43 year old runner, Achilles debridement and haglands excision.Getting there!

by Gillian
(N. Ireland)

I have found this forum really useful. I had a heel spur removed on right heel as a teen and almost forgot about it. I had no issues.

5 years ago I got very keen on running and was running approx 30 miles a week and racing 10k, half marathons and did my 1st marathon in 2010 with no problems and a 3.47 time! Ran a half a few weeks later and no problems.

Went on holiday and did an aerobics class at the poolside in bare feet, crazy in hindsight, and this is where it all went downhill. saw a physio who didn't think too much was wrong, so iced, stretched and ran on. Got accepted for London Marathon and ran on.

Eventually pain and limping set in and i was diagnosed with haglands deformity and bursitis aqnd tendonitis. Had a couple of injections and pain settled. Ran on limping on through London and ran 3.53. Pain and limping meant I had to give up the running. was still able to spin.

Saw a foot and ankle specialist and eventually had surgery for debridement, removal of spurs, all reattached with 3 fastenings on April 26th this year.

Almost 8 weeks post surgery. 2 weeks non weight bearing. followed by 4 weeks in cast, weightbearing with crutches and then no crutches.

Now have done 2 weeks in boot, which took a while to get used to, but great to get it off at night. Wound healing well and am able to rotate ankle in both directions and stretch toes up and down. Starting physio in 2 weeks. Then will have 2 weeks were I wean myself off the boot.

Am keen to get back to my old life of spinning and running as soon as possible but want to do this right and not set myself back. Would like your views on what activities are likely over next few months and beyond.

Put this surgery off for almost 2 years as have 3 kids and life is busy. Glad I am through it and hope for a good result. The godsend was getting my automatic car adjusted with hand controls. otherwise I would have gone mad!



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Joshua Answers:

Hi Gillian.

Your limping time was only ten minutes slower than your regular time? Wow. Good job.

Ok, so you had surgery etc. Heel spurs off.

What do you mean 'all reattached with 3 fastenings'. Please elaborate specifically.

Do you mean tendons were severed and then reattached?

Sounds like things are healing nicely.

I don't think spinning will be much of a problem, but I'd not put getting back to running on your schedule any time soon.

Get walking first and see how things are.

Achilles Tendonitis is bad enough. And you've had that dynamic since you were a teen, as evidenced by a Bone Spur and Haglunds 'deformation'.

You had a dynamic of too tight muscles and connective tissue and compensation pattern that put too much tension on the bone, and the body does what it does: shapes itself to the forces placed upon it.

Thus, bone spur. And more compensation, and more muscle not doing it's job optimally.

Then you did barefoot aerobics out of the blue and your foot/lower leg structures, where were already problematic (you just couldn't feel it), were pushed over the edge into pain dynamic.

That's the common result of decades of Pain Causing Dynamic.

That's just how Tendonitis works. Meaning, the body works and compensates as long as it can, but at a certain point it starts to really lose and it goes 'Now it's YOUR problem.'

See: What Is Tendonitis


The activities you're likely to experience with Physical Therapy rehab is stretching and strengthening and ultrasound and hot packs and maybe some electrical stimulation.

I'm not convinced that that's going to get you back on the marathon trail, as none of that address the problems that caused the pain/problem in the first place, the same causes that are still in place because surgery just addresses the symptoms, not the causes.


Personally, I'd get busy with my Reversing Achilles Tendonitis ebook.

It's going to take a bunch of work to get you back on the road. You're going to do a bunch of work -anyway-, so you might as well do the right work that will actually move things towards a fix.


That's my general answer. If you have more specific questions, I have more specific answers.



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Joshua Tucker, B.A., C.M.T.
The Tendonitis Expert
www.TendonitisExpert.com