11 year anniversary of my Achilles tear
heres 11 lessons i've learned
11 years ago today I tore my achilles doing rebound box jumps
I was in my last semester of PT school and it was my first surgery ever.
Even though i’m not limited, I still wouldn’t say I’m 100%.
Here’s 11 lessons from 11 years in the clinic i’ve learned to deal with injuries
#1 Pain is your friend, not your enemy
If you didn’t feel pain, you’d probably die before age 6.
Pain is a sign something may be going on, not something to push through.
Make friends with your pain, but don’t let it control you.
#2 Listen to you body
I battled achilles issues for years, and successfully rehabbed them back to “normal.”
I still had flare ups, and they were ALWAYS related to a recent increase in activity.
I was sore from 100 rebound box jumps the week prior, so my plan that day was to step down.
I didn’t listen
#3 Understand the risks
Rebound box jumping was known to snap an achilles, so i trained for it. I kept my achilles tendon strong with eccentrics and micro dosed them in training.
The previous week I did 100 total, no issues other than soreness.
#4 Fatigue increases injury risk
You get hurt when you’re tired
That day I
biked 4 miles (accidentally) to the gym
did max height box jumps BEFORE the WOD
was perpetually fatigued from CF
#5 Know when to train, and when to test
I had planned to just stick to my training plan that day until someone “challenged'“ me. Four rounds into the WOD I went off script and snapped my Achilles on the first rebound rep
If you’re always testing your fitness, expect to fail a test every now and then.
#6 Have a support network
I had surgery a week later and was on crutches for 4 weeks. My friends had to take me to class, the grocery store, and the bar.
Support after surgery is actually an important consideration to GET surgery.
Recovery will be hard if you’re alone
#7 Focus on what you CAN do
Can’t run? Walk. Can’t walk? Bike. Can’t do compound lifts? Do isolation lifts. Can’t do lower body? Do upper body.
Can’t work out? Be there for other people (helps so you have #6)
#8 Have other hobbies
Luckily i was in school, so my hobbies were “studying.” if you can’t do your favorite thing (work out) you will feel very empty when that’s taken from you.
#9 Celebrate small wins
My initial small wins
taking a shower
not needing crutches
Driving
cooking standing up
#10 Respect the rehab process
Good rehab doesn’t get you back faster. It respects the process. The timeline exists for a reason.
You have to lay the foundations BEFORE moving the next phase. The foundations CANNOT be rushed.
Progress
#11 Realize shit happens
You can do everything “right” and still get hurt. Had I done step downs, I likely would not have torn my achilles THAT DAY.
There’s no guarantee i wouldn’t have at some other point.
Hopefully my experience helps you through your injury
Remember to move today
Bengal
PS grab your annual substack membership and receive access to our Total Body 3.0 program
As well as all our other rehab protocols sprinkled into our old posts.
After you sign up for a year, send me the screen shot and i’ll send you the codes for the app.