Aaron Rodgers appears to be way ahead of schedule in his recovery after tearing his Achilles tendon during his fourth offensive snap of the 2023 NFL season. The 39-year-old quarterback was already walking without crutches or a boot on Sunday, October 1.
That was less than a month after he suffered the injury.
I am not a doctor. Every person, and their recovery timeline, is different.
However, according to the Wexner Medical Center at The Ohio State University, male patients aged 30-50 who suffered a torn achilles typically require at least two weeks of immobilization. From there, a walking boot is necessary for about eight weeks. Around the two month mark, patients “begin to wean out of boot” and “initiate walking in shoe/natural ankle position.”
Hospital for Special Surgery says that “patients can expect three to four weeks of immobilization, non-weightbearing (using crutches.)” It adds that most patients begin to bear weight on their foot at four weeks after surgery.
Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles tendon on Sept. 11. He had surgery on Sept. 13, which placed an internal brace called a “speed bridge” on his ruptured Achilles, and has hope for a return this season.
By Ohio State and the Hospital for Special Surgery’s timeline, he would have had his achilles immobilized until at least Sept. 27. At that point, Rodgers would have begun to walk with crutches in a boot.
And yet — on Oct. 1, he was walking without crutches, without a boot. At least to some extent.
Rodgers spent most of Week 3’s game in an aircast with crutches to help him walk. No boot.
Just a few hours prior, Rodgers showed that he can walk without crutches or a boot. A clip from the latest episode of New York’s (awesome) in-house documentary series ‘One Jets Drive’ gave a behind-the-scenes look at his recovery.
He had a slight limp, but moved pretty quickly and did not show any visible pain. He even moved a chair and sat down without assistance.
Rodgers was walking without a boot or crutches less than one month after surgery to repair a fully torn achilles. That’s not normal!