Flat Foot Reconstruction Surgery - Success Rate?
Jul 6, 2013
I have suffered with flat feet all my life. I have had pain for at least 5 years now and within the last year, my condition has deteriorated. My ankles are now rolling in on both feet. I have been to see both Dr Deland and Dr Ellis (he takes my insurance) and they both agree that I need the surgery on both feet (eventually). My questions to everyone who has had this surgery are what has been your success rate? Has it changed your life for the better or the worst? Would you do it again? What was the worst part? And finally, any diabetics out there that have had this surgery? How was your recovery with the diabetes? Any and all answers are greatly appreciated! I am scared out of my mind, but living like this is scaring me even more.
View 14 Replies
Advertisement
I am currently 8 weeks post op from a very extensive flat foot reconstructive surgery . I was excited to start partial weight bearing this week starting w 25 percent in a boot.
My problem is I have sharp pains coming from the bottom of my heel which I am thinking may be from the screws from the calcaneal osteotomy. This is making it very difficult to put any pressure on my foot when weight bearing ?
Has anyone experienced this ? Did it go away on its own? Was there anything that helped this . I am afraid I will not be able to proceed the wt bearing with this continued heel pain.
View 13 Replies
I am on week 4 after my surgery. I am wondering if there is anyone that could give me some hope. Right not walking of going PWB on my foot seems like light years away. I am having severe nerve pain and my foot still brings me to tears on occasion. I am taking Ibuprofen to help with the pain and down to two Percocet a day. When did you notice a huge improvement in your pain and will the pain be mostly gone by the time I go into my boot.
View 12 Replies
By way of background, I was a long jumper/triple jumper on the track team in college and banged up my right ankle pretty badly a couple times, though nothing that resulted in long term pain. In January of this year I stupidly jumped off a rock on a hike and sprained it more severely, likely magnifying an already existing OLT.
(note this was right after the injury, pre-crutches, when there was still a lot of edema)
I'm now one month removed from a 6 week NWB stint on crutches for a 1.2cm OLT on my right ankle. I've been doing PT, yoga and general strengthening for about a month. I can jog with minimal pain and can walk/bike without any pain, but I cannot play the more intense sports I love like basketball, flag football etc.
I have a follow up appt with my orthopedist in a couple weeks, and am debating microfracture. I want to play basketball again, but I am worried about the long-term uncertainty of the procedure. Is the potential upside of the surgery worth it, given the current state of my injury?
View 1 Replies
I am 7 1/2 weeks post of from Flat Foot Surgery and the outside area of foot from where my incision ends from the double calcaneal osteotomy up to my little toe the soft tissue is halfway numb and very painful. Has anyone else experienced this and if so how long did it last.
I am not sure how long it takes the soft tissue to heal to a point where it does not hurt when you are not walking. Or is what I am feeling nerve pain. I started PT this week and am PWB. My doctor thinks I will be in a shoe in 3 weeks and I don't know at this rate how that could be possible. I am icing a majority of the day for sure after I do my PT exercises.
View 14 Replies
It's been awhile since I've posted. My daughter had flat-foot surgery on her left foot on Dec 17, 2014 (subtalar arthroereisis and gastroc recession). Had this same surgery on the right foot and calf a year to the day in 2013 as well, with excellent results. As an aside, prior to surgery in 2013, her right foot was more troublesome than the left, but the left was an issue as well. Last time, she was at about 80% healed by April. We were very happy about that.
On the one hand, she's coming along nicely with this recent surgery. She goes to PT twice a week, doesn't mention any pain during the day in the walking boot, is in good spirits, and takes the boot off at home and meanders around without it, barefoot. I would think that this would hurt (I kinda cringe when I see her doing it) but she insists she's okay. She has a slight limp, but I figure technically, it's still kind of early yet.
What has me a little concerned is that she isn't tolerating a shoe. When we last saw the surgeon about three weeks ago, he said it was fine for her to start transitioning to a shoe. Yet here we are three weeks later, and she still prefers to wear the walking boot. Says that her heel hurts when it's in a shoe (how it doesn't hurt when she walks barefoot at home: I have no idea.
She is required to wear tennis shoes at school, and she's been wearing New Balance for years now. When I look at last year's calendar and reflect on the surgery for her other foot, I recall that she was further along in the process. She was already wearing shoes at this point. Walking slowly yes, but was wearing shoes.
I wondered...should I maybe go up 1/2 a size? Maybe her old shoe is too snug in the heel now, or there may still be some swelling? Should I got up 1/2 size AND go wider?
She's having an orthotic made for the left foot, and maybe that will help. She has some school events (field trips) coming up at the end of April and also in May and I was hoping she'd be easily walking on her own before then, and able to participate.
View 14 Replies
I will be having Flatfoot Reconstruction Surgery in May and am trying to get a handle on the recovery. I live in a small 1 bedroom apartment, ground floor, but with 2 semi-steep steps leading inside.
I'd love to know anyone's experience with steps/stairs after this type of surgery. Also am looking for a recommendation for a good foam wedge for foot elevation...and actually anything else you might want to share. I'm a bit overwhelmed at how arduous the recovery may be.
View 14 Replies
I think I saw this mentioned before, but do you have some helpful hints about sleeping after surgery? I'm a side sleeper with pillow between knees. It's about the only way I can sleep. Yea, it's probably not possible at the beginning. Also, did anyone put a "blanket support" at the footboard to hold the blankets and sheets off the foot?
View 9 Replies
I had ankle debridement and microfracture 2 years ago and still have significant pain in the ankle. Some previous activities are limited due to the pain. The next step for me would be an MRI and then possibly another microfracture or OATS or an ankle fusion. Are there people who have "been done this road" and took the next step? What did you do and how successful has it been?
View 1 Replies
Just wondering if anyone has undergone the "atomizer" procedure to relieve their hemorrhoids?
If so, how would you describe/rate the results?
View 1 Replies
I had reconstruction of my left foot. I am 7 1/2 weeks Post op. I was in the hospital for 4 days with a nerve block behind my knee and drugs through a pushbutton pump. pain was managed. I was sent home with perks and vicodin.
For the first week I was told to take the pain meds before I felt the pain which was every 4 hours. After the perks I was able to use vicaden, however I didn't like the vicodin so I went to tramadol. That was only for the first two weeks. My dr does not believe in hard drugs after that. I was in a cast for two week which was the worse for me😔I felt very confined and tight.
Went back to the Dr to only find out an additional 4 more weeks in the cast. Total of 8 weeks, I am now in a boot an able to bear 1/3 of my weight along with PT and exercises at home.Weight bearing is gradual. Takes 3 months for full weight bearing. It is a very long process with lots of patience.
My knee roller is a blessing.Before weight bearing I tried hopping on crutches and fell, please don't try that.
Be honest I haven't felt myself since surgery hope it's part of recovery...I would like to know if you feel not yourself yet after 7 weeks. I am the type of person that loves to run out every chance I get and sometimes I am not up to it because it's tons of work with the boot. I sincerely hope after 3 months I can work by myself. Let me know if anyone feels the same.
View 2 Replies
If you used both crutches and a knee walker after surgery, how much did you depend on your crutches? I tried using crutches today for my upcoming surgery, and I don't think I can go more than 15 feet with them because of elbow problems.
View 13 Replies
Disclaimer: If I ramble on and make absolutely no sense,
I blame my incoherence on the pain meds
Anyway, my second PTTD reconstruction is done! I had the exact same procedures on my left foot as I did on the right...FDL transfer, medializing calcaneal osteotomy, Evans calcaneal osteotomy, bone marrow aspiration, and Strayer procedure. The surgeon told my family that over two inches of the PTT was severely degenerated/beyond repair. Prognosis is a full recovery over the next 1 1/2 to 2 years.
Unfortunately, my nerve block didn't work as well this time; so, I woke up in pretty severe pain. The nurses were great and had the pain to a manageable point within a half hour. By the time I was discharged, I was able to take my first dose of oral pain meds...I was pretty comfortable on the ride home.
At this point, I am taking one oxycodone every 4 hours (down from 3 the first day) and think I will be able to start putting more space between doses tomorrow. The pain is not too bad as long as I stay "toes above nose."
Knowing what to expect in the days following surgery has definitely made these first few days smoother/less scary. Each day is one day closer to being active again!
View 4 Replies
I had a modified brostrom ligament reconstruction back in October of 2013. I am still having a LOT of pain in my ankle. It is very much more stable now that it used to be... Before the surgery it was like every step it was close to popping out of place due to the ligament, however I still have severe pain in my ankle and shin... Does anyone else experience the same issue, and any advice on what I need to do? I called the OS and they recommended me going back to the brace and although that works, I would like to at some point be without the brace, because it hurts even with the darn brace on!!!! It just feels more protected while in the brace but it doesn't stop the pain from happening.... It aches like when you have the flu, I feel achy in the ankle all the time, but w/o the brace it HURTS about a 5 out of a 10.. I have a very high pain tolerance and would say the pain is about the same as it was before the surgery.. The pain before the surgery was never so bad I couldn't deal, but it was like all day nagging pain... I am still having that pain. Is that normal 6 months after surgery?
View 1 Replies
I had my surgery 7 weeks ago and am finally in a boot and can walk again with the help of 1 crutch. I am driving and going to physical therapy 3x a week. The first 5 weeks were very hard not being able to put any weight on my foot. A knee scooter was a tremendous help. I was not In very much pain and got to go shopping and out to eat. Getting the cast off at 5 weeks was great. Hopefully the rest of my recouperation will be as easy.
View 3 Replies
I am 7 and a half weeks post op after a Lapidus & an Akin procedure. I was in cast until last week and have managed a tennis type shoe and a sandal on so far.
The swelling has been bad as expected with full weight bearing, but the real pain is in the ball of my foot and my big toe does not lie flat, but rather sits elevated. I think the ball of the foot under the big toe is swollen so that may be the cause? I can only walk for a few minutes properly before the pain becomes too much and I am limping and walking on the outside of my operated foot. I can usually cope with pain so know this must be fairly severe.
I am doing my toe bending exercises and think that already the range of motion is not too bad.
View 3 Replies
After having surgery on both the 4th and 5th metatarsal with plates and screws holding everything I have pain on the ball of my foot. I haven't yet started walking, I've been in no weight bearing. It's been three weeks and a half since surgery and the bottom of my foot really hurts when pressed upon. After almost a month this doesn't seem normal. Should I be worried. I will ask the doctor about this on my next visit when he pulls out the k wire.
The ball of my foot hurts also when I do toe exercise such as curling in and out.
Each visit to the doctor he tells me not to walk and put put weight on my foot. I tell him each time that I can't if I wanted to as it hurts to barely try.
View 1 Replies
I'm about a month away from having flatfoot reconstruction surgery and while I'm nervous about the recovery, I can't wait to have it taken care of.
I have a couple of concerns I'd love some input on. One is how you get from a wheelchair into bed when the bed is higher than the chair.
Another concern is I have very painful Plantar Fascitis in my right heel. I had a cortisone shot about 2 weeks ago which only helped for a couple of days.
My concern is that I'll be putting so much pressure/weight on my right foot after surgery and I can't imagine how I'll do that with the heel pain.
View 13 Replies
I am just writing with the hope of getting some more help/assurance re the Gould brostrom (or as my letter has now pointed out Arthroscopic debridement and lateral ankle reconstruction - unsure if this is the same of different?) procedure which I am due to have in just over 2 weeks on the 22nd June.
I have been very unsure for a while now as to whether or not to go ahead with it but have decided to take the plunge, however I still have my doubts!
I injured my ankle initially around 5 years ago (ruptured ATFL showed up in MRI scan) and almost had the surgery back then, only to decide not to go ahead with it. Since then I have rolled over and sprained it on multiple occasions, and have felt it become increasingly weak to the point where I have very little confidence in its strength. When playing football I now wear lace up supports, which are strong enough to prevent the rolling, but obviously doesnt deal with the root cause and there is a still a feeling of achiness and limited movement. When not wearing my ankle supports I would say its at least a 50/50 chance I'm going to roll over on my ankle every time.
I can still run and go about my everyday life virtually without any issues (feel twinges but nothing major unless recently sprained) and the views of the consultants varied from the cautious 'maybe only have it if you're playing high level sport' ( which I'm not but just play football weekly for my local team), to saying yes I go for it as its clearly getting weaker and weaker and becoming more of a frustration.
I guess alongside asking for advice as to what to expect post op, I am also seeking assurance that by going ahead I am making the right decision (bearing in mind surgery is considered last resort and rehab process is lengthy).
View 10 Replies
I've been suffering from severe foot pain since november. I've been wearing a boot since march. I am contemplating having 2nd metatarsal shortening to help with my pain. My 2nd toes ligaments are all stretched out and causing it to turn towards my great toe. I'm just curious...who has had this surgery and are you pain free now?
View 3 Replies
I was diagnosed with small (<1cm) OCD of the tibial plafond and lax lateral ligaments. I am now facing a microfracture and a Brostrom is about a month. Has anyone had both procedures together and what was your experience?
View 2 Replies
