Simon Barratt

Achilles Tendon Rupture

I can now relate to the pain the Michael Owen felt when he was injured in the England v Sweden match recently:

Whilst running up some steps, to catch the train on Friday morning, I heard my Achilles tendon pop - yes I really heard it!  Quickly followed by unbelievable pain.

Thankfully, my wife was with me and she took me to the hospital.  Unbelievably the ER was actually empty, so I was admitted with no delay!  Things were probably hastened by the fact that I looked like I was about to faint with the pain and I was on my way home about 1 hour later.  All bandaged up, with a temporary splint.



I have an MRI planned, which will confirm the damage.  But I expect the prognosis will be surgery, tendon splicing and 6-8 weeks recovery!  Oh joy!  Now, the most painful thing is to actually make progress through the nightmarish health care system.  The odds are seriously stacked against the patient.