week 6 · last reviewed 2026-06-08
Achilles surgery recovery: week 6
Clinical procedure: Achilles tendon repair.
Typical, evidence-anchored estimate only. It is not medical advice, not a prediction for your body, and not a substitute for your surgeon or clinician.
what's typical at week 6
typical pain · week 6
Around week 6, the typical pain band sits at 0.4/10 (range 0.2–1). This week was measured directly in the cited cohort.
weeks 2–6
Weeks 2-6 · weight-bearing builds up
Most protocols transition to full weight-bearing in the boot somewhere between weeks 2 and 6. Week-4 VAS in the measured cohort averaged 1.9/10 (range 0.8-2.6/10). Heel wedges are progressively removed as the boot is weaned.
Office work is typically back by weeks 2-4 in modern protocols if commute logistics allow; standing-heavy or on-feet work waits longer. Driving with the left foot is typically possible early; right-foot driving waits until out of the boot.
ROM work, calf isometrics, and proximal strengthening (hip, knee) fill the rehab agenda in this window.
documented at this week
This week
Full weight in the boot
Full weight bearing in the boot typically lands at weeks 4-6, protocol-dependent.
Back to work
Work returns in tiers
The NHS pathway puts office work as possible from ~2 weeks (more comfortable from ~8), on-your-feet work around 8 weeks, and manual labour at 12-16.
milestones around now
- wk 5 ·Full weight-bearing in boot (About 4-6 weeks in a CAM boot, protocol-dependent)
- wk 8 ·Return to work (Desk ~2-4 weeks (from the boot); on-feet ~8 weeks; manual labour ~12-16 weeks)
- wk 9 ·Out of boot into supportive shoe with heel lift (About 8-9 weeks; some accelerated MIS protocols at ~6 weeks)
sources
What this page is built from
- Open vs minimally invasive Achilles repair, stratified by immobilization duration prospective cohort · reliability 8/10
- Immobilisation duration after open Achilles repair (prospective cohort, n=1088) prospective cohort · reliability 8/10
- Return to play after Achilles rupture: systematic review and meta-analysis (108 studies) meta-analysis · reliability 8.5/10
Track your own week-by-week so a flare doesn't erase the months behind it.
Start a recovery logThis is a typical, evidence-anchored reading of achilles surgery recovery at week 6 — not medical advice, not a prediction for your body, and not a substitute for your surgeon or clinician.