so, apparently I partially tore my achilles tendon last night (playing b-ball). The Ortho Dr. that I saw today gave me two options…surgery to repair it or a full cast to let it heal. He gave the % chance or reinjury and pros/cons of each but I wanted some unbiased feedback from folks that have had this injury. Which option did you choose…why…are you happy you made that choice, etc. I am a very active 30 yr old male (if that helps) and wish to return to being fully active ASAP.
Nonsurgical treatment for an Achilles tendon rupture is somewhat controversial. It is clear that treatment with a cast will allow the vast majority of tendon ruptures to heal, but the incidence of rerupture is increased in those patients treated with casting when compared with those undergoing surgery. In addition, the strength of the healed tendon is significantly less in patients who choose cast treatment. For these reasons, many orthopedists feel that Achilles tendon ruptures in younger active patients should be surgically repaired.
I myself had surgery for a fully torn achilles 14 months ago, and feel I have returned to full strength (including sports). I had the option of letting the tendon threads grow back together, but was told that the tendon strength would be something like 25-30% of my previous strength. Certainly the falloff in tendon strength in your case will not be as extreme, but for someone concerned with maintaining his activity level, it is something to think about.
If you have more concerns, you might look here:
http://www.eorthopod.com/content/achilles-tendon-problems