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Online now: 1 member: BigG66; 6 anonymousDiscussion: Achilles Tendon Injury
| Posted | Discussion |
| July 7 Forrest52 Men's 65 2 posts | Looking for feedback and advice. I have a heel spur that causes pain and swelling in my achilles tendon. I have had this problem for years and occasionally it gets inflamed. It has been that way since last August. Doctor is now recommending surgery with a 12 month recovery. Although it is getting better, I may select surgery just to be done with it. Does anyone have any experience with this surgery and recovery? |
| July 8 TexasTransplant Men's 70 516 posts | Had a similar problem about 12 years ago. Heel spur with calcified growth on the tendon. The doc surgically severed my achilles, removed the spur and, as I understood, scraped the calcified growth off the tendon, then reattached it. I had the surgery in December and was playing by the end of June. Did rigorous physical for four months, three times a week in the clinic and every day at home. Every case has its own peculiarities. If your doc is telling you one year, maybe your problem is more severe, but it wouldn't hurt to get another opinion. |
| July 9 DonRay52 21 posts | As already mentioned. every case is different. I just has extensive heel and achillies surgery in March. Pressure on the achillies by any shoe would cause it to start burning. Xray revealed extra heel bone was tearing the tendon. Therapist and doc both say it is a year's recovery. Therapy three times a week and I see improvement, but it begins to hurt by mid-day and I still haven't worn a shoe since the surgery. Measurements reveal the heel is still a little swollen because of the pin the doc had to insert in the heel. Not unusual. Your doc can explain the procedure. elected the surgery because of the continuing damage on the achillies by the extra bone. |
| July 9 LP 317 posts | A number of years ago i had bad spurs in both heels a fellow ball player told me about grape seed extract or grape seed compound either one, i took two in the morning and two at night for 30 days and they went away, if you take them for up to two months it ain't going to work , i have passed this along to a dozen or more players and it has worked for them. it's just a vitamin and you can get them most any where. they are worth a try and not much cost. mine do flare up once in awhile and i repeat the process, haven't had to have surgery. |
| July 9 DW_7 Men's 50 15 posts | I "thought" I had a heel spur a few years back but it went away by itself. Yes, by itself. I know this is not normal, but it was a small spur. I used both a "athletic style" insoles my shoes and I added a thin, gel heel-pad also. (you have to use one on both sides even if only one side hurts - you have to keep "balanced") I could play multiple games a day with no pain, but at night when I removed the gel pads, I could tell it was still there. But as I stopped irritating things, it got better. As mentioned, everyone's situation is different. But before I had surgery, I would try a couple of little things like this to see if it's avoidable. Cutting a tendon is always a last resort. A tendon, especially the Achilles, the largest tendon in your body, does not have blood flow inside it; no blood vessels. WIthout blood flow, no injury will heal much on it's own. When an Achilles is re-attached, they have to overlap it a bit, meaning your new Achilles will likely not stretch as much as your other one because it's likely a little bit shorter after reattachment. Remember Kobe Bryant was never the same player after his Achilles rupture. PRP (Platelette Rich Plasma)treatment is what most pro athletes try when seeking to avoid surgery and you can have that treatment for around a grand. Talk to your doctor and ask him about this and how it might play out with a man your age, Then, for less than $25.00 find the right pads & try to avoid surgery. It's not much to gamble with and it worked in my case. Good luck to you bud. |
| July 10 OZ40 549 posts | I had no prior problems with my Achilles or heels and played sports all my life. Without rhyme or reason I totally severed my achilles at 59 years of age. I did it during volleyball in late January, had percutaneous surgery to reattach in early February and was back playing softball(with a curtesy runner) in late June. By Fall I was back to fulltime volleyball and hockey. Like a fellow poster said, everyone recovers differently, in my case I experienced no pain what so ever from the time it happened to my complete recovery and had very minimal post operative swelling. I really feel the style of surgery I had was key to my fast recovery. If you are very active and in good shape you should recover just fine. True, the achilles is the largest tendon in the body but they do heal and the operation is a relative simple procedure. Good Luck with your decision and results. Positive outlook, and a good surgeon and therapist is an absolute must! |
| July 10 JohnBob Men's 65 256 posts | I can not wear Turf shoes, they cause my heel spur to flare up. Have no pain at all with Molded cheats, crazy. |
| July 10 Forrest52 Men's 65 2 posts | Thanks to each of you who who responded. I have been dealing with this problem for 25 years. Worked with several orthopedic doctors and rehab staffs. Every few years, I have swelling and pain following too much stress on the achilles and running becomes very difficult. Tried many cures over the years as well. Still hurting since the injury last August. I decided today for surgery later this month. I am giving up the rest of this season in hopes that I can be fully recovered by next year. If anyone has any post surgery advice, I would like to hear it. Thanks again |
| July 10 Benji4 Men's 55 289 posts | Forrest 52 I had the surgery last Nov. 17th in Phoenix with a doctor who used a fairly new procedure where he added amniotic fluid to the tissue he used to graft. My doctor said 6-9 months before I could play. I said bullshit. He explained splitting my Achilles and removing the spur was major surgery. I stayed off my foot for approx 5 weeks doing literally nothing for the first 14 days. Rode a foot scooter putting no weight on it after the first 14 days until week 6. I started back playing March 1st. Wore a compression sleeve and did rehab to strengthen it. I got a runner and only ran to first base until May 1st when I began running for myself at about 80%. Doctors tell you 12 months because they have to. Stay off of it, do the rehab and strengthening exercises and you may not be running at full speed but you can be back playing in less than 5 months. Good luck. |
| July 10 TexasTransplant Men's 70 516 posts | Challenge your physical therapist. Let him know that, despite your age, you're seriously interested in getting back to your sport. If a good physical therapist knows you're willing to put in the work, he/she can develop a lot of injury and sport specific programs to help you heal faster. And don't skip the work at home between PT session! |
| July 11 OZ40 549 posts | The above suggestions are great. Movement and massage are key. Regaining range of motion and flexibility are musts if you want to play again. I kept a golf ball under my foot while watching TV and constantly rolled it around under my foot and worked on picking it up with my toes. This helps removing fluid and encouraging range of motion and flexibility. I really feel this helped me a lot. I now own 3 spikey rubber foot balls that I use for my own peace of mind. |
