Hi All, Found this forum researching new kit, anyway, after my Achilles Tendon exploded nearly 15yrs ago, i have hooked up with a new younger colleague and have started playing from October,but i am a shadow of the player i was,apart from my game has deserted me, my movement has gone to pot and am struggling to get to shots,especially lunging to the net which how i injured myself previous, i am psychologically scared i'll rupture my Achilles again, so is there anyone who has had such an injury or medically trained member with advice for me to able to play to a reasonable standard to enjoy the game i love?. Thanks in advance, Andy (U.K.)
yeh. Tine Baun (formerly Rasmussen) tore her achilles during a sudirman cup group match. Only to come back a few years later become world number 1, and win a whole load of titles including the all england. ... so YEH it is possible! my advice would be get a good physio, work on flexibility and strengthening exercises. and after injury you really have to concentrate on warm up and cool down after playing. Its something i have to be aware of now after recently coming back from 8 weeks out from tennis elbow. had 3 matches in 4 days after 2 weeks back and it really didnt help my recovery. so take it easy and listen to your body. if it gets sore rest. but defo stretch out as well. we really underestimate stretching, but it really does help.
It would take a year to get the movement and feel for the game back. Agree with the above and I would say don't forget things like skipping and crossover step exercises in the warmup. You will have lost all positional sense feedback from your joints and it takes time to get this back.
Yippo + Cheung~ Thanks for the encouraging words and have lightened my mood no end, glad to know i will be able to get my movement back, without that, the rest is irrelevant as i won't be able to retrieve shots to sustain a rally,will seek advice from a Physio regarding exercises to further my goal. BW, Andy.
Hi Andy I recommend a bit of Y shaped kinesiology tape. Start with the bottom of the Y under your heal and then come up either side of the tendon with the top of the Y. http://www.physioroom.com/product/P...I_Y_Strip_Tape_Black_5cm_x_5m/3366/39345.html It does come back I took a 15 year sabbatical from the game but after 18 months playing I feel I'm not too far off where I was when I was 35 (51 now!)
Hi Kikuhito, Thanks for that, i've never thought of taping, i tried a couple of ankle supports but didn't go forward with as it felt uncomfortable. I feel better for my plight already knowing others have been through it and came through, i thought i was expecting too much at 53 but now....we'll see. I am liking this forum very much.
Hello, this disease happened to me in 2007. I started to run 6-8 monthes later. I walked a lot. Everything was ok but I was very scared about playing again badminton. So I played tennis (I used to play before), where I find there is less speedy change of directions (according to my tennis level !!). But, I couldn't stand not playing badminton and I came back to the game in 2012. In the first monthes, I was always thinking about "will this happen again ?". Now, I'm not scared anymore, I enjoy to play, and I'm really happy with my game, even if I haven't got the level I had before (but it's not a consequence of my achille's tendon break, it's just my age, 46 yo !!). Keep playing and enjoying the game !
Hi Kurdy, You are describing exactly how i feel, it's the split second between going for it or baling out incase it snaps again thats making me have doubts about my predicament, i will definitely keep it up now i have others wisdom on the matter. Thx.