Anyone had gastrocnemius release surgery?

[Blutopia]

I've posted about my 5 years of plantar fasciitis before, and my GP referred me to a specialist - it seems that my calf muscles are so contracted that no amount of physio, stretching or shockwave therapy is going to restore normal range of movement (who knew?), so I need a little op to allow for lengthening.

Has anyone had this done? What's the recovery like - I'm having the "conservative" version, i.e a snip behind the knee into the muscle covering, not an actual cut to the muscle mid calf,which is less invasive and doesn't involve a cast...

Bump...

Hi,
I know this is an old thread but did you get your surgery?

Im having this done tomorrow xx

My daughter had this on both sides at age 12/13. She was severely flat-footed and it was needed in order to deal with the flat foot. If I remember correctly, the OP involved a snip into the fascia between the gastrocnemius and the soleus and she had a cast on each side for nearly a month (there were two OPs, about three months apart). Recovery took a while but were no problems whatsoever. She's now 16 and although the scars are longer than I expected and her calves look very slim, you'd never know she ever had it done.

Why are you having it done, Boble1?

Hello!

Thank you for replying!

I have severe plantar fasciitis in both feet after 2 separate accidents involving each ankle, 2 years ago. I couldn't put weight on either ankle for a month.

I couldn't raise up on my toes, had a limp and had pain from my knees to the tip of my toes. It was awful.

Finally got an appointment with a consultant, tried physio and shockwave therapy, which didn't help.

Had an MRI which showed the plantar problems and the consultant did a few more tests and he said my calf muscles are incredibly tight.

He want to do bilateral medial gastrocnemius release as a last resort.

I'm concerned because both legs are being at the same time and he said I will be able to walk straight away!

Well all the very best, Boble1 - I'll be thinking of you. x

(My daughter also couldn't lift her up toes pre-op either, but now it's no problem at all. The screws they inserted into her feet at the same time as doing the release have also been removed and the flexibility has remained throughout. So fingers crossed that it solves your problems too. 🙏. Foot and ankle problems are so restrictive!!! Until you have them, you really can't appreciate the problems they bring. DD couldn't walk for more than 10 minutes and now she can run with the best. Let's hope you get the same outcome.😘)

@MacavityTheDentistsCat

Hi,
I'm so pleased to hear your daughter is doing so well!

I keep reminding myself that I've been in pain for 2 years, so hopefully things will improve after tomorrow. I'm so nervous though.

I'll update tomorrow (hopefully) xx

How are you doing @Boble1?

I hope all went well.

@MacavityTheDentistsCat

Hello, awww thank you for checking me.

I had both legs done - I must say I was terrified.

The consultant was pleased with how it went.

The pain feels like someone is kicking me in my calves when I walk and it's so painful my legs seem to try to collapse under me.

Lots of resting with my legs up and I have to try to walk.

I have massive bandages from my ankles to above my knees which can come off tomorrow.

Having to inject myself with blood thinning medicine.

I don't have pain in my ankles any longer which is good as I had it all the time.

Very painful to move my legs, but I have to try to stretch.

Hopefully tomorrow will be better xxx

Glad to hear that it went well - that's great news. One day at a time with the recovery - doctors always seem to claim that it will be so much quicker (and so much less painful!) that it actually turns out to be! (I swear it's a plot! 😆)

All the very best xxx

.

@MacavityTheDentistsCat

Thank you so much! xx

Can I ask what your symptoms were? I don’t have plantar fasciitis but I have terrible ankle pain on one side with calf pain and my calf feels so tight. Been like this for 4 years. I walk with a bad limp, am constantly trying to stretch my calf but it’s much tighter than my other. Reduced ankle mobility.

@QuebecBagnet

So sorry to hear about your pain.

My tight calf muscles were causing a lot of problems, I had ankle pain, pain in the sole of my foot, limping, knee pain.

Nothing helped - I had physio and shockwave therapy.
I had my calf muscles lengthened on Monday and straight away, no pain in my ankles! They always felt like they had been twisted.

I had a very positive Silfverskiold Test.

My problems stem from injuries - I fell down the stairs and injured one leg and foot and then fell off a ledge and injured the other. xx

@boble1 thanks, I will ask my physio what she thinks.

Hi! Didn't see this come up - I'm the OP, glad your op went well.

It's been some 3 years since mine, and although the effect wasn't immediate and hasn't been a 100% cure, I'd say my chronic plantar fasciitis is about 70% better. But I still have pain there and probably always will.

@Blutopia

Hi! Thank you so much for getting back to me.
I did a search on Mumsnet and your post popped up.

I think I had the same procedure as you - the consultant described it as scoring the fat on bacon.

It's been a week now and it still feels like someone is punching my calves when I walk and the bruising is coming out now.

I'm sorry the surgery didn't cure you 100%.

I had both legs done at the same time which now I'm glad as I probably wouldn't go back if only one was done at a time.

Do you still get pain in your calves?

My worse pain was my calves and under the ball of my foot.

xx

@boble1 My surgeon said something similar, just a "nick below the big tendon"! <boak>

My pain was excruciating and right under the strike point of my right heel - I had it for 5 years, I suspect I injured it running down eleventy billion steps at Bank tube station. No amount of foot stretches, calf stretches, frozen water bottle rolling, calf lifts, agonising physio sessions of having the calf muscles rolled with wood to stretch them, night splints, or mind-bendingly painful cortisone injections directly into the pain site, did any good!

I wonder if I'd actually built up a lot of scar tissue in there over the years, so occasionally - too much walking or standing in unsupportive shoes, for example - it can still give me some grief. And if I find the sweet spot on each side of my heel I can give it a squeeze and still feel sharp pain. But it's way better than it was, for sure!

In terms of recovery, it took a few weeks of the exercises (ooh I remember those now, quite painful) to strengthen it all up again in its "lengthened" position, and it felt weird to straighten my leg all the way for a while - it felt like it wouldn't support me! But it all came good and I certainly have no regrets. 😊

The bruising is quite impressive eh! Think I still have pictures...