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Peroneal tendon surgery recovery

Posted , 24 users are following.

lisavila
lisavila

Hello, I really need help. I had surgery two weeks ago and it seems like it went well. I'm on a splint and surgeon is encouraging me to start using boot and trying to bear weight little by little. This is so dramatically different from last year where I had same surgery but with a different surgeon who was firm on NWB for 8 weeks and then slowly introduce boot.

New surgeon says that early weight bearing promotes faster healing and prevents the formation of scar tissue. Has anyone done it like this

Appreciate your comments,

 

1 like, 55 replies

55 Replies

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  • Texas_Ike
    Texas_Ike lisavila

    Posted

    No, I have never heard such a thing. I cannot imagine putting weight on it at this stage. I don't think I could stand to my foot to the floor at this stage. The tendons are still way too weak to support the weight. I am a small guy too and only weigh 140 lbs. I just started walking at 4 months and today is month 5. I still have pain and have to stop and get off of it when it starts to hurt. In fact, I wore the boot a few days last week and still use my cane quite a bit. Keep us posted on this works out for you. I have other foot to do but am going to have to wait awhile. My surgeon had some of my blood work come back with protein M-spikes. I had a bone marrow biopsy last week and am going to be battleing Multiple Myeloma. If its not one thing its another.

    • lisavila
      lisavila Texas_Ike

      Posted

      Sorry to hear; one issue at a time. Sending healing thoughts your way.
    • margie41357
      margie41357 Texas_Ike

      Posted

      I'm at the same place as you 5 months and yes use cane and still in boot. Some days painful other days good. Good luck with your other health issues, that is a lot to deal with!!!

      Margie

  • InPain46626
    InPain46626 lisavila

    Posted

    Hi, I hope your recovery is going well. I wish I had been able to weight bear as tolerated when I had mine repaired, but due to other things being repaired, no such luck.  Being at about 8 mos post op and having the difficulties I am currently having, scar tissue can cause a lot of problems on top of the regular post op swelling and such. It is my understanding that the ankle in general and peroneal tendon area have less blood flow or something, therefore they heal slower.

    While I think it is fine to question this with your surgeon, perhaps his recommendation is due to the particular details of your repair or perhaps some new research suggests patients do better in the long run if they are able to weight bear sooner.

    I do believe (someone part of my healthcare team also confirmed this) that earlier weight bearing promotes faster healing.

    Fortunately the peroneal tendon fix part of my surgery wasn't as bad as we thought, however it has been the hardest to get strengthened and back to full painless functioning. I tore the tendon a few years ago and tried every conservative therapy before surgery, but I also had a second torn tendon and needed surgical repair for stability/high ankle spraing repair.

    • lisavila
      lisavila InPain46626

      Posted

      Thank you for your reply. In my particular case I believe I went "conservative treatment" for way longer than I should have. Everyone around me kept saying surgery should be your last option. Of course so, but delaying surgery for too long can be more damaging.

      Sending healing thoughts your way.

    • InPain46626
      InPain46626 lisavila

      Posted

      Don't hesitate to ask your surgeon or nurse about his recommendation. It is your body and really you should let your surgeon know if you are uncomfortable with the instructions (otherwise he/she might assume everything is fine). There could also be some specific reason unique to your case that suggests some weight bearing early on may be beneficial.  

      I think they forget, because this is what they see and do every day, that as patients we have an entirely different experience.

      I did a ton of research online both before and after my surgery. For some repairs, there did seem to exist vast differences in recommended post op time periods for non weight bearing, or if it was required at all.  I am not sure if that was based on the particular surgeon's experience or if some are just more conservative or 'old school' versus others. I even ran across a more technical site that had brief summaries of cases and it would often conclude with a statement saying that certain periods of nonweightbearing or time in excess of (however many weeks) did not prove to affect the long term outcome.

      If you are able to view your surgical report it might provide specific information regarding the repair. Were there some sutures placed to repair it or did part of it have to be removed? Was the tendon okay and surrounding structures keeping it in its groove or place peformed? Seeing the specific details of the procedure may also help shed some light on the recommendation to put some weight on it.

       

    • dannyjamesss
      dannyjamesss InPain46626

      Posted

      Yo can you please contact me personally, respond to this message and I will tell you how. I have been suffering through some very severe ankle/entire Lower half of leg pain that when I went to a doctor for was diagnosed as Peroneal Tendonitis. Since then they told me to go to physical therapy for a month which did not help in the slightest. I would really appreciate if you could reach out to me and tell me what you did and how you got surgery and what doctor you saw etc ... 
  • Steph00
    Steph00 lisavila

    Posted

    lisavila, I had  the same surgery 12 weeks ago! I now have scar tissue and this surgery is painful. I had my boot since I came out of surgery. My stitches was removed at 6 weeks and then I went to physical therapy for 6 weeks. I had made followup with Dr. and basically at therapy my tendons was being pulled and stretched. Now I have to wait till next follow up and then go for ultrasound. Back to surgery it is! Why did you have a 2nd surgery?
    • lisavila
      lisavila Steph00

      Posted

      One year after first surgery I was still in pain and saw different doctor. He did a new MRI and it showed that there was more tears further down into the foot, and an ossicle was putting pressure on the foot. There was also a grat deal of scar tissue from previous surgery (possiby because I was NWB for way too long) I had second surgery 4 weeks ago. I'm already walking on my boot mostly mornings. I also have nerve damage on that foot which complicates my ordeal. 

      Steph, why do you think you got scar tissue? What will be done this time to prevent that? 

    • Steph00
      Steph00 lisavila

      Posted

      The Dr. told me I have scar tissue because of the pain I have. My ankle is really hurting when I walk and put weight on it!
  • dan23076
    dan23076 lisavila

    Posted

    Hello,

    I saw this on google and want to just drop my opinion. I had the surgery in May of 2015 and was walking in the boot with a cane after 10 days on crutches. About 5 days later I did not use the cane anymore and was in the boot. After another two weeks I was no longer in the boot and was in a brace with a sneaker. I did range of motion exercises moving the foot up and down about 3 days after the surgery was complete and full PT after that.

    I think a lot of the surgeries you guys had were using old methods. This is exactly why you have scar tissue buildup and have to have another operation. Let me know if you have any questions, but hey it worked great for me and two years later I am in exxcellent condition. Having it done on my left peroneal in a week!

    • Mr_Pony
      Mr_Pony dan23076

      Posted

      I had my right ankle done about 7 years back with the full cast and super long heal times as described by others above. My tendons fused together and are scarred. Luckily, I'm still able to long distance hike and bike without major issue.

      Just had left done two weeks ago, and was immediately put in a boot (different doc). I was doing range of motion next day, put weight on 10 days out, and began walking without crutches 12 days out. Today, (14 days out) I'm carrying my 4.5 mo old daughter around pain free in my boot smile

      Granted, my issues weren't as bad as my first go around, but my doc did say that sans cast and getting to range of motion is critical to avoid scar tissue. He claims the procedure has evolved.

      My best wishes to everyone's speedy recovery.

    • runner3
      runner3 dan23076

      Posted

      Hi Dan. Thank you for the response. I’m having this surgery in a few weeks and am very nervous. Dr assures me I will be able to walk after 2 weeks in a boot. After reading everyone’s complications I’m hoping there is also some success. How ha your recover been?
    • dan23076
      dan23076 runner3

      Posted

      Good luck. Recovery is going well; good luck to you!
    • dannyjamesss
      dannyjamesss dan23076

      Posted

      Yo my lower left leg is destroyed at times causing pain so severe I wake up in the middle of the night needing to take Advil. When I went to the doctor they told me it was Peroneal Tendonitis but I never had an X-ray/MRI so I’m not 100 percent sure. Please reach out to me and help me with what doctor you saw, what surgery you got, see if we had the same problem, etc .. thank you ! 
    • dan23076
      dan23076 dannyjamesss

      Posted

      Where are you located and what kind of doctor did you see? Foot and ankle orthopedic surgeon is the only person you should see for ankle ligament and tendon stuff. Podiatrists are too conservative in my experience with treatment and other doctors don’t know enough - hand and wrist and foot and ankle are extremely complex, way more so than kneees And shoulders.
    • Steph00
      Steph00

      Posted

      Hello Dan23076 I see a orthopedic surgeon and I am just recovering from my 2nd surgery in Jan. My Tendons heal together and a had a lot of scar tissue that's what was causing all the pain. Now I am feeling better then the 1st surgery.

    • runner3
      runner3 dan23076

      Posted

      Just wondering, in your recovery did you have a pulling sensation where the  Peroneal tendon is? I’m finally getting around in my boot however when I take it off or try to move my foot around my ankle is very tight and the tendon pulls. I’m hoping this is normal and PT will help. 
    • tyler61678
      tyler61678 runner3

      Posted

      I’m one year out from surgery.  It will be tight especially in the mornings for almost a year. I’m just now waking up not noticing tightness.  I am 75% back to normal at this point and am playing basketball league/softball/golf.. exploding off of that ankle is painful still but I believe it will get better with more stretching and excercise.
    • tyler61678
      tyler61678 dannyjamesss

      Posted

      If your peroneal isn’t popping over your ankle bone daily, you don’t have my issue.
    • Cerna18
      Cerna18 tyler61678

      Posted

      i am 6 weeks post op and started walking on and i do have the popping. this is very strange i didnt have this before the surgery.

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