Ankle Traveling for TAR surgery and recovering

[Georgiahiker]

Hi @orhopest. Sorry for the late response. I was in a shoe at 8 weeks. I am at 9 months now and everything is mostly good though I get some pains. I think I have a little tendonitis so I am giving it a rest. I ended up going to PT for about 6 weeks for the ankle. I hike and ride the bike mostly. No running or jumping of course.

It takes a while for the TAR to heal and I guess that I am still healing and my body is adjusting to my new gait so I have had to work on core strengthening to get rid of some back pain that popped up.

I hope that you are doing well and I would be happy to answer any questions and maybe even give my opinion!

 

[ken2108]

I recommend looking into Gdefy.com for shoes to wear after ankle replacement. I had my right ankle replaced in 2014 after about 6 years I started to have pain in my heel bone and had an x-ray nothing was wrong medically. Dr. thought it was my flat-designed shoes causing my pain. I found Gdefy shoes that have built-in what they call Verso shock in the heel it has eliminated about 95% of my pain.

 

[Iski]

I was out of boot and walking (slowly) at 8 weeks. Since then, progress has been slow because of wound that opened up and needs to heal. Almost healed now at 12.5 weeks. I use HOKA shoes (recommended long ago by my podiatrists). Lots of cushion and the rocker sole makes walking MUCH easier. Love 'em!

 

[dingo dad]

I'm at 8 weeks post TAR surgery. The bottom of my foot is still completely numb. Just recently cleared for weight bearing. Still have pulsing nerve pain on my instep. Had it from the day after surgery. medial and plantar nerve location. did anyone have this problem? barely walking for a few minutes at a time.

 

[Georgiahiker]

@dingo dad I am just catching up on bonesmart. You have had a rough time. I can understand some nerve damage with all of that work. I hope you feel much better now.

@ken2108 and @Iski , I have found that zero drop shoes still work best for me. I wear Altra Lone Peak trail runners. This Summer, I did start having some pain toward the left front of my tibial talar joint. X-ray say implant is good, MRI inconclusive, CT scan in a couple of weeks to source this out. In the meantime, I am wearing a lace up ankle brace and limiting hiking to 4-5 miles on mostly flat surfaces though I wander off sometimes. It's a strange pain that comes and goes. I will share an update later in the month. Hopefully no major issues. One thing for sure, I am doing way better than I was before my TAR last November.

 

[OLDogDave]

These posts are insightful and practical additions to our research My wife is a candidate for TAR. We’ve seen two orthopedic surgeons so far, with somewhat different suggestions (one says TAR, and the other “2 stage procedure of medial displacing calcaneal osteotomy with lateral ligament reconstruction to realign the ankle and correct the valgus deformity, and if needed afterwards down the line she will pursue ankle replacement if her pain continued to be significantly limiting.”) We’re seeking to find a third perspective with a “high procedure volume provider” and “centers of excellence for TAR” like OrthoCarolina. How best to search for one? We'll definitely check out Facebook groups. We live in NW Arkansas, so within driving distance to Kansas City and Dallas. We also have many direct airline connections from here (like Charlotte, NC).

 

[dingo dad]

@Georgiahiker brother, thanks man. your words of affirmation are really helpful. seriously. Just dealing with the " cards you are dealt" is plenty. When a Dr or pt say this or that they are prolly doing their best. sometimes "their best isn't good enough", or they are incredible! just like I can't imagine walking 3-4 miles... you can. The support of you and bonesmart help through the real tough times. talk soon... appreciate ya.

 

[djklaugh]

@OLDogDave Welcome to BoneSmart! Please start your own thread here in the other joints forum. You will get more input from other members that way. To start a thread click the orange "post thread" button at the top of the main listing.

 

[Georgiahiker]

These posts are insightful and practical additions to our research My wife is a candidate for TAR. We’ve seen two orthopedic surgeons so far, with somewhat different suggestions (one says TAR, and the other “2 stage procedure of medial displacing calcaneal osteotomy with lateral ligament reconstruction to realign the ankle and correct the valgus deformity, and if needed afterwards down the line she will pursue ankle replacement if her pain continued to be significantly limiting.”) We’re seeking to find a third perspective with a “high procedure volume provider” and “centers of excellence for TAR” like OrthoCarolina. How best to search for one? We'll definitely check out Facebook groups. We live in NW Arkansas, so within driving distance to Kansas City and Dallas. We also have many direct airline connections from here (like Charlotte, NC).

I would check OrthoCarolina. They have several docs that have performed many TARs. My surgeon, Hodges Davis was in the thousands. Duke Orthopedic in Durham NC and HSS in NYC are both centers of excellence for TAR. There are many who travel across the country to see their specialists.