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Tilted heel After ankle fusion

Posted , 4 users are following.

nicolette51515
nicolette51515

Hey guys i was wondering if anyone has had sugery on their heel.I had an ankle fusion 8 months ago, but I've been in pain on the right side of my foot and it goes behind n wraps around my subtalar joint...i had extras and now I have a Varus tilted heel which means my heel is it kinda crooked and it also caused my subtalar joint to stiffen n lock up..Anyway my Dr wants to operate on my hind Heel and straighten it I was just wondering if anybody else has had that done if so how long is the recovery and was the sugery worth it? Cause the fusion sure wasnt..

1 like, 8 replies

8 Replies

  • tessa98714
    tessa98714 nicolette51515

    Posted

    Hi Nicolette

    I had my ankle fusion Jan 2017 and now have a mild varus heel..  The surgeon swears that when he feels my heel and ankle in his hand it all feels like it's in the right position (and X-rays say the same), but when I stand the weight seems to tilt to the outside of my foot. They gave me orthotic insoles which are helping and I'm supposed to wear them for 6 months.  The surgeon says the soft tissue will eventually make the foot go back in the right position, but I'm not convinced. Let's wait and see...I don't know anything about surgery to correct a varus heel, but having gone through the fusion and that whole long recovery process the thought of having surgery again must be awful.  I know what you mean about the fusion not being worth it, I mean now more than a year on I'm feeling like maybe it was, but the recovery process is so long that you kind of forget how bad things were before surgery.  Anyway I hope all goes well for you. 

  • barb1953
    barb1953 nicolette51515

    Posted

    I have exactly the same thing. I had a double ankle fusion one being the subtalar joint & an arch reconstruction. My heel now feels so twisted & it's putting so much stress on all my other joints in my feet that I've now developed severe arthritis in both ankle joints in both feet. I'm almost crippled. The fusion is one of the worst things I've ever done. I'm so much worse off. I can't bare the thoughts of having another surgery that may or may not work out plus take the chance of severe nerve damage which is a very real thing that you don't want to have.

    The only hopes I have of regaining my mobility is the EXOSYM. My appointment is on May 7-18 & I expect to leave there not only walking but running & doing all the things I used to love to do. I've been living on crutches, walker, mobility scooter & knee scooter since last July.My wrists are shot from all the stress placed on them. For now, no more surgeries on my feet. This device has given people back their lives, people that have partial amputations, failed fusions, club foot & the list goes on & on. It totally takes the stress off your joints. It works like a prosthetic foot. It's costly $9000 per brace but it's better than living in a wheelchair for the rest of my life. Please let me know if you have surgery to correct your heel & how you make out with that. It's a scary thing. I wish you nothing but the best Nicolette.

    • nicolette51515
      nicolette51515 barb1953

      Posted

      Ty Barb , I'm not really sure what to do to tell ya the truth..i have nerve damage also..He wanted to fuse the subtalar joint back in Nov. Of last year but i said no..Now hes talking about the heel i said no not yet..i wish I'd never got the fusion either I have more complications now then before my surgery...im sorry to hear you are suffering so bad..i hope everything works out for you..

    • nicolette51515
      nicolette51515

      Posted

      Ty Tessa , today is 9 months after surgery..I'll ask about the insoles maybe that will help..Why I say it wasn't worth it is cause I'm still in a lot of pain if not more now then before my sugery.

    • RichardKen
      RichardKen barb1953

      Posted

      Dear Barb

      I've just come home after ten days for the revision of a five year old TAR that was badly done. Although everything had been done to make this complete revision the EXOSYM had been of interest to me for some time as a possible fall back. Can you tell me he many visits are required before you walk free again! The reason for asking is because I live in the UK and the idea of having to make several trips to the US would be very daunting! Cheers Richard

    • RichardKen
      RichardKen

      Posted

      Oops not sure what happened there but was trying to say that everything has been done to make this revision a success it would be prudent to consider what iffs! Cheers Richard
    • barb1953
      barb1953 RichardKen

      Posted

      Hi Richard,

      My appointment is 8 am on May 7 & I’m there until the 18th. The first two days are for the mock pair to see how you do in them. If great, they take a couple days to make the real pair & the rest of the time is training. If I ever need adjustments, I mail them in & he will have them back to me within 2-3 days. He has what’s called the lipstick test which is how he determines how much of an adjustment you need. He gets people from all over the world. I just met up with a girl in my hometown who has one & loves it. She can’t walk at all without it. She has severe nerve damage. I know this is a big commitment financially ($24,000 Canadian) but I can’t stay like this. If it was just one foot I would consider more surgery but it’s both feet & they are pretty severe, a 8,9 out of 10 every day. I can only stand about 30 seconds at a time. I’m in rough shape. My surgeon is an idiot but he’s the only one we have. I don’t want him touching my feet. I will let you know how I make out with them. I’m expecting to be out wLking, possibly running by June. 

    • RichardKen
      RichardKen barb1953

      Posted

      Dear Barb

      Very interesting. I will be looking forward to hearing how you get on and wish you every, every success.

      Richard

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