Longitudinal split tear of the peroneus brevis tendon
Posted , 14 users are following.
I sprained my ankle approximately 9 weeks ago. Just received results of an MRI, and among several other things I have a longitudinal split tear of the peroneus brevis tendon. Everything I'm reading online points to surgical repair. I'm a 36 year old mother of 3, so the thought of being out of commission for a lengthy recovery is quite stressful. Has anyone had this repair that can offer insight to what recovery looks like? (I'm in the US)
0 likes, 18 replies
mary51013 Becca121979
Posted
I don't have experience with it but looked at an image on-line just now. If you can use the knee-scooter you will be able to get around a bit.
I just got mine three days ago (after four weeks of wheelchair and walker) and I can now get around and do things. I cooked all morning today and was able to do laundry this past weekend. Woohoo !!
Weezer Becca121979
Posted
Anoher vote for the knee scooter. Many household things can be done while using it. I have been using it since June & continue to till after tar is done.
Freebyrd1707 Becca121979
Posted
I just had this surgery 8-20-16. I am 54. It was originally thought to be a 3cm longitudinal split tear. During surgery it was discovered there were multiple tears. He says basically shredded. Tomorrow will be 4 weeks post op. I am in a boot non-weight bearing. Can't drive. Sleep with the boot on and foot elevated. I have done this the entire time. The original fall was 4-9-16. I have been in walking boot since 4-19-16.
Your Injury might "repair itself" with immobilization and non-weight bearing. Mine did not. And I will tell you. The recovery is extensive. Just being honest. I had no clue how extensive it would be. I have been on a knee scooter since 6-14-16. It's a life saver. But. I have fallen off of it 4 times now. One after surgery. They are great but you do have to be careful. Good luck!!
shantell03710 Becca121979
Posted
The recovery time is really rough .. I havent used a knee scooter to me it doesnt look secure enough but alot of ppl say its helpful.i had surgery July 27 and i was non wearinh bearing until two weeks ago i walk on my crutches only ....good luck
chris18785 Becca121979
Posted
Becca121979
Posted
Thank you all so much for the feedback! I saw my physical therapist today, and she put in the referral for orthopedics who will make the final determination about whether to let it be or repair it surgically. I'm relieved actually to know that my pain and problems aren't all in my head!
I will most definitely ask about the scooter if surgery is in my future the 2+ weeks I was on crutches after the initial injury we torture. The hardest thing will be figuring out a new normal. All 3 of my kids' rooms AND the laundry room are upstairs. Finding a way to function around that will be interesting!
mary51013 Becca121979
Posted
Hi Becca,
I am glad you are able to see and orthopedist again. I wanted to share a couple of things:
The knee scooter definitely involves a skill set and I took it very slow initially and am very careful now. My husband had an employee who took to her scooter like it was a carnival ride and she zipped around their work space faster than she would have walked normally. That wasn't for me! I got a scooter with a basket attached and this is *really* handy.
Also, my laundry room is on the second floor as well. (BUT I don't have three small children!) I leave my scooter on the first floor and put a wheelchair on the second floor. I don't know if that is an option but I have been able to get things done this way. Wishing you the best.
Keep me posted!
Best,
Mary
brandyf817 Becca121979
Posted
So I just had exploratory surgery and they found the split tear. He showed me a picture of inside my ankle and it was a pretty large tear. Hopefully you have had surgery already and I can help someone looking into this with my experience.
I hurt my ankle in November. I went to stat care and they blew me off. I went to the ER a few days later and they treated me like I was just there for drugs. Found out stat care gave me a referral but they didn't give it to me, just put it in the computer. So I saw my first orthopedic. He said I had a partial tear and would heal. I didn't. My insurance changed and I couldn't see my dr anymore. Got a new one. It was just a sports medicine dr. He put me in physical therapy and I failed. So he finally sent me to a foot and ankle orthopedic. He was the first person to believe me that something was wrong. At this point I also started thinking it was in my head. He didn't mess around. He scheduled exploratory surgery the following week. I went in on 3/7 and had my surgery. He found the tendon was split and sewed it together. I have been on no weight bearing since. The pain from the surgery sucks. It's painful and you have to keep your foot raised all the time. When I hop around I get blood flow and bad pain. Hoping around isn't an option. I was given crutches and I don't use them. I bought a walker at the Goodwill and use it because I lack balance. They do a nerve block during the surgery and do get this. Insist if it isn't offered. It feels awful the first two days because you can't even move your toes. It wears off and you just want it back. Anyways I crawl up stairs and down them. Anyways I go Friday to get the stitches removed. I will give further updates when I am have them.
sue5579 Becca121979
Posted
I had surgery on my peroneal longus almost 3 weeks ago. I had about 3.5 inches of the tendon that was totally destroyed. Dr said it's the worst he'd ever seen... have a nice, big, 6 inch incision. Anyway...I was 2 weeks non-weight bearing in a surgical cast. I got a knee scooter, but honestly, during the first two weeks you really can't do much because of the pain when it's not elevated. After 2 weeks I had surgical cast removed and put in boot. He said to start to put weight on it as I can tolerate. At this point, I have been in the boot 4 days and I use 1 crutch about 40% of the time, and the rest of the time I put full weight. I was able to clean the house yesterday!
I know everyone is different. I'm 37 years old, a runner...in pretty good shape. I'm pleased with how quickly I'm healing. So...there is hope for you!
appalo Becca121979
Posted
rose71920 appalo
Posted
Hi Appalo,
I had this done on Nov 13th. My surgery lasted about an hour and a half all said and done. I had a nerve block first. Then put under completely.
The nerve block lasted about 12-15 hours. I had Oxi codeine and 1000 mg's of Tylenol for pain.
The secret is do not let the pain get ahead of you. If they say take it , Listen! You will need this. Also get yourself a grabber to pick things up that fall or are out of reach for you. A scooter to get around . (this will be a life saver if you you do not have good coordination) Get yourself a cast protector for your shower as it can't get wet at all. Get lots of things to read and or puzzles to keep you from going nuts! I am almost 4 weeks out and still in cast.... first two weeks were splint cast/ then cast one, cast two and now Wed will get a boot /air cast for a few more weeks.
Its a long process as I keep telling everyone .
Bottom line: get every thing and anything to help you out... and make sure you have people to help you the first couple weeks.
Hope that helps a bit!
80805 rose71920
Posted
rose71920 80805
Posted
yes, very much fun! Just had my third one yesterday... now I'm really having some fun!! NOT so much this time. This one is the worse yet... but hanging on.
Now I must go lay down!
all the best!
Rose
Beckster65 Becca121979
Posted
i had this surgery on April 10th 2018, it's now june 25th and I am still only partial weight bearing. lots of pain..this recovery is a nightmare
rachel59544 Beckster65
Posted
Don’t worry I’m still pwb as well. Still in a boot and on crutches. I use one crutch in the house though. I’ve also just started to walk in trainers with two crutches but can only do about 10 steps. I just find it too painful to do more. I don’t sleep well at night and I’m constantly exhausted. But at least I can get around better than a few weeks ago. I think it’s hard to see the progress sometimes yourself and to congratulate yourself on little achievements when the end goal seems so far off.
Beckster65 rachel59544
Posted
Thank you Rachel. I find i get a new pain the more rehab I get, This week I've had top of foot pain that after 10/15 steps in my walker I have to sit for an hour. this is new. I figure things are moving that haven't been so I'm trying not to panic, lol.I totally get the terrible sleeping at night, so hard to get comfortable without pain or some electric shock. Very hard to see progress when you sit around most of the time and the key word here being "time" I have a friend who is a PT, she told me today that it takes a year for full recovery, and a minimum of 6 months to see anything significant. We shall see. I am a type A personality its very difficult for me to feel so trapped. your right. it's hard to see the progress. I am doing better than I was 6 weeks ago
mel10411 Beckster65
Posted
I had 25 PT appts pre-surgery and 24 post. Our work is not done when the insurance company says it is. Someone told me the other day that we go to surgeons and MDs/DOs to fix a problem, but the healing happens within our control.
Move! I’d been petrified to move since they misdiagnosed in the first place as a simple sprain. Ends up, the PT ordered may have created more problems. Because of my fear, I didn’t push as much through the post-surgery pain as I should have. My second physical Therapist was way too gentle if I look back at it. Then I got frozen ankle. If the doc says it’s healed, then move like you are training for the Olympics (albeit at a much slower pace!).
When my doc said he didn’t need to see me again two months ago, I was still using a crutch sometimes, but I was trying like heck to walk. The limping had caused hip issues. The ligaments were healed, but I was not.
Since then, I’ve been seeing a medical massage therapist, an acupuncturist and an isometric trainer. All on my own dime. I stagger them amd manage them as a team. For example, early on the massage therapist was most important, so I saw her more regularly. Now that I am finally progressing, I only see her ever three weeks. She focuses on scar tissue and range of motion.
Acupuncture has been my salvation. My entire leg was dormant. Absolutely nothing going on. She focuses on improving circulation and easing tension.
My isometric muscle therapist is now moving into the top spot of my healing tribe. ( that’s what I call them). He is working on strengthening.
Am I moving normal seven months later? No. Am I improving? Yes.
My calf actually has some definition now, although it’s still half the size of my un-challenged leg. I still wear my Brooks tennis shoes everywhere (including to work - every female I meet through work hopes I’m starting a no-high heels trend), I am able to walk one mile at a time. I feel restriction with every step, but I’m really trying to retrain myself to walk normally.
Our bodies and healing capabilities are all so different; however, what you have just went through is a big deal. Our ankles and feet have more bones and joints than almost anywhere else, AND they are weight bearing. As you progress, you are going to feel pains that didn’t exist a month, a week, a day, or a minute before. My ‘team’ says it’s because as one area tries to regain normalcy, it exerts pressure and demands, which challenges another area. We have to work our way through it each time.
Ask questions. Ask about alternative treatments to help with range of motion and circulation. And if they phoo-phoo it, find it yourself. Recovery is a part-time job and you’re the boss!
Progress is so freaking slow. It can be discouraging. So I ask my friends to tell me when they see it. We don’t always recognize it. But it helps when someone tells us.
I hope all of you heal quickly and fully. Stay strong!
Beckster65 mel10411
Posted
Thanks mel10411!!! I am constantly feeling discouraged, today my PT told me that I should be in a shoe already and I'm taking a little too long to walk without boot and walker..I felt like crying. I'm not close to being in a shoe, but I am improving very slowly..I suffered some nerve damage in the surgery and that area is quite painful, I'm 53 and not in the best of shape plus waiting tables for 30 years I have some arthritis in my feet. I'm going back to surgeon on monday just to let him know where I stand at this point. He isn't much help. Most of the surgeons are clueless to the recovery. I am going to keep taking the time I need, and if at the 6 month post op i'm still a mess I will see a specialist other than my surgeon. I think I will look into the massage therapy. best of luck to you and to Rachel as well. please lets keep each other up to date on our progress..Its wonderful to have people who are going through a similar situation. This can be very frustrating and depressing at times.