Bodybuilder- ATL experience

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Posts: 185

Joined: Feb 2017

Posted on Feb 19, 2017, 11:03 pm

#1

Quote from: onemorefoot on February 19, 2017, 04:50:48 PMPaley says that ATL cases permanente weakness of the Achilles tendon and his profesor Catagni says that is a lie, who I believe to?

Hello to this forum as it is my firts post here.

I am the LL veteran known to some of you from the old forum with the same nickname.

I underwent ATL which was my biggest mistake. ATL always causes a reduction to plantar flexion strength but the most difficult for this operation is to completely lengthen both Ach. tendons in both feer the same.
In my case, the left AT is longer than the right one which causes imbalances and sometimes even a small limp.
Also, I am completely sure that both my tendons are overlengthened but especially the left one.

For all these reasons I can completely assure you that Catagni and every other doctor than suggests ATL are completely wrong. In the best scenario you'll have a moderate plantar flexion reduction but most of the times the loss of plantar flexion power may lead to crouch gait and loss of most of athletic abilities like running and jumping.
I'm lucky that my case is not so severe but I still don't have completely normal walking gait most of the times and my left ankle feel vert loose.

Thats why I'll have on 2 months a new operation to shorten my Ach. tendons. I am very positive that my problems will go away when my tendons have again a normal length.

So, keep my words, you and every LL'er. Stay away from ATL!

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TIBIKE200

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Posts: 383

Joined: Jan 2016

Posted on Feb 20, 2017, 12:26 am

#2

Hey bodybuilder.

i read your diary on the old forum. How are you today so many years post LL? Care to share some thoughts about ll and life afterwards?

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C

crimsontide

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Posts: 358

Joined: Jan 2014

Posted on Feb 20, 2017, 8:38 am

#3

I have been warning members for a very long time about ATL. I even posted what Paley had personally written to me

ATL absolutely weakens push off power. There is just no way around this fact. If you get ATL in both legs, the odds of you running again are very slim unless you correct this strength deficit which is caused by the achilles being both lengthened and narrowed

Unfortunately, achilles shortening is not guaranteed to fix the issue. In fact, even though you might get some power back, the odds of you gaining your former push off power are very slim. Recovery time for any achilles surgery can be quite long and full benefit might not be seen for over a year. I was thinking of achilles shortening but have decided that a special brace made only in the States will fix my issue. Achilles surgery just takes too long from which to recover.

Any Dr that tells you that achilles lengthening does not cause weakening can't be trusted.

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B

Body Builder

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Posts: 349

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Posted on Feb 20, 2017, 10:14 am

#4

Quote from: crimsontide on February 20, 2017, 08:38:09 AMI have been warning members for a very long time about ATL. I even posted what Paley had personally written to me

ATL absolutely weakens push off power. There is just no way around this fact. If you get ATL in both legs, the odds of you running again are very slim unless you correct this strength deficit which is caused by the achilles being both lengthened and narrowed

Unfortunately, achilles shortening is not guaranteed to fix the issue. In fact, even though you might get some power back, the odds of you gaining your former push off power are very slim. Recovery time for any achilles surgery can be quite long and full benefit might not be seen for over a year. I was thinking of achilles shortening but have decided that a special brace made only in the States will fix my issue. Achilles surgery just takes too long from which to recover.

Any Dr that tells you that achilles lengthening does not cause weakening can't be trusted.

The biggest reason of tendon weakening after atl is the added length which decreases the tension of the gastrocnemius and the plantar flexion power.
If the length is back to normal, most of the power will be back. In people who had overlengthened tendons after achilles rupture, when they did achilles shortening they gained back more tham 80% of their previous power and they felt again normal which is the most important thing for me.
I don't care for having 100% my power back, I just want to feel stable and walk completely normal and I am optimist that I'll be there after the shortening surgery.
Yes, it takes time but much less than atl and after all, I'm willing to be back to normal at all costs.
But I completely agree with you, people stay away from atl .

Tibike, yes I'm willing to write about my current condition when I find the time.
But I'm generally ok, not good but not bad either. If I didn't have the problems with my tendons I'd maybe more than 90% compared to my preLL condition.
LL is risky but most of the times noway so much as many people here think.

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Quote from: crimsontide on February 20, 2017, 08:38:09 AMI have been warning members for a very long time about ATL. I even posted what Paley had personally written to me

ATL absolutely weakens push off power. There is just no way around this fact. If you get ATL in both legs, the odds of you running again are very slim unless you correct this strength deficit which is caused by the achilles being both lengthened and narrowed

Unfortunately, achilles shortening is not guaranteed to fix the issue. In fact, even though you might get some power back, the odds of you gaining your former push off power are very slim. Recovery time for any achilles surgery can be quite long and full benefit might not be seen for over a year. I was thinking of achilles shortening but have decided that a special brace made only in the States will fix my issue. Achilles surgery just takes too long from which to recover.

Any Dr that tells you that achilles lengthening does not cause weakening can't be trusted.

The biggest reason of tendon weakening after atl is the added length which decreases the tension of the gastrocnemius and the plantar flexion power.
If the length is back to normal, most of the power will be back. In people who had overlengthened tendons after achilles rupture, when they did achilles shortening they gained back more tham 80% of their previous power and they felt again normal which is the most important thing for me.
I don't care for having 100% my power back, I just want to feel stable and walk completely normal and I am optimist that I'll be there after the shortening surgery.
Yes, it takes time but much less than atl and after all, I'm willing to be back to normal at all costs.
But I completely agree with you, people stay away from atl .

Tibike, yes I'm willing to write about my current condition when I find the time.
But I'm generally ok, not good but not bad either. If I didn't have the problems with my tendons I'd maybe more than 90% compared to my preLL condition.
LL is risky but most of the times noway so much as many people here think.

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onemorefoot

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Joined: Jul 2016

Posted on Feb 20, 2017, 8:54 pm

#5

Bodybuilder, what would you recommend me if I want tibial lengthening and my Achilles tendon is stiff because of the use of high shoes.

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B

Body Builder

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Posts: 350

Joined: Feb 2017

Posted on Feb 21, 2017, 3:26 am

#6

Quote from: onemorefoot on February 20, 2017, 08:54:27 PMBodybuilder, what would you recommend me if I want tibial lengthening and my Achilles tendon is stiff because of the use of high shoes.

I recommend you first of all to lengthen at a slow rate, not more than 0.5 mm per day, especially after 3 cms.
Also, when your tendons become stiff (at about 5-6 cms lengthening) you should stop.
Finally, if the equinus is really bad, you can do a gastrocnemius fascia release which is another surgery that causes minimum complications compared to atl and usually fixes small to moderate equinus problems.
But you should avoid atl at all costs, even if that means that you would have a slight equinus for all your life.

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onemorefoot

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Posted on Feb 21, 2017, 3:34 am

#7

The bad thing is that I have used lifts of 5 cm.

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B

Body Builder

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Posts: 253

Joined: Feb 2017

Posted on Feb 21, 2017, 12:48 pm

#8

Quote from: onemorefoot on February 21, 2017, 03:34:27 AMThe bad thing is that I have used lifts of 5 cm.

Me too before LL.

But when I lengthened I didn't have any major ballerina before 6cm lengthening. And although I lengthened 7.5 cm at the end, I'm sure that I'd have fixed ballerina (which was moderate) if I did PT and stretchings for about 5-6 months.
But my moron doctor insisted that I wouldn't be able to fix it so he did ATL to me less than 10 days after I stopped lengthening so I didn't have any time for PT to see if my condition would be improved.
It was a terrible mistake and I regret it almost every day the last 5 years, although many days I'm close to normal. I know that if my tendons were normal I'd have reached more than 90% of my pre LL condition.
Now I'm about 75% which is very moderate. But I'm optimist that achilles tendon shortening will make me normal again so I'm ready for a new tough battle in 2 months.

So don't be afraid about wearing lifts. If you lengthen at slow rates, stretch a lot and lengthen sensibly, you won't have serious problems.

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6

682

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Posts: 223

Joined: Feb 2017

Posted on Feb 21, 2017, 1:22 pm

#9

Quote from: Body Builder on February 21, 2017, 12:48:40 PMIt was a terrible mistake and I regret it almost every day the last 5 years, although many days I'm close to normal. I know that if my tendons were normal I'd have reached more than 90% of my pre LL condition.

Invaluable advice Body Builder. I have always been wary of ATL lengthening, just for the simple fact that logically it can never be as strong or as elastic as it previously was - it's odd that your doctor did it so rapidly after lengthening, surely it would have been better to see how the tendon reacted with strict PT over several months and then and only then considered it. I hope that your new battle with ATL shortening gives you the desired results, I'm sure they will!

Quote from: onemorefoot on February 21, 2017, 03:34:27 AMThe bad thing is that I have used lifts of 5 cm.

Lifts don't do anything permanent or anything you can't reverse with a good stretching routine. They may make your dorsi-flexion more limited but only for the time being until you decide to address it but it's completely reversible. I wouldn't worry about it.

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T

The Kaiser

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Joined: Sep 2016

Posted on Feb 25, 2017, 9:39 am

#10

Quote from: Body Builder on February 21, 2017, 12:48:40 PMMe too before LL.

But when I lengthened I didn't have any major ballerina before 6cm lengthening. And although I lengthened 7.5 cm at the end, I'm sure that I'd have fixed ballerina (which was moderate) if I did PT and stretchings for about 5-6 months.
But my moron doctor insisted that I wouldn't be able to fix it so he did ATL to me less than 10 days after I stopped lengthening so I didn't have any time for PT to see if my condition would be improved.
It was a terrible mistake and I regret it almost every day the last 5 years, although many days I'm close to normal. I know that if my tendons were normal I'd have reached more than 90% of my pre LL condition.
Now I'm about 75% which is very moderate. But I'm optimist that achilles tendon shortening will make me normal again so I'm ready for a new tough battle in 2 months.

So don't be afraid about wearing lifts. If you lengthen at slow rates, stretch a lot and lengthen sensibly, you won't have serious problems.

Took you 5 years to fell 75%. How long it took you to walk normal and no one can notice that you had LL?

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