He(al)el, Achilles

Ironically, my achilles heel is such for me. It’s been my problem area for years and finally brought me to a grinding halt (again) this spring. The pain more or less snuck up on me, but when I realized it was not going to get better I made things happen.

Reflecting back, I was in pain ALL. THE. TIME. It didn’t really register with me until after the surgery. *shudder*

From the outside it likely seems this was an impulsive decision, but the reality is I’ve been plagued by pain and crummy running for 8+ months. I had kept most of this to myself to avoid being overly dramatic about it, but it’s been a thing for a long time.

So now I’ve finally put this thing to rest. Thank goodness! I wish I would have done it sooner, but I had to exhaust the conservative options, including good old fashioned rest.

The good news is that my surgery was pretty minimal. I thought I had a partial tear (diagnosed by MRI in the US), but turns out it was just scar tissue surrounding the tendon. That and a sharp bone fragment on the side of my foot. All have been removed and I feel so much better!

I once again am thankful for Dr. Alfredson and his brilliant surgical techniques. I’m walking almost normally 5 days post-op and I have zero pain. It’s going to be a decently long recovery, but I am ready for it. I am just so happy not to be in pain every moment of the day.

Of course this drastically changes my fun I had planned for the next few months. No frolicking in the mountains anytime soon. BUT, resetting my expectations, I’m hoping to walk/hike in 3-4 weeks, light biking in 5-6 weeks, and running by 8-10 weeks. That will still give me plenty of time for fun later in the summer. And really, in the grand scheme of things, it’s not that long.

I’ve had several people reach out to ask me more about my surgery and experience with Dr. Alfredson. If there is a magic healer, it’s him. I have nothing but great things to say about my experience. If you want to know more, please ask! I’m happy to share.

For now you can find me doing non-runner things. It feels like that’s all I’ve done in 2019, but this time I feel like I’m on the upswing. Cheers to a healthy & happy year!

Thanks to The North Face for their unwavering support as I navigate the ups and downs of being an athlete.

3 responses to “He(al)el, Achilles”

1. Guillermo Vasquez says:

   May 1, 2019 at 11:31 am

   So awesome! I was plagued by knee pain for years especially when it rained or became cooler. When I moved to Eugene, OR from SoCal it flared up even more. I finally went to my doctor and she referred me to Dr. Singer who was known as Dr. Knees from all the major universities here on the west coast. Because they sent all their athletes to him for treatment and surgeries, so I thought why not. He informed me what my problem was and I two choices to either live with and manage the pain or scope surgery. I opted to wait and see how I felt, well the rainy season arrived in Eugene and my knee hurt even worse. Several months went by and I had enough, I called my doctor and she referred me back to Dr. Singer. He performed the surgery, did physical therapy and slowly resumed my running. When the rains came back I noticed no more pain at all. Now almost two decades later I’m so thankful I went to see him. By your photos are you in Finland or Norway? 🤔

   Reply
   • stephanie says:

     May 6, 2019 at 8:43 am

     That’s so great to hear! I’m glad you finally opted for surgery and are feeling good. What a great decision! I was in Sweden for this surgery 🙂

     Reply
2. Marissa A Conroy says:

   August 15, 2019 at 9:16 am

   Hi Stephanie, so was the surgery to remove the haglunds deformity or was it a bone spur? I am 2 days post op for my haglunds deformity and was just curious. Also, during your surgery was you achilles detached and then reattached? Thank you SO much for posting your progress, there hasn’t been much on the internet to follow and usually what is there is super depressing. As an avid trail runner in NM I am longing for relief and the days of crisp air on my face again, which I know you can relate to! Thanks again.

   Reply