A torn achilles. That’s what the doctor at the hospital said after x-rays and an exam of my ankle and calf.
It was Christmas Eve 2016. I had slipped during an African dance class that morning, feeling an instantaneous pop in the back of my ankle and the inability to lift my right foot. I’d hobbled off the floor and called my husband to take me to Emory in midtown Atlanta. The doctor wrapped my ankle, gave me crutches, told me not to walk or drive for one week, and helped into a wheel chair so I could depart.
Two months later, I could walk with a limp, I still had some pain and swelling, but I couldn’t get onto my toes or stay on my toes for any period of time. I went to a well-respected podiatrist who took more x-rays and then pronounced, “Emory got it wrong. You have a full rupture and need surgery. Can you be available for surgery next Monday?” He was placing my foot and leg into a boot as he spoke.
Surgery? In less than a week? How was I supposed to drive home with a boot on my right foot? Who was going to drive me around to my umpteen daily appointments while I recovered? What was this dude talking about?!
After discussing everything with my husband, talking to my massage therapist who had been treating me, and finally listening to a Dr. Joe Dispenza YouTube talk on self-healing, I decided to pass on the surgery. I chose to self heal.
I started with daily focused meditation, visualizing my tendons, ligaments and cells rebuilding themselves. I added biweekly massage to break down adhesions. I kept the ankle wrapped and elevated every night with ice compresses in twenty-minute intervals. I created my own essential blend of Comfrey (also known as knitbone) and Arnica in a jojoba oil base and gave myself healing massages along the achilles with a carnelian stone. I created my own rehab program of stability band exercises and walking on the balls of my feet on my crutches.
Four months after the incident, I was walking without a limp, there was no pain during my massage, and I could walk up and down steps on the ball of my foot. Six months later, I was jogging through the woods, running a mile at the track, and sprinting up and down the bleachers at the local high school.
If we allow it, our bodies communicate with us and we are able to love and heal most of our ailments. There is definitely a time and place for medical intervention, but some of it can be assisted and prevented with self awareness, natural applications, patience, and support.
