Removal of Haglund’s deformity

I had surgery 11 days ago and feel a lot of tingling and nerve pain in the last couple of days. I go to get stitches out and move from splint to cast on Wednesday. Is this normal. Looking for info. Thanks in advance.

Ah - just realized you haven’t had surgery yet - LOL! I didn’t know where to ice until after the surgery either. Hopefully they’ll tell you tomorrow while you’re in recovery. Good luck on your surgery. If you’ve not had surgery before ask them for anti-nausea medicine. I react very poorly to general anesthesia and to pain meds - both make me nauseous. I told my doc this early on so I had anti-nausea meds and pain meds ready to go at home. I have to say this for Kaiser - they do what is needed to get you ready to heal ahead of time. Now they wouldn’t give me a knee scooter (only crutches) so I had to buy that myself but better that than falling down (which I did, twice) on crutches. After my second fall hubby put the crutches in the garage so I wouldn’t be tempted - LOL!

Wow - they didn’t tell you how to ice while in a cast? They were icing me behind the knee when I came out of surgery. Woke up in recovery with ice behind my knee. You should ice as often as you can. Keeping swelling down is one of the most important things at this stage. I was icing 20 minutes on, 1 hour off as often as possible for the first 3 weeks. I also elevated at least 90% of the time (that’s what I was told to do by my doc) for the first 3 weeks. As you can imagine I never had any swelling while in the cast.

Thanks for the responses! I think I have it set up to where I”ll be able to ride in the back of the car and use the center console to elevate it for the ride up and back. As for icing, I won’t be able to ice it if it’s casted, right? From what I understand I was gonna be in a cast for upwards of 4 weeks up to the bend of my knee.

Joey,

I drove back from Atlanta GA to Cincinnati, OH 4 weeks post surgery and it was AWFUL. The ride down I rode in the back and elevated and I was fine. I have to drive back home bc the wife got sick and I paid for it dearly bc my leg was down for so long. I had calf pain for 7-10 days and they tested me for blood clot (negative of course) but it was crazy.

Cserpent is right about elevating. The first week is CRUCIAL! I literally stayed on the couch with legged propped and iced 30 minutes on and 30 off all day and night. I had minimal bruising a week post surgery when they took bandages off.

Just my 2 cents. Good luck.

Start your on page Joey! As to traveling … the protocol at Kaiser for that surgery (I had it on my right, may need it on my left someday) is keep your foot elevated 90% of the time for 3 weeks, then continue NWB for another 3 weeks. I don’t know what your doctor has given you for the recovery plan. This is because any swelling will slow down your recovery. If you’re able to lay down and keep the foot elevated for the drive you could possibly do it. I wouldn’t recommend doing it seated in a normal way - I think your foot will be throbbing, swollen and very unhappy. And, since you’ll probably be in a cast, if you have any cast issues it will be more difficult to get them resolved. I had my cast changed multiple times in the 2.5 weeks I had it on. Thankfully I harangued them into putting me in a boot for the remaining 4.5 weeks of NWB that I had. I’m sure they only did it because I was doing as directed - LOL! And because they didn’t want to keep changing my cast every time the padding got compressed. Feel free to read the early pages of my blog - cserpent. I’m almost at the 10 month mark and pretty much back to normal

First, thanks to everyone for posting here! I have to have haglunds removed from each foot, and I’m starting with my left. Surgery is scheduled for this Thursday, 12.14.17. My question is this. I live outside of Montgomery, AL and we usually travel to Memphis, TN to my wife’s parents house for Christmas. Do ya’ll think that will still be possible to ride that far a mere week and a half after surgery? Thanks for the input!

Thanks for your reply Cserpent, you are spot on only PWB until told otherwise..Had my 1st physio assessment today given various exercises to do mainly to free up area so been given green light to weight bear only when doing excersies then; seeing surgeon 19th Dec. for hopefully final check up & boot off.I will take your advice[& wifes!] & try not rush things.Had to wait for 8 months for my turn for this operation[God bless our [uk] National Health Service!] so whats a few months laid up..Only regret is i wish i had found this site prior to my operation as it would have helped to answer some unanswered questions.

Gerry - if your achilles was cut and reattached - I would guess you shouldn’t be walking on it yet. I had the same surgery and was NWB for 6 weeks. After that I phased in walking over the course of 6 weeks. They don’t want you walking since the surgery cut needs to heal sufficiently before you start stressing it. And you will get back to your normal activities IF you follow the protocol your doctor gives you and do all the PT you get assigned. If you try to push it you should REALLY discuss with your doc first to make sure you aren’t going to mess things up. I ended up being on the fastest recovery track that I was given - because I had no complications and I did exactly as I was instructed so I had no setbacks due to overdoing it. Feel free to read my page for details on my journey. It started on 2/17/2017 and I’m pretty much back to normal now. My heel feels much better than before surgery. Of course no my left heel is starting to remind me I still have a bone spur on that foot.

What an informative site this is!.Had Haglunds lump removed 5 weeks ago,recovery is going great if I’m honest,stiches out & wound seems nice and clean so far.Got to wear an air boot but can have a shower & remove when sleeping on a night.I Did try and walk on heal other day without boot [wifes a nurse so will need to keep that one to myself!] went ok but everything seems locked up & stiff.Im a postman/deliveryperson so was walking 10 to 12 miles 5 days a week prior to operation so;being laid up has become a bit of a shock & have found that getting a little ‘cabin crazy’ has been the hardest part of my recovery.Needless to say try and get out [on crutches] at least once a day if you can.This operation has been a long wait after trying everything out there so not only do I hope to get back to doing my job but; also my life,namely cycling ,running & walking pain free regards Gerry

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Hi
I’ve had Haglund’s on my right heel (very large bump) for years without thinking much but the last year I realised what it was as it had become painful - probably roller skating caused it to become inflamed. I’ve been treating it for over a month now with nightly caster oil patches and the bump is now the smallest it has been in years. I foresee another month or two of patches before it disappears. (Sixth months in total probably to be on the safe side). My mum and aunt have both successfully removed bone spurs using this method and it also seems to be working on the haglund’s.
Initially the pain got worse for the first few weeks - guess it’s bound to as it dissolves but my heel is starting to feel like a normal heel again - it’s great. Worth the effort of the extra work every evening.

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Hi all just readings some of the comments regarding Haglands removal. Really sorry for all who are having problems. I had my op on the 18th July, full removal and re-attachment of the tendon, and whatever he did to the bone removal., In a cast for 6 weeks and then a air cast boot with pwb 2 weeks ago, the boot caused me some problems like opening the wound up again. The pain I had before the op was really bad ,which I had for a couple of years. The therapist says I used the boot too much, I was under the impression that I would be in my own shoes after the cast was off. Really fed up to be honest. I am 66 and was very active before op. Walked 5 miles a day,which prob caused the Haglands.. Not sure when I`ll be up and running again, had a fall with the crouches,damaged my shoulder, hate them so much. Its difficult for all you people who are active or not, who are as eager as me to walk properly again. Regards

hi I had both ankles done for HH and to this day they haven’t heeled right. the wounds repaired nicely however the left one started rejecting the sutches and it hasn’t heeled for two years and i am still getting sutches being rejected. absolute nightmare my surgeon I am running out of patience with my condition now. do you guys know of any other people who have had this reaction to the sutches from this operation.

Thanks for the update, Johnny B. I’ve spent a lot of time on this thread, perusing the hundreds of comments, looking for stories even remotely similar to mine (none) and for people commenting after several months recovery (few). I’m 5.5 months post Haglund’s removal/AT repair, but also had another rare surgery one year prior on the same ankle, and sound much the same as you. No running, no jumping, no one legged heel lifts. Although, most of my pain is right at the insertion - so bad still that even just touching there gives me waves of nausea. I do get some further up the tendon too, but not as bad. And I still have a bit of a limp (sometimes a lot of limp) most of the time. I’ve been living in sandals, but the weather is starting to get cold, so I’m really not sure what I’ll do when I have to start wearing real shoes, or even socks. I hope you continue to improve, and give us updates as well. Thanks for the “stay strong”….definitely something I need to hear from time to time.

Just a quick update. I am 9 months post op and while the pain is much improved I am still unable to run, jump, or do a one-legged heel lift. The pain is not so bad at insertion, but is very painful to the touch about an inch above insertion. I can walk normally when wearing running shoes and footwear with no back, but my work boots destroy me. I’ve not stopped limping, albeit not as bad as it was but I use the weekend to get close to normal walking before blasting my feet all over again.

Now, my doc told me straight away that he expected an 80% recovery at best. So, I’m probably getting close to as good as it gets. All in all, I’d do the surgery again. The pain I experienced pre-surgery was dibilitating on the worst days and mentally tiring on the best. At least I know how to mitigate the severe pain now. Unfortunately, I need to be able to run for my job and and also to wear steel (composite) toe boots. I bought three pair of quality boots to find the right ones with no joy. So, although my quality of life has improved from the surgery I am not as hopeful that I will get to continue doing what I love.

As far as Andrew’s post

Just a quick update. I am 9 months post op and while the pain is much improved I am still unable to run, jump, or do a one-legged heel lift. The pain is not so bad at insertion, but is very painful to the touch about an inch above insertion. I can walk normally when wearing running shoes and footwear with no back, but my work boots destroy me. I’ve not stopped limping, albeit not as bad as it was but I use the weekend to get close to normal walking before blasting my feet all over again.

Now, my doc told me straight away that he expected an 80% recovery at best. So, I’m probably getting close to as good as it gets. All in all, I’d do the surgery again. The pain I experienced pre-surgery was dibilitating on the worst days and mentally tiring on the best. At least I know how to mitigate the severe pain now. Unfortunately, I need to be able to run for my job and and also to wear steel (composite) toe boots. I bought three pair of quality boots to find the right ones with no joy. So, although my quality of life has improved from the surgery I am not as hopeful that I will get to continue doing what I love.

As far as Andrew’s post

Remind yourself when you read these that Blogs tend to be written by people who want to brag how good their surgery went or complain how bad it went. Most people who everything was OK for tend not to feel the need to write about it.
I had my surgery in April 2015. All went pretty normally and I was back playing soccer in 6 1/2 months. I still do a lot of my PT exercises and ankle feels completely normal, which is what the surgeon said it would.
Best advice is, once you decide, to listen to your surgeon, get PT and stick to it. PT is what gets you back to normal and beyond.
Good luck!

I am 13 months post op and I can honestly say most days I do forget I had the surgery so hang in there! Agree to go with a good orthopedic surgeon preferable for and ankle specialist. PT so important!

@John Viss- Thanks for the comments. I am almost to the 6 month mark and the severity of the pain much improved, but I still have issues with the outside of my heel at insertion and I am convinced that my 1st metatarsal cheilectomy didn’t accomplish much. Pain at incision is almost 100% non-existent. I was cleared for running and get on the treadmill every other day. Pain in my toe and heel begins to get intolerable from anything more than a walk so I alternate between running and walking. I killed my workout the other day with a 1.79 miles in 30 minutes effort. Lol! Elliptical (on non running days) is much better. I can do 4+ miles on a 50%-100% alternating resistance setting in the same amount of time. Overall, I have to say I am doing better, but every step hurts, not near as bad as the dagger to the heel pain that forced me to the operating room, but it but enough to keep me limping about 90% of the day. unfortunately, I can feel that old familiar pain growing worse in my left foot now. I’m going to look like Frankenstein’s monster before I’m 50.

I am 58 years old and for years have had the insertional issue. Decided to take advantage of my $500 a month insurance with the $6300 deductible.
My surgeon described the process I had as gruesome.
Detachment, bone saw… everyone here gets this.
I got the nerve block which lasted me 48 hours. The pain pills (all pain pills) don’t work at all on me. I was operated May 12, 2017. At the advice of orthopedic surgeon friends I did NOT go with a podiatrist, only a highly rated foot and ankle Orthopedic Surgeon.
Pain meds did not work, but repositioning the foot high in certain positions gave me zero pain with little discomfort.
I use a knee scooter, first few days when I put the foot down you could feel the pressure of blood flowing to the wound (which it is why the foot is up).
One week today since surgery. Stitches out next week, then a boot and some PT starting 4-6 weeks out.
At 58 I was still playing college level tennis doubles. I think I will be hobbling around out there until at least the 9th month. 45 years on concrete with good shoes and two pairs of socks, but I still one the bad lottery.
I have an eight year ol

@JohnnyB - I am at the 6 month mark and my mobility is much improved. I was in pain for over 2 yrs and I would say that from the 3 month post surgery mark, it has been better than it was previously. There is still scar tissue and it still hurts from time to time but it is much better than it was. I did therapy 2x a week for the first 4.5 months and have pulled back to 1x every 2 weeks. I met with my Dr. yesterday and he said that somewhere in the 6 -12 month time frame you should forget that you had your surgery. I was given clearance for full activity. The recovery is long but I am pleased with the progress that I have made. Be patient and as long as the Doc says that it is healed, be positive.

Hi DavidB, I suspect I had mine for a long time as well and didn’t notice it until I was almost unable to walk after my first soccer tournament (back in early 2000). At that point I just did the achilles stretches and such that I got during PT. I kept doing those, periodically, to keep the achilles from getting even more tight and snapping on its own. My right foot was MUCH worse than my left foot - probably because I’m right footed. It got bigger over the years but I didn’t have the surgery until it got so bad I could no longer hop and it was slowing me down, a lot, at the end of the first half of soccer games. So - keep an eye on it, do stretches to keep the achilles limber and do something about it if and when it becomes intolerable. I asked my doc when I should do the left foot - if doing it when it is smaller is better. He said wait until it gets intolerable. If bad things happen during surgery (which can happen) I may not be able to play soccer and such so why take the risk until the I absolutely have to. Right now my left foot bump doesn’t really bug me at all - I can still wear closed heel shoes on that foot - so I’

Hi everyone, wondering if what I’m experiencing is normal. I have noticed what I now believe to be a HD in my heal about three years ago. It is larger on my left foot and clearly noticeable. I don’t even know when it appeared, might have been with me since childhood and just assumed that it was the normal shape of the heel.
Since then I’ve monitored it and does not seem to grow, or at least not noticeably.
I have never felt any pain from any activity: football, hiking and tennis. The skin over it has thickened a bit and I don’t even get blisters. Actually the only thing that brought me to the forum was the fact that I started running and decided to see if it can affect the HD.
Is that normal? Does this not hurt in the beginning?

I’ve been reading comments for a while and wonder about the length of recovery too. I am 40, male, and before this all started I was pretty active. I allowed it to get to the point that any real activity took about two to three weeks to get over with your typical 1-2 days of crawling around the house. The xrays before surgery showed numerous pieces of bone floating around my heal. I had removal of Haglund’s, Achilles, debride, reattach, calf lengthening and 1st metatarsal cheilectomy due to hallux rigidus the first week of January. I was 2 weeks in a splint, 6 weeks in a cast, 2 weeks in a boot, and since have been in a custom orthotic designed to fit in your shoe. I have been told that could last up to 6 months. Regardless, I have been told that usually at 6 months the pain should be much better and 1 year is fully healed.

This is hell and is taking forever.

I have returned to the gym the last few weeks and feel energized but my 3-5 metatarsuls hurt with every step and my medial knee is getting painful enough to make me want to do nothing. I am sick and tired of not being able to do anything without fear of hurting my foot.

And - my right foot was first diagnosed with the problem in 2004 (or perhaps earlier - I couldn’t track it down exactly) when I could barely walk after a soccer tournament. I didn’t have surgery until 2017. My achilles was still in good shape. However in the month or so before surgery I did start having sharp pains in my achilles when I was just sitting down. It turns out that was due to a piece of the bone spur breaking off. So - had I waited much longer that floating bone might have done some damage. In short - let your body tell you when it is time.

My other foot (left) also has bone growth on the heel but it is much smaller than my right foot was when I had surgery. I can still wear close heeled shoes on my left without the need for a gel pad. I asked my doc if it was better to get it done when the growth is smaller. He said wait until you can’t stand it anymore to get the surgery. Shit can happen during surgery and if something goes wrong and you can no longer do what you like to do (for me it is playing soccer and hiking) after the surgery you don’t want to have regrets that you could have waited many more years to do the surgery and played soccer (or whatever) in those years. So - if my left foot ever gets to the point where I can no longer hop and where I’m in pain after just the first half of a soccer game - then I’ll have the surgery. I wore crocks, clogs, sandals and gel pads when I wore tennis shoes or soccer shoes for many, many years as my right foot got worse (but it still wasn’t so bad that I couldn’t play soccer and hike) and I can do the same with my left foot.

Wondering how many here who have had Haglunds surgery on one foot have wound up needing it on the other foot as well? My surgery was 11 months ago. All in all went very well and I am certainly glad to be out of pain. However, I am recently feeling an all too familiar feeling in my other foot. Recent X-ray confirms my suspicions. Discussed the less invasive procedure where the AT doesn’t need to be detached from the bone. Surgeons feeling however is let’s wait and see if it gets worse and affects your function. My concern is that waiting will indeed damage the AT causing the need for the more complicated surgery. Any thoughts?

@Sue and Julie - interesting that the Haglunds surgery has so many different protocols. I’m 4 weeks out - won’t be PWB until the 6 week mark. Asked my doc about the difference in recovery and WB between haglunds and ATR and he said since they have to cut the achilles and pull it away from the bone to grind off the heel spur it has to get reattached to the bone as part of the healing which takes longer than just tendon to tendon healing. Not sure why your docs had you go WB so soon - but perhaps your surgeries weren’t as drastic as mine. I won’t start PT until probably the 12 week mark which is when I’ll be out of the boot. Perhaps Kaiser is just more conservative for the Haglunds surgery. I don’t think it is much related to age since the protocol I got in 2009 when I was still in my 40’s was the same as the protocol I got this time. Of course I’ll know more about any pain due to PWB once I start that in 2 weeks. Looking forward to it - for sure! Can’t wait to start walking again

If you’re in that much pain Julie then perhaps you should be NWB for 6 weeks. They did say as tolerated - so if you can’t tolerate it then

@ Sue and Julie……what appears different from my experience and others who experienced the same or similar surgery was you two were weight bearing after two weeks while most others were weight bearing after 4 or more weeks. I wonder if that has something to do with interfering with the healing process? I can say. after NWB for 4 weeks my heel was sore and weak for another 4 weeks…about week 9 into week 10 did I feel like I turned the corner toward total recovery.

I am 14 wks out from Haglands surgery, heel spur removal and re attachment of tendon. I got along fine with the surgery. Walking boot immediately after surgery the ortho shoe for a 2 wk period and PT for 11 visits for strength and range of motion. I am now having a lot of pain again, on the side where they did the most work, right below my ankle bone. I didn’t take pain pills much during the post surgery period but it wakes me at night to have to get up and get one. It’s swelling now too and I’m limping again. My Podiatrist has released me. I would think twice about having it again if this is how it ends up. I’m not happy that it is so painful again.

Hi I’m 10 days post op for HD and AT reattachment I’ve had my back slab plaster off and stitches removed today, up until now I’ve been NWB and today I have been put in a boot with 2 wedges for another two weeks taking a wedge out in one weeks time,I had been told to PWB in the boot as pain allows, I’m in absolute agony and can’t put any weight on my foot so now I’m using crutches with a boot as well, I was wondering if anyone else is or has been in the same place as myself and would love some advise on pain management and length of time for recovery and returning back to work.
Would welcome any replies and advice have got to return to outpatients In two weeks not sure I can stand the pain till then .

@Mark… my doctor indicated that he might need to use a tendon that is attached to my big toe if the AT needed to be reinforced. In my case that was NOT done… perhaps this might be your issue. My surgery was 11/30 and while I am plateauing in my recovery and still have soreness at the base of the calf, I feel it is still progressing. I have resumed some higher impact activity. I do experience some heel pain and put an extra pad or heel insert in my shoe.

I’m just 19 days postop and have a numb big toe. It is due to compression by the wraps for the splints/cast on the top of my foot. The doctor put me in a boot a little early so I can have better control of where the pressure on the top of my foot happens. As soon as the cast or splint got lose the numbness would fade. There is a vein running across the top of my foot and if I press around that, about midway between my leg and toe I can feel that I’m affecting the big toe so there is a nerve in the vicinity of that toe. I wanted to do something about it ASAP so it doesn’t become a permanently irritated nerve. I’m still working out how to adjust the straps best so it doesn’t get pressed.

Hi, I posted back in Nov 2016 after i had my HD op and re-attach of AT. I write to see if anyone has suffered from a numb big toe after ? I had the op on 15/11/16 and my big toe is constantly numb to the point of very painful. The hospital have checked and they confirm it is numb but no real help or reason why ? Also I have got severe pain on the opposite side of my heel where the procedure was performed. I was told that it is a long process but interested in others comments.

Then met with PT. Flexibility has returned matching the right foot. I think he wanted 20 degrees and we got that

10 week check up, HD and bursa sac removal. Details discussed above. Met with Doc. All is good, swelling is minimal and continues to decline. Can walk without a limp, no pain unless I am on the foot for 5 hours or more and then it needs a brief rest to recover. I continue to ride my bike 2x a week and will add another day and will also include mountain biking within the next week or so.
I will start yoga soon and will slowly add core exercises such as p90x on a steady basis. Doc says continue to stretch and strengthen calf, no further appt. scheduled.

Then met with PT. Flexibility has returned matching the right foot. I think he wanted 20 degrees and we got that today. From not being able to do one left leg calf raise I can now do 15-20. He put me on a balance ball and had no problems, continue to stretch and strengthen. No further appts scheduled.

This will be my last post. Thanks to all those who posted their stories. I feel fortunate to have recovered as evenly as I have and hope my experience will provide helpful information to those suffering from HD and Achilles related issues. !!!!

I had a podiatrist but chose to go with orthopedist as surgery is what they do. Pleased with my results… so far.

Great question..
I have seen my orthopod for years for the knees. He referred to a podiatrist and with her went through the boot, wedges and PT. I returned to my orthopod for a recheck on the knees and his comment on the heel was time for surgery and then referred me to an orthopod colleague specializing in foot and ankle issues. Short answer…..both work. I would go with who you feel comfortable with.

Hi there, do people recommend a Orthopedic doctor or a podiatrist to do the surgery? Specifically, I’m at a point to have to do a full detachment of left achilles. Curious which type would be better suited. My podiatrist said he’s done hundreds of these…

I had surgery for Haglunds deformity 5 months ago and the remaining pain is worse than the pain that sent me to the surgeon in the first place. I am so tired of the constant pain. Have had a cortisone injection which helped for a while but cant walk far,spending most of the day sitting down with an ice pack on it. Think twice about having this surgery!

Couple days short of 8 week update.

Infection a non issue, incision is closed and swelling on the decline. Met with a sports PT who instructed 4 exercises, one of which is strengthening only, Calf raises, 3x week. The other three are stretching exercises 3x daily. I am a week into those exercises and did complete half a p90x workout yesterday. I planned on riding today but with the recent rain decided to take the dog for a walk. We live on a hill so ups and downs and decided on half the walk, about 1/2 mile. Completed it with some soreness on the heel but feeling stronger everyday. Will ride 12 miles tomorrow and again on Friday. Pain and swelling are decreasing daily and most def. see a light at the end of the tunnel. PT says 100% in 4 months, might just be ahead of schedule, we shall see.

Thanks, I think the 2017 prep guite should be made. Thanks

6 week update.
Got three bike rides in during week 5 and did the exercises as instructed which included soaking the foot prior to. On Thursday last the foot was swollen and I had just soaked it to do the exercises. I did a range of motion movement and felt the incision gap open. Friday it did not look right. Saturday morning was red and swollen. Off to urgent care. Given antibiotics, rest, elevate foot. . By Monday redness and swelling had subsided, infection under control. Returned Wed for a follow up and incision has almost closed, infection well under control.

Lost a bit of momentum but will pick back up where I left off next week as I start PT and will begin riding again but am mindful not to over do things. Cannot walk without a noticeable limp and moderate pain but has gotten better since the cast removal. Will update as I grind out some PT next week.