< 2025.12.14: very much ‘still under construction’ I’m afraid … >
My original assumption on having a ‘full rupture’ as diagnosed by the ER, not really knowing anything at all about Achilles tendon ruptures (ATR), was that I would need an operation. The doctor at the ER, however, explained this wasn’t necessarily the case (hence the MRI to make a decision – some may say this is a ‘nice-to-have’: I’ve heard of doctors saying things along the lines of, “No need … I’ll see what needs to be done when I’m in there!” which is a bit gung-ho for me). I would have loved to have some of the following info readily available in those first 24-48 hours … hopefully some of it helps, but just remember:
It’s your body … your injury … your decision..
(not any doctor’s, and certainly not mine!)
(get a MINIMUM of a SECOND medical opinion, ALWAYS!)
Perhaps the first and biggest question that pops to mind (certainly it was for me), having been told that an operation was not necessarily going to be THE solution:
Do you let them operate or not? (“Op or non-op”)
In some countries, most likely cost-driven, the non-operative (conservative) way of treatment is standard (e.g. UK, Canada, Australia at the time of writing); frequently, there won’t even be an ultrasound, much less an MRI. You’ll probably get a cast, or a cheap boot, at some point maybe a minimum of physio, and then you’re on your own.
In other countries, like Germany (where I live), they are still fairly happy to go for the knife off the bat, even without imaging – perhaps, as the healthcare cover here is good and not state-driven, because it’s probably a good source of income for hospitals. Not that I’m cynical or anything … 😉.
What DEFINITELY doesn’t gel well with me is when a doc says, “who needs an MRI? Waste of time … I’ll see what’s going on when I open you up!” … I’ve seen / heard this several times now on YouTube.
Looking for some more information on this topic? Click here.
Regardless of this important subject, you are now, most likely, somewhat immobile, at any rate restricted, to some degree dependent upon others 🙈. Presumably though, you at least have some crutches:
Another thought that came a little later to me, but it helps to think about it pretty much straight away on ‘Day One’ as you may need to order it … and the sooner you have it, the easier your daily life will be:
What kind of helpful gear might I need?
I’ve tried to compile some useful pages / resources here … but I’m just one person – so who better to turn to than an entire community who is either going through the same thing:
The /AchillesRupture community on Reddit
Lots of people already went through it and came out the other side, successfully (to one degree or another) …
Not everyone is super keen on reading information (plus, while a picture is worth a thousand words, a video may in some cases be worth a thousand pictures):
YouTube links (from recovery stories to rehab stuff)
Perhaps you’re even interested in the scientific side of things, if you’ve gotten this far … if so, a selection of white papers which I, or other people elsewhere, found interesting, on a variety of subjects relating to ATR:
‘White Papers’ (scientific studies)
I’m an engineer. Read: I REALLY want an explanation before I ‘dive into the deep’ and commit to a possibly life-altering decision without even the beginnings of a fair basis of information to do so. Of course, this doesn’t mean I need to become an expert; in fact, it’s patently clear to me that I’m not going to become one just by googling for a night or three, even if I did want to.
Nevertheless, the internet is a vast source of knowledge (admittedly not all good) … and here are some of those studies I (or others) stumbled across, mostly as ‘first-timers’ during our recovery journey: white papers and the like.
< resources for later on >
(not everything needs to be attended to immediately!)
Achilles Rupture Recovery 
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