I still get the occasional visitor and comment (thanks for that!) and it reminds me I should probably update.
Two Novembers ago, I went into surgery thinking that even if it only worked 50% as well as the surgeon assured me it would, it still had to be better than the way I was currently living.
So, two years out, where am I? Well, if not for this scar on my heel, I’d wonder if all the pain and limping and misery were all just a figment of my imagination. Seriously. It feels that good. It’s to the point now that I don’t stop every time I’m going up steps and marvel at the fact that I can do that without pain. Or hop out of the ambulance at work and wonder “Should I do that? Will it ruin the repair?” When I wear bad shoes now, I get plantar fasciitis just like every other middle aged overweight person in the world, not excruciating heel pain. We walked around the amusement park the other night, taking in the holiday lights, and not once did I think about my foot. The whole first year for me was one of milestones. The first time I did this or that again. The first time I did something that would cause excruciating pain in the past that now didn’t. Year 2 has been about forgetting.
Make no mistake about it – the first six months are going to be painful. The first year, there will be times that it flares up and you’re going to wonder if you did the right thing. Ice. Rest. Stretch. Keep going. Around 18 months out, I stopped thinking about it daily. Two years out, it seems like it happened to someone else.
Six months, a year, two years. It seems like forever. Now it seems like forever ago.
Haglunds Recovery 
Hi
I came across your blog. I have been told I have haglunds deformity in both my ankles. However my achillies tendon are perfect. Was this the case for you? I was wondering post surgery what to expect is there is no repair to the achilies? The surgeon said he would have to lift the achilies to shave down the bone though. Also is there still a bump after surgery?
I am slighlgu confused about what to expect!
Thanks
Aisha
That’s actually great! I had to have my Achilles detached, split, debrided (damaged parts taken off), and anchored back on. It sounds like yours is just being retracted aside so the surgeon can excise the bony deformity. I would imagine that would have to lessen the recovery time and pain a bit! I have no bump after surgery but my scar runs right down the middle on the back of my foot. That was sensitive for several months while it was healing. Some surgeons do offset the incision to one side for that reason. Make a list of questions for your surgeon! Ask how long you can expect to be non weight bearing (if at all). Are you doing one foot at a time?
Oh thank god! Did you have this issue on both feet? The surgeon said to do one foot and to see if the surgery helped and then to do the second foot. Has your scar faded over time or is it quite prominant? I think i would rather have a scar then this bump as its constantly red and looks awful!
Most of the scar where my shoe presses against the back of my foot is barely visible now, just a skinny white line. The top of the scar is a little thicker and redder (no pressure from shoes). Once you’re cleared to, massage your scars with lotion as firmly as you can stand to in all directions. It feels really weird at first but it helps desensitize the area and minimize the scarring.
If I had been more diligent with massaging the entire scar would probably be almost invisible by now.
Ohh I will make sure to remember that! Before your surgery did you just have the boney prominance or was the area really red? Mine is a bump and is constantly red so just worried after the surgery if the bump will still be there and also the redness 😦 did you only have this issue on one foot?
Thank you for your blog. I am 2 weeks to the day post op and it is nice to read about your recovery and what I may expect. My Dr said I should be back to work 8 weeks post op so I’m keeping my fingers crossed. Mine was done on my left foot so at least I can drive myself around (thank goodness). Is there anything you would have done or not done that may have sped up your recovery? Honestly the worst part is the cabin fever. I’m hoping for the optimal recovery and have nothing but time on my hands. Thanks again for the blog
Hmmm. My recovery was really best case scenario, so the only thing I can maybe think of is some passive range of motion exercises earlier on. (Alphabet circles with big toe, etc) though I was very timid about plantarflexion and dorsiflexion because my surgeon drilled into my head that if I did anything to disturb the healing of the anchors, he wouldn’t be able to fix it. Other than that, the physical therapy 3x/week really forced progress by leaps and bounds. It hurt more than post surgery at times, but there was always noticeable progress the next day. Good luck in your recovery.
I had my surgery going on 7 weeks. I have been fortunite. I am wearing normal shoes and am back to working full time. I still have a slight limp after being on my feet all day but it seems to be getting better as the days go by. I had my left Haglunds repaired using what is known as speed bridge with Dynamic bone anchors. It significantly reduces healing time. I was able to put 100 percent of my weight on my foot within 3 weeks inside the cam boot. If you are looking to have this done make sure your dr is using this new technique. I should be jogging in 10 weeks post op. Good luck to whom ever is reading this thinking about having it done
That’s great news! I have the speed bridge anchors as well. I wasn’t “supposed” to be putting weight on my boot foot, but I did, can’t remember when I started in relation to surgery. 3-4 weeks sounds about right because I really hated those crutches. I probably fessed up somewhere in this blog, haha. I would have never been ready for jogging 10 weeks out. I was still learning to walk normally. Sounds like your recovery is going great.
Thank you for your posts. I am almost two years out (July) and I am not in a place where you are, to my dismay. The Achilles seems to still be swollen still and painful every morning and if I overdo it. I am seeing the doctor in May. Last time she thought I might have an allergic reaction to the biodegradable screws and that is causing it not to heal due to constant inflammation. So I am going to see if another surgery is necessary to help it. If they go in and they can get at the screws without taking the Achilles off the bone again, then that would be good. The screws would be gone, thus allowing it to heal completely with only two weeks of non-weight bearing. But if the problem is not that, then I have to go through the complete surgery again. Wish me luck!!!!
Oh my. Good luck! How terrible that you have to go through all of that again. It took me years to pull the trigger on the surgery because of reading accounts like yours.
I just found your blog, will be having the same surgery done in 10 days and am scared but ready. Have been dealing with the dibilatitng pain for several years. I’ve already been home for a few weeks off work in Das boot due to the pain and am concerned about the cabin fever to come. Thank you for writing such a detailed blog. I can’t tell you how much it meant to read your story and get your perspective, knowing I’ll be going through this same exact thing soon.
Thanks for your kind words. The recovery is slow and sometimes the progress is so incremental that it’s hard to see – but it’s so worth it. Take your rehab seriously and you’ll be a new person in several months! I repeat, it is worth it.
15 months post surgery and I have massive swollen hardness in the back of the foot and inside-left heel area. I have gone through PRP, steroids, back in boot 3 times and cast once. I have been told to stretch, stretch, stretch and that’s the only thing I can do to help it. No one has come out and said “scar tissue” but I guess that’s what it is. Not back to tennis yet – when I did it caused that area to swell more and become very painful. Anyone else go through this? What did you do?
I’m so sorry. I didn’t have any complications. Sounds like there’s calcification or scar tissue there, yes. It really sucks to go through all of that and not be better.