast in a week.
- Low risk of rerupture
Once out of the cast, a patient must wear a special shoe that keeps the heel of the foot higher than the sole and be open in the back. It should have about an 1 1/2 inch slope from heel to toe to keep the foot in the correct position to maximize healing.
One shoe that fits this criteria for men is the Dansko Karl. Dansko has several styles of women’s clog that also fit this criteria.