Foot Surgery

Okay, I must truly be getting old because I am doing the classic old thing: detailing medical problems and procedures to any one who will listen. Pathetic, but I am going to do it anyway.

I have had plantar fasiitis off and on (mostly on) for 15 years, ever since I was pregnant with #5 at the age of 38. If you don't know what plantar fasiitis is it is the stretching and tearing of the tendon that attaches to the ball of your foot and wraps around your heel to the back of your foot and attaches. Basically, it's the tissue that causes your foot to have an arch and gives you your "spring in your step" literally. For some people it causes a very high arch and they get PF, but in my case, I have very flat feet, so I have PF. It doesn't help that I am carrying 40 lbs of extra weight, but that is a whole other blog for some other time. Anyway, if you want to know how it feels to have plantar fasiitis here are a couple of things you can do: find a sharp rock and stomp you heel on it about 25 times as hard as you can so your heel is pretty bruised, then walk around on it all day. Repeat this procedure every morning to get the full effect. Or just tape the very sharp rock to your heel and walk around on it. Pain is worse first thing in the morning when you take your first step because the tendon has shrunk and stepping on it causes it to stretch. Or every time you've sat for awhile and then get up and walk.
The other thing that happens with PF is that the constant pulling on the attachment of the tendon to bone is that it causes a calcification to form that looks like a long hook, known as a bone spur. The spur itself doesn't hurt, it just indicates that there is pulling at the attachment and that causes pain

I started seeing podiatrists at the age of 3 when my Dad was in Dental School because the Podiatry School was in the same neighborhood. I wore "inserts" or orthotics from the time I was 3 until age 12 when I rebelled. I was never able to wear cute mary jane patent leather shoes or tennis shoes all those years because I needed proper support. The only shoes that had proper support back then were saddle oxfords or Hush Puppy brand lace-up shoes, neither of which were very attractive or girly. At age 12 I said "enough! I want to wear the shoes I want". So I did and got away with it, until I got pregnant at age 38. I started having that heel pain, so went to a Podiatrist who diagnosed PF. This began a series of podiatrists with various treatments, some of which worked, but inevitably the pain would return. Finally it settled in my right foot and nothing I did worked. I even consulted a chiropractor and a physical therapist. They gave me exercises to do, but still nothing worked.
Then one day, while listening to the radio in my car, I heard an ad for people with PF who had tried all the conservative treatments and nothing had worked. There was a Dr with a new treatment. I memorized the phone number and called. I had to go to Bountiful which is about a 90 min. drive from my home but they did have a new procedure. It is called the Topaz Microabrasion Procedure. Basically, they poke a bunch of holes in the heel, into the affected area, which causes an inflammatory response in the foot and brings new blood flow into the area and eventually healing. In other words, you have to hurt it to heal it. Hey, if it works, I'm in.
I had my procedure a week ago. It's too soon to tell whether or not it worked because my foot is still bruised and tender, but I'm hoping. I was lightly sedated during the procedure, and they pumped my foot full of marcaine and lidocaine to deaden it. They sent me home with my foot wrapped and in a shoe and told me to walk on it as little as possible for 48 hrs. It was nice to have a good excuse just to sit and do nothing. I only had to take pain meds for about 48 ours too. But I was warned not to take Ibuprofen because it inhibits inflammation and we wanted inflammation. So far, it is doing what it's supposed to and in about 21/2 weeks I should be back to full activity. Fingers crossed that this does it for me.