What are the treatments for a ruptured Achilles tendon?
An Achilles tendon rupture impacts the lower part of the leg. This tendon joins the muscles in the back of the calf to the heel bone. Surgery offers the best outcome, but other options exist as well.Surgery vs. Conservative TreatmentsThe Mayo Clinic website indicates you can treat this condition without surgery. This approach eliminates the complications unique to surgery—like infection–but recovery often takes longer and you have an increased risk of another rupture. Emedicine.com, a clinical reference website, indicates those treated with conservative approaches are three times more likely to rerupture, while those treated surgically experience 33 percent more complications.SurgerySurgery repairs the injured tendon by stitching the torn portions together again. Doctors will place your leg in some sort of device, like a walking boot or cast, for six to eight weeks afterward.Nonsurgical OptionsNonsurgical treatments allow the tendon to repair itself. You need to wear a cast or walki