Hi,

I was unfortunate enough to have ruptured my achilles tendon during a sport activity (I have since discovered that it is a very common injury) and ended up in hospital for repair surgery. My doctor at one of the smaller Bangkok Hospitals put me in a full leg cast and he says that I will be in it for the full 8 week recovery period.

However, I did a lot of research and found that most US hospitals and indeed good old Bumrungrad have actually been recommending and using a removable leg brace during the recovery period. Since it is adjustable, the angle of the foot can be tweaked and this helps speed the recovery and also avoids muscular atrophy of the calf muscle which is caused by the full cast. I'm now considering whether I should transfer the post-op treatment to Bumrungrad and have the benefit of the removable leg-brace.

I did ask the original surgeon if there were any other options, but he didnt offer any at all and kept repeating that the full brace is neccessary as there must be no stress on the repairing tendon. Could there be any reason for them using the full cast. Can anyone give me any further advice or pointers on this.

I'm no expert but just chiming in as I often get really sensitive achilles tendon pains, basically because I walk briskly. Anyhow perhaps in the long run the firm cast is stricter but a healthier alternative for you than a brace that is adjustable but might mean a bit of movement sometimes. Maybe the convenience of the brace might not be as "good" for your lower leg as the undesired cast. Then again as you say, maybe a little movement is essential to it's health, as I remember sports coaches often telling their players to "walk it off" when they get leg pains during the game -- mild movement is better for them. But this is major, seems kinda like cartilage, in which case no movement is better.