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Thursday, December 15, 2011

Foot surgery tomorrow... ouch.

Big day tomorrow... foot surgery.  uggh.

Most of you know that running hasn't been going so great for me the last two years due to injuries.  At IM Cozumel last year the marathon was a disaster due to GI issues and plantar fascitis, then this year I thought I was plagued with achilles tendonitis- so I thought.

I tried rest (seriously), icing, physical therapy, medication, shots, etc., all to no avail- the bottom part of my ankle (back of my heel) would NOT STOP hurting!  I DNF'ed a 1/2 Iron this year b/c it so bad and I didn't want to do further damage to it.  This was NOT OK with me.
NOT my hairy leg- just showing you where it hurt!
Finally my doc looked at an X-Ray and saw this:
not my actual X-Ray either... sorry.   Mine is similar though.
What's not normal here?  Here's a better comparison:


WHY is this a bad thing?

Yes, my achilles tendon is going OVER the bone spur, causing  friction, and a painful bursa.  It hurts while doing everyday activities, but it's particularly painful while running.  He told me that I wouldn't do any "extra damage", and gave me permission to run on it to train through the final block and race IMAZ.  Owies, but I got the job done (you gotta want it.)

What are the causes of this? How did I get it?
  • Sometimes called a "pump bump"...women who frequently wear high heels that rub against the area may cause the bone the calcify due to the stress placed on it... (Nope.  At the MOST, I wear heels 2x/week, if at all)
  • Tendency to walk on the outside of your heel- the inward rotation causes the bone to grind against the tendon. (Nope)
  • High arches (YUP!) - the heel bone tilts backward into the tendon
  • Tight calves/achilles tendon (DING DING DING!!) Lots of pressure on the bone since the tendon is tight and rubbing on it would cause it to calcify.  Talk about the important of foam rolling and stretching...jeez.

It's not going to go away... so the doc suggested shaving the extra bone off.

Yikes.

They won't have to detach the achilles tendon to get to it (THANK GOODNESS)- if they did, recovery could take 4-6 months.  BAAAD.

My doc told me that I could probably be back on the trainer and in the pool within 2-3 weeks, and back to running within 4-6 weeks.  So that means I'll "recover" through the Holidays, start back up around January 1, and be running by the end of that month!  

It sucks, but this is definitely the right time of the year to do it.  I'm pretending like I'm not nervous at all... everything is going to go perfectly, and I'll be running injury-free next year, right?? 



15 comments:

Tonya said...

Hope the surgery goes well and you have a speedy recovery :)

Jennifer Harrison said...

GOOD LUCK TOMORROW! And, you will recovery quickly for sure!

cheryl said...

hope you have a speedy recovery. And pain free running in the future!

John said...

Good luck with the surgery...and to a speedy recovery!

Meredith said...

My dad has "pump bump" from running and has been a nightmare for him. I think you're smart to do the surgery. He's been in pain for 10 years and gets terrible blisters because of it and yet he won't do anything about it. Good luck. Thinking about you!

Kacie Darden said...

RIGHT! You'll be great! We are all sending really positive vibes and thoughts and prayers your way!

Big Daddy Diesel said...

I will be praying for a speedy recovery for you

Michelle said...

Hang in there Laura. You are a trooper!

Gotta Run..... said...

Knock it out now so you can knock out an awesome year in racing for 2012!

Hope it goes well!!

Heather-O said...

Good luck with the surgery! Hope you have a speedy recovery!

Caratunk Girl said...

Oh man, best of luck with the surgery!! At least (like you said) it is timed well. You will be recovered and ready to roll come race season!

Anonymous said...

Best wishes for a speedy, full recovery!

Jamie said...

That sucks that you'll have to go under the knife, but at least you'll have a speedy recovery!

Hoping you'll be back in one piece and running up a storm well before winter is over.

Unknown said...

EEK. heal fast!

GoBigGreen said...

Well said Laura!!
Lots of haglunds deformities are genetic too so don't beat yourself up! Glad ur done with surgery!!