Update 2013-14

You may be interested to know that last August (2013) I started DanceJourney with a friend and have been enjoying whizzing around, running, jumping (carefully) and whatever else I feel like doing to the wide variety of music we play.

I'm still careful not to leap too high or to leap repeatedly, but that's the only limitation I'm experiencing from my Achilles tendon injury nearly five years ago.

I wanted to start dancing again as I hadn't been exercising as regularly as I used to, and had been experiencing a certain muscle weakness in my legs and a sense of weakness in my knees. It certainly helped, although weekly rather than fortnightly would be preferable for me. We're taking a break for winter, and resuming in March.

I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but since 2002 I've used a Body Sculpture Total Trainer in my conservatory at least 3 times a week until a year ago. It's a very versatile and inexpensive piece of kit which has been great for my knees and calf muscles as well as upper body muscles.

However, it's now falling apart after having been rewelded about three times, so whilst I look for a replacement I'm aiming to do more walking each day.

If you're considering the conservative treatment route, i.e. not undergoing an operation after an Achilles tendon injury, I hope that reading about my experiences helps you come to a decision.