Grade 1 Achilles Tear Recovery Time: Partial Tears by Grade

Partial Tear, Rupture or Tendonitis: How to Tell Them Apart

Treat a sudden injury as a complete rupture until someone has examined it, because partial tears are rare (Cambridge NHS).

Get seen the same day if you felt a pop, cannot stand on your toes on that leg, or can feel a gap in the tendon (NHS Lanarkshire) (OrthoInfo).

These patterns overlap. A 2020 review says a partial tear "meets the symptom criteria of both" tendinopathy and rupture, and imaging studies of people with tendinopathy report partial tears in 1.6% to 25% of cases (Gatz 2020). If the pain started suddenly, or tendonitis exercises are making it worse, ask whether you need a scan. Pain on the side of the ankle after a twist fits the ankle sprain timeline better.

How a Partial Tear Is Confirmed: Squeeze Test, Then a Scan

In the Thompson test you lie face down and the clinician squeezes your calf while watching your foot (Cleveland Clinic). If the foot does not move, the test is called positive and points to a rupture. In a study of 174 complete tears it caught 96%, and it correctly cleared 93% of 28 people with an intact tendon. Partial tears were not tested (Maffulli 1998).

With a partial tear the calf can still pull on the heel through the remaining fibers, so the test can look normal (Amlang 2011) (Laurent 2020). It can also look like a rupture when only the gastrocnemius part is torn (Douglas 2009). No study was found that measures its accuracy for partial tears. A normal test can even miss a complete rupture, because the toe flexor tendons can move the foot (Park 2020). Ultrasound or MRI is what confirms the injury (Cleveland Clinic).

One surgical group warns that the label "partial" is often wrong when the foot still moves well. That is opinion, from authors who studied complete ruptures (Amlang 2011). If your exam suggests a rupture and your report says partial, ask to have the two reviewed together.

Achilles Tear Grades: Why the Numbers Do Not Always Match

A strain means a stretched or torn muscle or tendon (MedlinePlus). Partial Achilles tears have no agreed classification, and studies define them differently (Gatz 2020):

A type 2 on the surgical scale is a complete rupture, while a grade 2 elsewhere is a partial tear. Your report tells you more if it states where the tear is, how much of the thickness is torn, and whether there is a gap.

Recovery Time by Grade, With the Evidence Rated

Research on partial tears is thin. A 2020 review found 38 relevant articles and said there is no evidence-based approach for treating them without surgery (Gatz 2020). A PubMed search that year found 12 case series and case studies covering 213 cases (Lohrer 2020).

Can You Walk on a Partial Achilles Tear?

Often yes, but walking does not prove the tear is partial, because people with complete ruptures may still walk (Rossie 2026). Until a scan confirms the injury, one NHS protocol uses a boot with wedges day and night, with no weight on the foot unless the team says otherwise (Bucks NHS).

After that, the plans below disagree on when weight goes back on, from day one to week 2, and trials are still needed (Gatz 2020). Follow the plan you were given. If you are in a boot, do not walk without it, because the tendon may heal longer and weaker (Bucks NHS). Normal walking usually returns in about 3 months (Cedars-Sinai).

What Moves Recovery Forward: Three Published Plans

• When a boot is used. The NHS protocols use one for fresh injuries and while the diagnosis is being confirmed. Heel lifts alone were tested in athletes with confirmed tears. The 2020 review prefers heel lifts, based on few studies and its authors' experience, so that is expert opinion (Gatz 2020).
• Heel drops carry a caution. Another paper warns that this eccentric training may raise the risk of a complete rupture (Lohrer 2020). Ask before starting them.
• Time in a boot raises blood clot risk (Bucks NHS). Putting weight through the boot when you walk and staying hydrated help (Royal Devon NHS).

Signs a Partial Tear Has Become a Complete Tear

No study was found that reports how often this happens (Gatz 2020). The first two signs come from complete rupture guidance (OrthoInfo) (Garras 2012) and are extrapolated to partial tears.

• A new pop or snap, with a jump in pain or swelling

  The tendon may have torn further. Get seen the same day.
• You can no longer stand on your toes, or there is a new gap above the heel

  Both point to a complete tear. Get seen the same day.
• Throbbing pain in one calf, with swelling or warm, darkened skin

  This can be a blood clot, which can feel like the tendon injury. Get checked urgently. Call 911 for chest pain or shortness of breath.
• Numb feet from diabetes or neuropathy

  You may not feel a boot sore or a worsening injury. Check your skin daily and tell your care team before using a boot.
• No better at 3 months, or a weak single-leg heel raise

  These are reasons a tear gets another look. Ask for a repeat exam and scan.
• Sore for months but slowly improving

  One NHS protocol expects several months of pain. Keep following your plan.

Blood clot signs from (NHS) (Royal Devon NHS). Numb feet from (MedlinePlus) (Bucks NHS). Three months and heel raise from (Masci 2013) (Gatz 2020).

Antibiotic and Steroid Injection Risks

Fluoroquinolone antibiotics include ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin (OrthoInfo). Ciprofloxacin carries a warning that rupture can happen during treatment or up to several months afterward, with the highest risk over age 60 (MedlinePlus). In a UK study of 1.35 million adults prescribed antibiotics, current use went with about 3 times the rate of Achilles rupture, and about 19 times with oral steroids. The absolute risk stayed small: about 2.1 extra Achilles ruptures per 10,000 patients per year, or 6.6 in people 60 and over also on oral steroids (Morales 2019).

That study did not separate partial tears. For those, the evidence is a 1996 case report (McGarvey 1996) and a brief statement in the 2020 review (Gatz 2020). If tendon pain starts on ciprofloxacin, stop it, rest and call your doctor immediately. For a pop or trouble bearing weight, get emergency care (MedlinePlus).

Steroid injections for tendinitis have been linked to rupture, and doctors avoid them in or around the Achilles (OrthoInfo). In some older studies, nearly 50% of partial ruptures had followed an injection into the tendon (Gatz 2020). Two recent trials of injections for tendinopathy, with 100 and 192 people, recorded no serious adverse events (Johannsen 2022) (Malliaras 2026). Trials that size could miss a rare rupture, and they did not test partial tears. Tell your clinician about any past injection.

What Changes Your Timeline

• Where the tear is. Tears where the tendon meets the muscle generally heal faster than tears through the tendon (Royal Devon NHS). Pain right at the heel can have other causes, such as a Haglund bump.
• Age and activity. Most people studied were younger, male and athletic (Gatz 2020). These results may not fit older or less active people.
• Diabetes, neuropathy or poor circulation. Nerve damage can hide a sore, and damaged blood vessels can slow healing (MedlinePlus). Ask about a boot made for people with diabetes (Bucks NHS).
• Smoking can slow soft tissue healing (Bucks NHS).

Frequently Asked Questions