Still in pain after Achilles surgery

Hi qkat. Sorry to hear all that you're going through. I had my surgery last December and I would say it took about 9 months to fully recover and have no pain. (I should say less pain cause I still hurt here and there) It's unfortunate that we don't have enough time to recover before having to go back to work. I went back 4 months after my surgery and I was there about 2 months and I ended up quitting. I couldn't stand the pain after being on my feet all day. I would be in tears by the end of the day cause my foot hurt so bad. It would be so swollen and had a bruised look to it.  I had 2 jobs so I quit one and worked more hours at my other job. It was less strenuous on my foot. They allowed me to sit when I needed to. I had the heel spur as well which was the cause of the tendon pain. I'm just glad that's gone because that hurt the most. Then when I tore the tendon I had even more pain. I don't wish that pain on anyone. Well there is a glimmer of hope. I was in your position several months ago thinking there wasn't a light at the end of the tunnel and thought I'd be stuck with the pain forever but it just took a long time to heal. Even my doctor told me it could take a full year to feel better. I'm hoping it's the same for you. My main issue these days is my calf muscle is still weak. I should work on getting it stronger. And I still don't walk properly. I guess I'll walk with a limp forever. My doctor told me I will not walk properly until I can lift up on both toes and lower myself on my "bad" foot. I still cannot do that unfortunately. Basically strengthen your calf muscle or walk with a limp. It's hard getting the strength back. Just keep working at it. 

So what were your 4 surgeries for? All the same thing or did you have surgery for your bone infection. I wish you the best of luck in your recovery and I hope you feel better soon. I guess all I can say is be patient and give it time to heal. I know it's hard but it will eventually feel better 

I hope you're feeling better by now! I would say it took about 9 months for the pain to go away. I find when I'm on my feet really long is when I feel some pain. Also depends on the weather. I hope you feel relief soon! I also felt like my pain was as bad as before the surgery but now it's not so bad. I'm also 14 months post surgery so a little farther along. Good luck to you

Hi Kathy. I also have a lump on my heel where the surgery scar is. I believe that is just scar tissue. Hang in there. My foot swelled up and hurt for a good 9 months after surgery. It probably helped that I quit one of my jobs because it hurt so bad to be on my feet all day long with two jobs. 10 months after my surgery I got a second part time job and next week I'm moving to a full time position so I'm hoping it all works out. I haven't been on my feet all day for several months so I'm hoping the pain doesn't return. But like I said, hang in there. They told me it could take a full year to completely recover. Give it a couple more months before you decide it didn't help. 

I can't believe your doctor told you no therapy. Even if you have a good range of motion you still need to get the strength back in your foot and calf. I did therapy for 8 weeks and still don't have the strength back. I also walk with a limp. I'm 14 months post op and still have a weak calf. Doctor told me I won't walk right until I can lift up on my toes on both feet and lower with operated foot. I still can't do that. I still attempt it once in a while and cannot do it. Best exercise for calf muscle is heel raises. They are hard to do but supposed to be the best thing to do. I unfortunately gave it up when I went back to work and therapy stopped. Just didn't have the time. My therapist had me pick up marbles with my toes, also using one of those rubber bands flexing my foot in different directions. I wish I had the paper handy that I could give you others that I did. Oh she had me walk putting one foot right in front of the other and stepping sideways also. If I think of anything else I'll post it. Well good luck to you. I hope you feel relief soon. Try some of those exercises if you haven't already. Especially heel raises 

Hi Kathy,

You sound a lot like me after my 1st surgery for the very same thing in January 2017. After 8 months of miserable pain, swelling, and frustration, I went to my internist and asked him if he knew anyone I could see for a 2nd opinion. Naturally he did, and he advised me to go out of my hospital network, as he feels docs who know each other tend to "rubber stamp" each other's diagnoses. This wasn't an issue for me, as I am now on Medicare. I am also fortunate to live in the suburbs of a major city, which gives me access to some high-profile medical professionals and university/teaching hospitals. I had to wait 2 and a half months for an appointment, but upon meeting the new surgeon, I knew I was in a totally new league of medical care. My evaluation lasted 90 minutes, and his guess as to what was going on turned out to be dead-on correct.  He sent me for a special MRI called a 3T MRI, which uses a very high-powered machine that gives incredibly clear images of soft tissue. The MRI confirmed what x-rays could not show, which was an Achilles rupture in the exact same place, the tendon separated from the ankle bone, and "foreign bodies" embedded in the build-up of scar tissue at the back of my heel. After being advised of all the possible complications that come along with a complex repair of a previous surgery ( 3X chance of infection, blood clots, necrosis of the skin requiring skin grafts, etc.) and having the very long and arduous recovery schedule explained ( going home in an Aircast boot up to my knee which must be worn 24/7 over compression wraps which must be changed by a specially trained therapist every other day, 3 weeks with my foot elevated higher than my heart for 22 hours a day...a plaster cast being applied once the sutures came out....then after that, back in the CAM boot 24/7 except to shower and for a portion of my physical therapy, which is 12 weeks minimum, through the end of April. Follow-up visits through the end of July to assess progress, and being informed that full recovery will take up to a year. Oh, and no shortcuts allowed! ...I opted to have the surgery on Jan 25 this year. I am currently 73 days post-surgery and in the countdown for getting the boot removed in another 23 days. I am pleased to say that, despite the surgeon telling my husband that "it was a mess in there", and that the surgery required a tendon transfer, removal of the hardware used by the 1st surgeon, which was just hanging off of my Achilles (the foreign bodies seen on the MRI), further scaling of the area where the original bone spur was removed, and the need to re-attach the grafted tendon to the bone, I had NO complications, and at this point, in week 11, I feel better than I have in a year and a half. No more painful "bump" at the back of my heel, no more swelling, and the 9-inch incision is completely healed, with little evidence that it existed at all. I do get some "soreness" or "achiness" in my heel after a good PT workout or a long day of being on my feet, but I ice it and put it up for relief. It's nothing compared to the pain I had before the repair, and I have no pain when I walk.

If you are still suffering, I urge you to get a 2nd opinion with the best surgeon you can find. I will never regret doing so! 

I just found this website today and my symptoms are identical to yours.  April 21st will be one year since I had my surgery and I'm still in pain all the time.  I went for a second opinion today and the doctor gave me three options.  The first is another surgery and the second and third are shots.  The first shot involves using my own bone marrow and the other shot uses my blood.  I don't have any more information on these shots and the doctor will be sending me all the information in the next few days so I can research it.  He did say they were experimental and not covered by insurance.  I did find this article on the internet (http://www.cellr4.org/article/1100). He estimated the cost to be $2000.  I was so frustrated when I left his office I made an appointment with another doctor for this Thursday.  It appears the surgery you had is what my original doctor and the one today suggested but I just can't start from the beginning again.

Elaine, I totally understand your hesitation at the prospect of having another surgery. I cannot stress enough that finding the right surgeon is crucial. A re-do surgery is much more tricky because the area has already been compromised by the first surgery.  If you haven't already had another MRI done, insist upon it. I am not a medical person, but if your tendon is still ruptured or separated from the bone, I have been told that the only way to fix it is through surgery. In my case, I needed a tendon transfer to shore up the Achilles the second time around. Prior to deciding, I listened carefully to all the pros and cons, asked a million questions, and although I dreaded going through another long recovery period, I made the choice to do it because with the surgery I had a 70% chance of walking without pain, compared to 100% chance of living the rest of my life in misery. Not going to lie, it's been a b***h at times, and I have frequently dreamed of what I will do to this CAM boot once I don't have to wear it anymore ( today is day 92). But the good news is that time does indeed pass, and in 4 more days I will be in two shoes once again!!! Even in the flat-footed boot, my heel feels so GOOD! Just some stiffness remaining from all this time in the boot, which my PT guy assures me will go away, and some re-training my foot to walk with a normal gait again. I am 67 years old, so not a spring chicken anymore, but I can't wait to get back to exercise with my new strong heel! Elaine, I am living proof that you CAN do it again, and I assure you that the first day you get out of bed and can walk to the bathroom without limping, you will know it was all worth it. Keep in touch, let me know what you decide. I wish you the best, whatever your decision is.

Hi!Barb,

Sounds like you found the right surgeon. I had Insertional Achilles repair and spur supposedly spur removal on March 15th of this year. This was months after other procedures that did not work. We knew initially that I had a bone spur on my heel at t ht e inseetion poibt of my Achilles but an NRI was not ordered until late January of this year. It was at this time the partial tear was found. So, i opted for surgery since nothinf else prior seemed to help. After surgery, for the 1st time in a year and a half i was pain free. I started out with a soft cast for 1 week, then bandage over incision site followed by an ace bandage, still NWB. This continued for 6 weeks, at which time, the stitches were finally removed. I was then told to wear a special boot during the day to promote stretching of the tendon and an another boot when i was up on crutches to start WB. All was going good until a week later, when I lost my footing and all my weight was placed on my surgery foot. It immediately swelled and bruised. It was late in the day so i went to my doctor the following day. He did not seem overly concerned and told me to continue as i was before. I did not order an mri or ultra sound to see if i possibly re-ruputred the tendon. He did squeeze and push on the tendon a and said it still deels intact. I have had nothing but pain and bruising since with almost no relief no matter what i do or don't do. I am afraid to wear the boot that stretches the tendon for fear of reputuring it more if i did rereputure it. And when i wear the walking boot and try to weight bear the pain is almost unbearable. I think i need a second opinion but my husband thinks i should wait to go back to my doctor which will be this Thursday to see what he says. Also, i have been on antibiotics since the day of the surgery of which some i have read can cause the tendon to tear. I realize this is going to be a long process but i just think something is not right. Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

Hi Amy,

As I read your post, a few thoughts ran through my mind: 1) why were the sutures in for 6 weeks?  2) why have you been on antibiotics for 2 months?  3) how long has it been since you re-injured the heel? and 4)  are you getting any physical therapy? It also sounds like initially your foot was not very well protected against injury; a dressing and ace bandage leave the heel very susceptible to being re-injured. 

If it has been more than a couple of weeks since your injury and it has not gotten better, I would ask for another MRI to see if there is new damage to the tendon. I regret not thinking of doing that during the year after my first surgery, but in hindsight, I believe the surgeon should have thought of that as well. He couldn't feel through the skin that the tendon was re-ruptured or that the hardware he had placed inside had dislodged. He took xrays, but that only showed bone. He had me exercising more and more, saying that I had to strengthen the heel, and I was in agony the entire time.

I would go to the doc on Thursday and report the pain has not improved. See what he says. If you are not completely satisfied by what you hear, ask your primary doctor for names of top foot & ankle ortho docs in your area. Check them out yourself online ( look for educational credentials, what procedures they perform, fellowships, publications, accomplishments, etc). Do not be surprised if you have to wait some time for an appointment. ( I waited 11 weeks for my initial consult with the second surgeon).  

Then be sure to get your xrays, MRI, and surgical report from the first doctor; you are entitled to copies of all of them upon request, and no reputable surgeon will be offended by your getting a second opinion. If the first doc says he will have the records faxed, be sure to confirm the 2nd doc has them before you go for your consultation. 

If you don't have a good feel with the 2nd doc, go for another opinion. As I said before, for me the key was finding the right surgeon.

Later this week, it will be 4 months since my 2nd surgery. I spent 14 weeks in an Aircast boot. I

have been in PT for 12 weeks and I now do almost 2 hours there twice a week.  When I switched to a shoe 3 weeks ago, I was able to slip right back into my regular size. I am walking again for exercise, working in my garden, and am back at my Tai Chi class. I get in an average of 10,000-12,000 steps a day on my Fitbit. I experience a little ankle swelling and achiness by day's end, but a couple ibuprofen tablets and good night's sleep take care of it.  I am still working on flexibility in my ankle for going down stairs normally, and gait training to get my foot pointing straight forward again as I walk, but I walk without pain now. I've been warned that it's still possible to re-rupture the tendon as it continues to heal, so I don't over-do anything. I have follow-up visits with the surgeon until the 6-month post-surgical point. 

Wishing you all good luck! Let me know what you decide to do. 

Ok, let me start from the beginning. Initially, in August of last year I went to my GP because of severe pain in my left foot. Now, u need to know I have Widespread Fibromyalgia so I honestly thought that is what was causing the problem as I had not done anything to injure my foot. I do not take medication routinely for the Fibro as I have learned to pretty much live with it. It's

only when it gets extreme that i ask for meds to help it. My GP thought it was Fibro too. But after being on a Steriod pak for 2 weeks plus Cymbalta and things weren't any better, he determined it was a bone spur. He referred me to one of their hospitals' Podiatrists. Needless to say this Dr was an idiot, to put it nicely. I went to him once a week for a month and he did absolutely nothing. Just to give you an example, he ordered an x-ray to confirm the spur. He made me have it re-done 3 times because it wasn't clear enough to suit him. I got tired of the run around and realized what he was doing. We have group insurance from my husband's employer that pays very well. The patient's that normally go there are medicaid or medicare so they don't get paid very much. At this point i had had enough so i found my own Dr. He is also a Podiatrist but also a Surgeon. Has excellent ratings, awards, etc. Absolutely loved him from the first visit. My insurance can be a real pain sometimes even though it pays well. He had to try every procedure used for a bone spur ( I found out later they were putting in the wrong code. The insurance company thought it was a spur under my foot, not at my Achilles tendon where it meets the heel bone. Finally, he realized why they were denying it before they would allow an MRI.) He did so. Fast forward to January of this year. When they finally allowed the MRI, that's when the partially torn achilles was found. And why pretty much everything he tried didn't work. U know about the surgery so the stitches. He was going to take them out at 2 weeks but the area was so sensitive when he tried, he decided to leave them in another 2 weeks. At 1 month he attempted again and still extremely sensitive. The weird thing is there was no redness or irration at the surgery site. He chalked it up to my Fibromyalgia so we waited another 2 weeks at which time they could finally be removed. Why he didn't put me in a boot before that, i have never gotten a straight answer other than that is not the way he does it. At 6 weeks, i was to use a perticular boot to stretch the tendon for 8 hrs a day. It was pretty bad the 1st few days but after that the pain stopped until I misstepped and lost my balance and put all my weight on it while wearing my other boot and fell. I called the same day, he saw him the next day. Now mind u, it was black, blue and very swollen. He looked and squeezed on the tendon and stated, ' it appeared to still be intact.' And refused me having another MRI to make sure because it wouldn't change the way he is treating it. I am so aggrevated because I know something is wrong. Before the fall, i could actually put weight on it. Not for long periods but could without it hurting. The only other time it has felt like this was before the surgery and really worse now cause I can't put any weight on my foot at all without excruciating pain.

Sorry. It was so long but figured if u knew everything it might make a difference. I am going to go Thursday and if I am not satisfied I will get a second opinion. My husband (knee replacement) and I(fractured ankle) have both been treated by a fanastic Orthopaedic Doctor. I would have gone to him to begin with but I was given misinformation by one of the people who works in his office saying they didn't treat bone spurs. He probably would have found the torn tendon in the beginning, not months later.

I am glad you are doing so well this time around. Hopefully, I will get straight to.

Almost forgot, antibiotics to supposedly keep me from getting an infection so my body won't reject the screws and wires i now have. And no physical therapy. He seems intent on my not having any.