Heel cord release

[Rdhudson]

My dr. is setting me up for heel cord release on both legs.
Can anyone let me know what to expect.

[SCI-Nurse]

Bandages after surgery and positioning device. Will need to ensure that they don't get too tight again and therapy should be involved.
CWO

[Sue Pendleton]

Not sure exactly wht all is involved in the release. My left heel cord is a bit tight and I had both foot rests changed to about a 5 degree incline to keep it in a constant small stretch. I still get ROM for both but no longer have the heel pain on the left.

[ekephart]

Ryan had it done on both legs a few months ago. He came home with casts on both legs from just below the knee and was not permitted to bear any weight on them. Six weeks later, they came off and we went to air casts 24-7, other than showering. At that time, the ortho doc gave PT specific limits on how far to stretch those tendons so as not to tear them and make it even worse. We were not to stretch them alone yet for that reason. He was able to bear weights and touse his standing frame again at that point and get in the pool (replace air casts immediately when he got out). Six weeks again and full release and we are stretching at home as usual. Full range of motion in the ankles and most important, the ability to push through his heels. We still use the air casts at night but he has some sort of night splints on their way.

One thing we had to deal with when the casts came off was his toes wanting to curl. We would stretch them aggressively twice a day and they kept getting worse. His podiatrist (has had ingrown toenail issues so he has one) hooked him up with inserts for his shoes that has solved that problem totally. I have stretched toes hard only a few times in the last six weeks.

Was it difficult, yes. Was it worth it, yes.--eak

Covering the casts for showering is a pain. The high dollar covers are worse than the cheap ones. The baffles that you think will be great because you do not have to strap them tend to tear and then they are useless. The Air casts stink. There is no real way to wash them when you are wearing them 24-7. Now, we can wipe them down every morning, even use a disinfectant wipe since he is not putting is back on for hours and it will not bother his skin and be completely dry.

Also, his feet were very sensitive to touch for a couple of months after the casts came off. I had to be gentle in scrubbing them even though the needed extreme exfoliation after those casts.

[graybeard]

If you are getting the release done for "quality of life" improvement, the aggervation of going thru the surgery is worth it.

If you walk, then you MUST have at least 95% of your leg muscles working. Less than that, and you will be leaning on something for support. when I had my left leg ankle done, the weakness of the leg became much worse. My leg muscles did not improve, though the spasticity and clonus did calm down. To me, the surgery was a wash.....got rid of the spasticity/clonus, but lost stability of the leg because of no tone. The pain from the surgery was a mf-er also! My surgery was a TAL/SPLAT procedure (splitting of the tibia tendon for better foot control)

Hope this helps....good luck on your surgery.

[jgrant27]

Originally Posted by ekephart

his podiatrist (has had ingrown toenail issues so he has one) hooked him up with inserts for his shoes that has solved that problem totally. I have stretched toes hard only a few times in the last six weeks.

can you tell me more about these inserts? Do they work with regular shoes, or does he need more space? One of the few areas I've had "tone" has been in my toes.

[ekephart]

The only thing I see on them is Airfoam. They go right into his regular shoes. While they do not look it, they are much sturdier and more formed than the ones you can get at the drug store. I wish that I had saved the packaging but I did not. These were $16 each plus the doctor's visit co-pay-well worth it since the whole point of the surgery was to increase the range of motion in his ankles so he can plant his heels to walk. The doctor had them in the office so I imagine that they are used fairly regularly. I would suggest that you talk to either an ortho doctor or a podiatrist to get hooked up with what might work for you.--eak

[jgrant27]

thanks! I'll see if I can get a rec to a podiatrist, or if my PT can recommend a way to get them.