Post op Peroneal tendon surgery week 5 questions
Posted , 61 users are following.
Hello foot & ankle friends;
I am curious if any of you had also had peroneal tendon surgery; I am currently post op starting 5 weeks and let's say it's been fairly painful and a lot more intense than I was prepared for. The surgery went well, the first 2 weeks I was basically bedrest and in a splint/wrap. Then after 2 weeks the stitches were removed, lets just say I was not mentally or physically prepared for how large the incision was and I almost had a breakdown in the drs office. Ekk! That being said, I was then put into a hard cast for 4 weeks, I have 9 days left of the hard cast and from there I believe I am put into a walking boot for 6 more weeks with PT.
My question is this; 5 weeks post op is it still normal to have numbess, tingliness and a lot of pain? Also I am still not able to put weight down on the ankle. The dr. confirmed that this is all normal due to the fact that this was a major surgery but I still have worries. My concern is the dr puts me in a walking cast and I really can't walk, what am I going to do? I also have nightmares of PT and how painful it is going to be.
For a little reference I played college soccer and I am a runner, and I want to do everything possible to get back to where I was before the injury.
Thank you for all the info.
Signed post op concerns Danielle. :-)
1 like, 233 replies
Thompson16 dcelmer14
Posted
Wow - the weirdest thing ...at a friends recommendation I went to a very good Auzzie Podiatrist ( sports injuries etc) .
A last ditch attempt to avoid the tendon surgery .. He has started agressively releasing the tendon through strong leg massage and loosening all around the joints in the foot - he has gone back to one diagnosis I had months ago and says that I suffered a subluxated cuboid at the time of injury. We're building up to some very painful manipulation - but if all goes well the whole tendon should release and calm down and he thinks there is a strong possibility I can avoid surgery. Yay !
I would urge everyone with a non stright forward case to see as many people as possible - I have seen GP type, Orhtopedic surgeon, 3 different foot surgeons , several physios but this guy seems to really examine my foot and leg so thoroughly ...anyway no miracles yet - but fingers crossed. Reading this post has made me even more aware of how tough the recovery can be.
nicola10996 dcelmer14
Posted
Had this surgery yesterday - to be honest did not realise what this was going to entail. They have told me to elevate for 72 hours and I have a hard cast with a gap along the front and can touch walk. I can't really understand the touch walk as it's basically brushing the top of toes but not putting any weight on them. 2 weeks if that then 2 weeks non weight bearing cast followers by 4 weeks in a boot then physio.
It's painful today and I'm having to inject for 28days to prevent DVT - not fun although not painful.
I've been signed off work for the 4 weeks I'm in a cast. I'm really interested in the timescales and if they are realistic and how long before you can get back to exercise - I'm an avid runner and gym buff so I'm already wondering what I can do to keep up any kind of level of fitness.
I'm finding stairs tricky and I could not sleep at all last night - hope it was just the meds.
Anyone further down the line than me is it realistic to expect to be up and walking to work after the 4 weeks using the ski boot? It's an office job so mostly seated?
jen44842 nicola10996
Posted
I'll be four weeks coming up this week and will get my walking boot (finally!)
From what I was told, you should be able to walk to work then. Just take it easy and don't overdo.
I'm a wedding photographer, and it was highly encouraged I have someone else step in for me for a wedding I had scheduled at the 6 1/2 week mark. An 8+ hour day totally on my feet with lots of walking, etc. was not recommended....
(And yes, stairs are no fun! You'll find ways to get creative getting up and down! haha)
chrissybut nicola10996
Posted
nicola10996 jen44842
Posted
Ooh do let me know how that goes and whether you feel any pain with the boot. Have you found you can sleep at night - I wasn't sure if I should still have a pillow after the 72 hours?
nicola10996 chrissybut
Posted
oh that makes sense I thought it was straight for crutches to the boot which seemed a bit scary. Maybe I will get my Dumbbells out - the keg lifts are a good idea - I'm finding when I stand up initially my balance is not brilliant on the good leg. Wow that would be a high leg they just said higher than my hips!
Freebyrd1707 chrissybut
Posted
Yes that's right. Toes above the nose. And I'm finding out the key to the pain is keeping the swelling down which means keeping the foot up as much as possible.
kellee94011 dcelmer14
Posted
Hi everyone! I had peroneal tendon surgery 17 weeks ago. My tendon was shredded, I walked on it that way for 8 months before the surgery. I'm happy to say that my experience was so much easier for me. I was really sad to read about how difficult it has been for so many of you. I guess I am very fortunate. My surgery went well, I was in a cast for two weeks and had almost no pain. No weight on it during that time, but had a scooter which was fabulous. Like someone mentioned, I was not prepared for the large incision when the cast came off, but what the heck? It's my ankle, not my face. When the cast came off I had such good range of motion with no pain, my doctor put me into the boot immediately. Walking was difficult the first day, but after that, I hobbled along fine for about 6 weeks. Physical therapy didn't hurt and really helped me to get even better range of motion and more strength. When the boot came off, I went into a brace full time and now I am weaning off the brace and will be done with it in about 3 weeks. The numbness is about 75% gone, no pain but still a lot of swelling. I know this was major surgery and the doctor set expectations that it would be painful and take a year to recover fully. He and my physical therapist cannot believe that I've had almost no pain at all, maybe a little aching now and then but nothing an Advil wouldn't take care of. They keep asking if I'm sure it doesn't hurt. Nope, no pain. No one has any idea why my recovery has been so good, the surgery was a fairly big deal. I just wanted to write this to let folks know that sometimes this isn't so bad. I believe I am just a lucky 65 year old woman! One thing that my priimary care doctor did before the surgery was to have me got through physical therapy for several weeks. Maybe that made a difference? Don't know. I'm so sorry that most of you have had such a difficult time and hope that your recoveries go a little better in the future. Hang in there!
chrissybut kellee94011
Posted
cah2126 chrissybut
Posted
I'm getting this surgery soon I sprain my ankle in January. Had like a dozen to sessions. But didn't work also the shot. How do you feel after the surgery. Are you better? Or at times the same. I can only walk like 20 min after that pain the whole day.
nicola10996 cah2126
Posted
I'm now 7 weeks post surgery and have just gone back to work. Honestly it's hard work and a lot more hassle than I had anticipated. The first week it took a while to get the anaesthetic out of my system and I was exhausted. You need help with everything as you can't weight bear just getting a drink fromA to B is an art form. I was uncomfortable at night as the cast is hot and the more your leg shrinks the looser the cast gets which I found rubbed the wound. When the cast can off my calf muscle had pretty much gone and the motion in my ankle is not good - I can pretty much shuffle! I also get a lot of swelling by the time the day is over. Pain wise it has not been a big issue but I think you have to be realistic about what you can and can't do and give yourself time. Good luck!!
cah2126 nicola10996
Posted
nicola10996 cah2126
Posted
cah2126 nicola10996
Posted
nicola10996 cah2126
Posted
It feels a bit numb to be honest. It is still swollen and I am on crutches using an airboat intermittently. The wound is virtually healed now - I'm having Physio to regain movement of. My foot as it seized up a bit!
cah2126 nicola10996
Posted
nicola10996 cah2126
Posted
Same here so not driven in7 weeks nightmare. He didn't really say - the Physio has said got to work on getting from boot to crutches only then to one crutch. I'm seeing her again tomorrow so hoping I've progressed . They originally said a month in the boot after the 5 weeks in the cast. I think I underestimated that the muscles would waste and the range of movement would need so much time. I do hope it ends up worth it!
cah2126 nicola10996
Posted
Ankle_Surgery cah2126
Posted
I have gad no pain, and done surgery, if you had pain I think surgery is an option... but be sure to first have a MRI, and get your atfl & cfl checked...
Ankle_Surgery cah2126
Posted
cheryl96314 cah2126
Posted
The downside is it can take up to a year to fully recover. I am post op 10 weeks, and just am out of a cast into a walking boot. There isn't pain to speak of but aches, which Dr. states is normal and still alot of tingling in my toes. But I am up and walking trying to do as much as possible. I will be fitted for a arizona boot which fits inside my shoe the week of christmas and then to physical therapy. There are alot of dark sides to this surgery, but hopefully in time it will be worth it. Just do what the Dr states.