Ive had problems for 4 years now, and I am considering some surgical procedures. Thanks in advance.
Ive had problems for 4 years now, and I am considering some surgical procedures. Thanks in advance.
I just had it a week ago. Too early to give you pros/cons. But, I was 100% positive it needed to be done, and the doc agreed. You have to be sure, because it is a 6 month deal (in my case) before 100% recovery (3 mos before light running) and to wonder if it was the right thing would be self-cruelty, as you struggle around in the meantime. Make sure that very good physical therapy cannot be used in place. Just examine all options with the doctor to be at peace with the decision, as I am.
BTW, I drove to Indianapolis from Illinois, to see Dr. David Porter (317.817.1200). He's regarded as 1 of the best, if not the best in the country for this sort of thing. If the Indy area is not feasible for you, and you do not know of anyone, you could even call him for referral, as he seems extremely well networked. But DEFINITELY SEE A TOP & HIGHLY REFERRED DOCTOR BY ATHLETES (not the avg. Joe). Maybe call a collegiate/pro team in your area.
BTW, check with your insurance before going through (as if you wouldn't have). My insurance covered everything, but would've had a big bill if I was an INpatient, versus an OUTpatient.
What caused your injury, and what things did you go through before deciding on surgery? My injury started as tendonitis and I continued to run on it. Then it was diagnosed as tendonosis. Ath that point I had a cortisone shot done and continued rehab and PT. I then had deep tissue massage done on the area. Then I had another cortisone shot. I have taken almost 2 years off and still have pain. I trained on it a little bit, but decided to shut it down again because even cycling a swimming irriated the area. Ive seen another PT in the meantime and still no positive results.
Thanks for your response.
Some similarities. I had tendonitis which I ignored. Some non-surgical things tried were rehab exercises including stretching, foot raises, with no success. Ice helped some, but even then wasn't good enough following a challenging run. What really "escalated" the injury was a track race in spikes. A bone spur resulted, pressing against the achilles and causing further aggravation. Prior to that, I believe it would've been nonsurgical-treatable if I'd been smart.
I decided on the surgery when the doc took an MRI and informed me of the bone spur. He stated it was causing microtears and irritating the achilles to inflame 3X the normal size. In addition, calcification (not a big deal though) was evident. He also said he'd done this kind of surgery many times.
But, to restate, I would not have gone through with it until knowing the doctor was top notch. THAT is critical to have complete trust in your doctor's excellence.
Thanks for a fast response. I had an MRI done 1.5-2 yrs into this mess and microtears were found. The sheath of the tendon was swollen and causing friction. Thanks again for the advice.
One more question..Is there a procedure where they clean out scar tissue around the achilles and heel...similar to arthroscopic knee surgery? Ive heard of a debridment, but i am not sure of the extent of the procedure and exactly what that entails.
AZBuckeye wrote:
One more question..Is there a procedure where they clean out scar tissue around the achilles and heel...similar to arthroscopic knee surgery? Ive heard of a debridment, but i am not sure of the extent of the procedure and exactly what that entails.
I would guess so, but really have no idea.
I've been through it twice!...The first time in Aug 86...partial rupture repaired, removal of bone spurs behind the attachment on my heel, removal of the bursa and the sheath (due to scar tissue). It was a tough rehab but I did it all without professional physical therapy and managed a sub 2:50 marathon just over a year later in Nov of 87. I was 32 and I was able to resume PR level running after that including high mileage (80+ mpw) within 18 months post surgery. I've had no further problems with that tendon for 20 years.
A couple of years ago I began feeling a familiar pain in the OTHER achilles tendon.It gradually got worse. A few months ago it reached the point where I couldn't run much (eventually not at all) or for that matter, even basic activities without pain. I went to the Dr. and the MRI showed exactly the same problema as on the other side but with a more complete rupture.
I had surgery the second time around on Nov 10th and am presently immobile in a cast to my knee. It is utter deja vu (or groundhog day). If anything it is harder than I remembered to this point (the cast, the immobilization) The prognosis is good as before but needless to say, it will be tougher to do the rehab at age 52. I've set a goal to complete a 10k run (long retired from racing) with an old college teammate at homecoming in mid Oct of 2007. It'll be just under a year post surgery, however, I firmly believe that setting a long term goal and never quite losing sight of it through the rehab is a a big key to getting it done.