Former doctor of the France team (2010-2012), Fabrice Bryand delivers his analysis on the injury of Presnel Kimpembe, operated on for a ruptured Achilles tendon. He calls on the player as well as the PSG to respect the long healing times and not to skip the stages to avoid any risk of relapse. According to him, the defender should be operational within six months.
Why is an Achilles tendon rupture difficult to treat?
FABRICE BRYAND. It is a wound that must be respected. It is complicated because healing is long and subject to many constraints. It is a tendon that supports a lot of loads. If the latter is not well restored to the level of its function, either it hurts or it repeats. As this injury is long, especially in terms of the quality of the tissue, athletes tend to skip the stages and the risk of relapse is then much higher. You have to give time to time and know how to listen to your body.
Is this rupture of the Achilles tendon a consequence of his previous tendinopathy which he had had at the end of last year?
The rupture is only the evolution of history. He healed, he took his time, he was careful, but he weakened the tendon until the day it broke completely. It’s a terrible injury. Some players say they feel like a spectator has thrown a stone at them or thrown a projectile at the tendon the moment it snapped. It’s really a sharp pain that shoots them.
What is the average time to recover from such an injury?
It takes about six months to be competitive. During this period, the player redo a whole physiological preparation. We put the load back gradually. Very often, we put on the load excessively and too quickly. Below this duration, it would be taking risks. When we have players of a certain value, we think of the matches after and not in the long term. It is also up to the player to give the requirements he wants to see respected. It’s all about balance.
What are the different stages of the rehabilitation process?
He will be able to touch the ball after four months, be on the ground, find support. He then has six to eight weeks to reprogram the effort with loads and eccentric constraints on the tendon which will go crescendo. After all that, he can be competitive and be on a score sheet.