Grrrrr! Ruptured achilles!

Needless to say I'm not a happy camper. 3 weeks ago I was out cruising around on my Hamboard longboard (yup, 43 and skating, I know). Push off hard with my left foot and felt the POP! At first I thought "well this is going to require ice". Then when I tried to take a step and my foot wouldn't work I thought "well this is going to require an ER visit".

So I'm one week post op now and still non weight bearing for about one more week. Then back to the damn cam walker boot for 8-10 weeks. Needless to say this sucks.

However, I AM NOT giving up paddling! I just tried the cam boot and it will just barely fit in the split footwell of my OC1. So at least I can paddle that. I haven't pulled down my Nelo 550 however that footwell looks to narrow at the bottom to fit the boot and my right foot. I can still use my Speedstroke Erg but its just not nearly as good as the water.

Anyone ever have to deal with this? I was thinking about possibly making my over fiberglass splint for paddling. One that will keep my foot pointed (which is what the boot is doing.

Oh and by the way. For guys getting to my age, older or whoever.......stretch those calves, take a yoga class or something. This is definitely frustrating.

Ughhh, that sounds very frustrating indeed! I don't have any sage advice but thanks for the warning!

How you gonna steer? Gotta give you credit for commitment though. Unless you are already a perfect specimen though, one thing you can do is use this time to fine tune or even remake yourself physically if needed. Core and upper body can be worked with a boot on. Back, triceps, you know paddling muscles. Written by a guy whose has had 12 surgeries.

Well not perfect, but before the accident, I was going to the gym 5 times per week and paddling 4 times per week so at least I have a decent strength base. Going back to the Dr day today to have the splint cast removed. Its been 2 weeks since surgery and I must admit things feel good. No pain in the ankle at all.

When I has my first appointment, I showed the Dr a video from the Speedstroke website and he said it should be fine for me to to get back on the erg so that's good.

As far as steering goes I have two options in my OC1. Go rudderless like a Tahitian boat or connect the left peddle to the back on the right one and steer both ways with my right foot. Would just need to add a strap so I could pull it back to go left.

Needless to say, I'm not quitting. My love for paddling will far outweigh any roadblocks I might encounter.

Hey folks,
Thought I would give an update just in case this happens to anyone else in the future, they can google it and see this.

For the first two weeks after surgery I did not do anything accept walk around on my knee crutch. That was a hard two weeks. I'm a guy who is used to lifting 4 times per week and paddling (inside or out) 5-6 times per week. I started take 2000 mg of vitamin C, two aspirin and a scoop of collagen daily.

BTW, if anyone ever wants a waaaaay better alternative to crutches, look into the iWalk 2.0 (no affiliation). That thing made those two weeks of non weight bearing so much easy.

Week 3 post op, I got that damn splint cast off and finally go to see my scar for the first time. Not bad. There are actually two on my heel where they wove it through. No pain after about day 3. Never had to take any of the pain meds.


Night after I got my splint cast off I went straight into the basement to work out. I had to get the blood flowing again. Notice the 2x4 under my right foot. I there are also a couple of shims behind it to bring my feet close to equal. The foot plate on the Speedstroke is all the way out (I'm normally 6ft tall but with the boot and risers in it, I'm aobut 6' 3"). I put in a few 5ks early that week before going back to 10k. Could finally shower my left leg which was awesome!


Into week 4 now. Ankle feels fine. In fact if you told me I could take this boot off, I would but I still have a long road ahead. I'm now going to the gym 4 times per week to lift during lunch and have am doing nights paddling 10k with headphones on after the kids are alseep. Taking this time to work on my form (good catch and initial pull). Scar looks really good!


This weekend, I am going to try and see if I can get to the local lake with my OC1 and see how that goes. I ordered a foam block off amazon to make a block to bring my right foot back also. I think for day 1 I'm just going to loose the rudder and see how that goes. I'm am really itching to get back on the water and I'll be damned if this crap is going to stop me. What I really want to see is if I can fit the boot and my other foot in the footwell of my 550.

Anyway, that's it for now. Happy paddling everyone!

Well I got my first taste of the water after being out of the game for the past 5 weeks or so. Was nice to put a paddle in the water. Not the most comfortable outing but far better than nothing at all.


I bought a yoga block for $6 off amazon and cut it down to go under my right foot. It's 3 inches thick!! I have a few mods for the left foot as the boot was getting a tiny bit stuck from time to time.