Hard to believe a year has passed since my surgery. I’m walking more or less normally but have been told I need to work on my leg strength before trying to run. I went on a 2 week bus trip that had LOTS of walking through the countryside of France in April and even made it up to the top of Mt. St. Michele cathedral that had over 200 very steep stairs. Truly felt like a pilgrim! My heel feel great. However the tendon along the instep is still very stiff and still semi-numb from the accidental nerve damage which is slowly returning. I still have swelling along the outside of my ankle where I had a torn peroneal brevis repaired at the same time as the Achilles reconstruction. Swimming seems to help, so I guess I’ll try to get to a pool daily now that it’s almost summer. I had to get rid of all my old shoes because I need a whole size larger now and have gotten new orthotics which have really helped my damaged foot. However, they have made the Haglund’s bone spur on left foot start to really ache. Don’t know if I can wear the orthotic on the repaired right foot and not wear one on the left foot. Really don’t want to go through all the surgical pain and recovery all over again.
At six months I back in my yoga class and finding the ankle is still really stiff. I’m wondering if the big toe joint is screaming painful due to scar adhesion from the FHL tendon transfer. But there’s no pain in the Achilles. My biggest complaint is the regenerating nerve feels like biting ants around my knee and ankle while the outside half of my foot feels dead. With nerve growth about 1″ per month it will take about 18 months for the new nerve to reach my little toe. Has anyone else had to deal with regenerating nerves? But I’m thankful there’s slow improvement.
It’s been 5 months since my FHL transfer and I’m trying to rebuild strength and flexibility. So I’m trying to return to my yoga class. I can do double heel lifts but not really single heel lifts without major hand support. Yesterday I found out I am totally incapable of pushing up on my toes to a down dog pose. It really surprised me. I discovered my toe joint is VERY stiff and incredibly painful. It felt like a knife ripping through my skin. Any suggestions ?
Can anyone who has had a FHL transfer to replace my shredded Achilles tell me how long it takes for the bottom of my foot not to feel so stiff? I’m at 5 months and finally was able to get my pre surgery shoes on today. Yipee! But while my ROM and strength are coming back, I still can’t do a single foot heel lift or push up on a ladder to get out of the pool. Is there anyone who has had a FHL back to normal? Will it ever happen or is the stiffness something I will just have to accept?
I just returned from a week long cruise to Bermuda. Each day my foot and ankle became a little more swollen. I refrained from too much walking and didn’t participate in the nightclub dancing. I iced every evening. But I don’t understand why it became so incredibly swollen. The top of my foot looked like a balloon.
15 weeks from surgery today. This weekend we drove to the Shenandoah National park to watch the meteor shower. So I tried two little hikes as a test to how much my new Achilles could stand. I climbed 250 feet on a .25 mile each way up to a cliff and back down and a 1.5 mile easy hike on a gravel trail through the forest. I was definitely ready to get back to the parking lot but was pretty pleased in general. Today both sides of my ankle are very swollen but it felt like a huge accomplishment. Still incredibly stiff but I’m continuing to do heel lifts, black theraband 4 way stretch and hamstring stretches. Just need to be patient.
Today after 4weeks in a cast, 4 weeks in an armored boot and 6 weeks in a crisscrossed Velcro ankle brace I’m released to wear sandals. However I have plantar fasciata so need to work on stretching the sole tendons. I also found out that the burning numb nerve down the outside of my calf is nerve damage from the nerve block hit my peroneal nerve. So I just have to wait till it heals though the doc gave me Lyrical. Has anyone else experience nerve damage?
I’m at 13 weeks post surgery. My physical therapist said my strength is back to normal, so I wouldn’t need to return to PT but should continue doing exercises at home. I should continue to do the 4 way stretch with bands to increase both the dorsiflexion and eversion outward as well as heel lifts and calf stretches. I shouldn’t do the heel hanging off a stair for another month. Any other exercise suggestions?
Walking in shoes with my ankle brace feels pretty secure, however without shoes the sole of my foot is still super sensitive and all the tendons are still really stiff. So I’m rolling it over all kinds of balls and roller bars and frozen water bottles. I am going to deep water aerobics 2x a week. Yesterday I took off my water shoes and tried to flutter kick for the first time- really strange tingles and vulnerable sensations.
I’m excited to drive myself to get a haircut and meet a friend for lunch this week. So it feels like a return to normal activities even though my foot still feels very foreign.
This morning I drove for the first time. With my ankle brace, I felt secure with both the gas and brake. The sole of my foot is still ultra sensitive so I was a little nervous. Fortunately I didn’t have any nerve firing spasms. Don’t know how secure I’ll feel when I’m tired. But it was a good beginning.
Anyone who has had FHL transfer, how long does the sole’of’your injured foot stay inflexible. I’m doing heel raisers and manually pushing my big toe toward my knee. My arch feels like its made of hard plastic.
