Achilles Tendon Rupture

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

Causes

Signs/Symptoms

Care

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO

• Use your crutches as long as directed. Do not stop using them on your own.
• To reduce the swelling, keep the injured foot on pillows while lying down and on a stool when sitting.
• Apply ice to the injury for 15 to 20 minutes each hour for the first 1 to 2 days. Put the ice in a plastic bag and place a towel between the bag of ice and your skin.
• If you are given a plaster or fiberglass cast:
  • Do not try to scratch the skin under the cast by pushing a sharp or pointed object down the cast.
  • Check the skin around the cast every day. You may put lotion on any red or sore areas.
  • If your fiberglass cast gets a little wet, it can be dried off with a hair dryer.
• If you are given a plaster splint:
  • Wear the splint until your doctor says you may take it off or until your follow-up examination.
  • You may loosen the elastic around the splint if your toes become numb or begin tingling.
• If you put pressure on any part of the cast or splint, it may break.
• Keep the cast or splint dry. Cover it with a plastic bag when you bathe. Do not lower it into water.
• If the doctor prescribes pain medicine that makes you drowsy, don't drive. You also may take over-the-counter medicines for pain. Take all medications exactly as directed.
• If you are given a tetanus shot, your arm may get swollen, red, and warm to the touch at the site of the shot. This is a normal reaction to the medicine.

Call Your Doctor If...

• Your cast or splint gets damaged or breaks.
• You have severe pain that won't go away.
• You have more swelling than you did before treatment.
• The skin or toenails of the injured foot turn blue or grey, or become cold or numb.
• There is a bad smell coming from your cast or splint.
• There are new stains coming from under the cast or splint.