As previously posted, the initial diagnosis of my ankle/foot injury made with MRI imaging was a Ruptured Peroneus Longus Tendon and surgery was scheduled for this Monday... However, there have been further developments...
At a preop (pre surgery) appointment 10 days ago the doctor felt that my strength and range of motion was not indicative of the complete rupture that was diagnosed via MRI. He ordered an ultra sound study to confirm the initial diagnosis. 3 days later that study was changed to a ct scan with the assistance of contrasting dye.
The cat scan study was performed by injecting contrasting dye via a needle into the sleeve around the peroneus longus tendon. Other than a small pin prick it was painless and the entire study took less than 1 hour.
On Thursday at a followup / preop I was given the good news. I have 3 near complete partial tears at 3 different points along the peroneus longus but not a complete rupture. The surgery was cancelled (for now) to give the conservative rest treatment a chance to heal the tendon.
Since the tendon is in approximation (ie it is attached or very nearly attached) the body is capable of filling in the gaps with scar tissue. My new marching orders are fairly similar to my previous marching orders -- RICE. Rest, ice, compression, and elevation. Any walking I do is to be done in a walking boot.
On the personal side, every day the ankle/foot has been feeling a little better... It is still a achy and if I overdue it one day I can tell immediately. Luckily I work with computers and sitting in front of my computer with my foot extended does not inflame the injury. This morning I am off to try swimming. I won't be kicking and my biggest concern is actually getting into and out of the pool carefully. If this goes well I will be exercising extensively via swimming, knee pushups, and upper body weight lifting.
I would like to thank Lawrence M. Oloff, DPM of SOAR - Sport Orthopedic and Rehabilitation for his diligent and careful evaluation of my injury. I am glad to not be having surgery and even more glad to be in a weight bearing recovery. I was not looking forward to the prospect of 2 months on crutches.
The picture shows normal peroneal tendons on an unknown person. This is not am image of my foot.
Originally posted 2008-06-21 06:06:09. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Related Posts -
One Hundred Pushup Challenge -- Knee Push ups, 1 Handed Knee Pushups, and Full Push ups Well if you haven't heard by now then you aren't paying attention to the Health and Fitness blogosphere... Everyone is doing the 100 push up challenge at 100 push ups. It is a 6 week training program geared toward a final test where 100 consecutive pushups are completed. (My first...... -
53 Pounds in 9 weeks... 4.5 Pounds this Week Wow... back on track! After 2 weeks of relatively small amounts of weight loss (0.6 pounds and 1.8 pounds) I got back on track with a solid 4.5 pounds this week. Between my ruptured tendon with the resulting inability to exercise in many of my normal ways and my Dad...... -
Dealing with Exercise Injuries Exercise can definitely make us feel pained or out of sorts at times, but there are good pains and there are bad pains. Good pains tend to occur post workout, and they feel like dull aches in our muscles. The bad kind of hurt, the kind that signifies the presence...... -
62 Pounds in 100 Days… 1.9 Pounds in 2 Weeks For those of you that go straight for the graph... I didn't cheat last week, but I was quite down on myself until I figured out what on earth had happened that caused me to gain 9 pounds in a week... (I bet the women already know) WATER. My blood...... -
4 Pounds One Week; aka 66 pounds in 15 weeks Ok! I am back on track... I lost 4.1 pounds this week without being able to exercise very much (torn peroneus longus tendon)... I stuck to my diet religiously. I get to start rehab next week (3 days a week) starting Monday. I am very much looking forward to working......
Related Websites -
MCL Knee Injury: Symptoms and Treatment The other day, after a vicious jujitsu session at the gym, I noticed some pain coming from the side of the knee on the inner side of my leg. After some research, I found out that I had sustained a medial collateral ligament injury. Fortunately, my sprain appears only...... -
Save Time, Money and Space in Over 80 Ways If you're looking for handy gadgets, tools and various items that can save you time, money or space (or all three!) this list of more than 80 top products is just what you need. Everyone's got saving money on their minds these days. Some of us are always looking to...... -
Rotator Cuff Exercises Really Do Help You To Recover Faster Unbelievably. nearly eight million people in the United States will suffer a shoulder injury this year and well over half of them will be a direct result of injuring the rotator cuff muscles. If you have undergone surgery, suffered a cuff tear or simply have a weak shoulder rotator cuff...... -
Aerobic Exercise Vs Resistance Training Which Is Better? So we may be a person who hasn't exercised for a long time, and maybe slightly overweight with eating the wrong foods etc. Now we need to start doing something about it so which type of exercise will give us more bang for its buck. Is it aerobic exercise or...... -
Overtraining Exercise is absolutely wonderful, but it’s also possible to overdo it by working out too hard, too fast, too long, and doing too much too soon. Overtraining can lead to injury and burnout. Signs you might be overtraining: Feeling tired all the time Loss of endurance Loss of strength Injury......
Time the change your life? No longer content to live a sedentary lifestyle and revel in couch potatoism? Click here to download the 31 page the 100% FREE eBook "How to Lose Weight and Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle."
Categories:
Peroneus Longus, about, tendon
Tags:


12 comments ↓
I’ve been reading your blog with great interest since I sprained my ankle a year ago (playing tennnis) and resprained it two more times. Most recently, I sprained it very badly 3 weeks ago. Since then, I can barely walk and I’m thinking about surgery. The doctor said I have tears in my peroneal tendons but that he wants to try conservative treatment (the famous “walking boot”) instead of rushing into surgery. My question: Can you walk without pain in the walking boot? I was on crutches the first 10 days, and now I’m using a cane but leaning extremely heavily on it… I’m thinking of going back onto crutches. This walking boot seems like a misnomer. So that’s my question–what does the boot do for you?? P.S. Swimming has been a lifesaver for me this month. You can definitely do it while holding your legs kind of inert. I recommend wearing one of those sock-like strappy braces in the water, just to remind yourself that you have an injured ankle. Otherwise, you might start kicking by mistake! Best wishes in your recovery and please write back if you have time.
So glad to hear that the tendon is not injured as previously thought and is able to heal without surgery. That must be very good news to you indeed!
how was the swimming? difficult getting in and out?
I know this must all be FRUSTRATING even with the joy of no surgery…
@Clara
I am not a doctor so please do not take this as medical advice.
I don’t think that my injury is a sprain. It is certainly not like the 10-15 severe sprained ankles I have had in my life of play basketball up and through division I in college.
Since I do have a bit of knowledge about sever sprains (even ones with partially torn tendons) I will give you my 2 cents.
In terms of preventing future sprains… Considering you sprained your ankle without stepping on something (??) you should consider getting custom made orthotics and different shoes. If you want to be extra cautious get a lace up ankle brace. I always liked Mueller High Performance ATF Ankle Brace
personally but there are other brands.
You ankle sprain sounds like it has a lot of trauma. It is inflamed and your range of motion is limited. RICE RICE RICE. (Rest Ice Elevation Compression). Do as little walking around as your can. Take an antiinflammatory medication (Ibuprofen for example.)
To answer the actual questions you asked
I can walk short distances without pain. If I overdue it I get very achy. I walk with a bit of a limp, but it is because the boot restricts movement more than anything.
The boot made a huge difference when I got it the day after my injury.
Initially you may want to consider using your cane and the boot in combination.
Good luck.
@ MizFit
Swimming was great. Getting into the pool was the hardest thing.
I ended up using a noddle to keep my feet floating behind me. I will be writing about it in the near future.
Thanks for responding! Yes, it’s unlike my previous sprains…. The tendons were actually already torn before this most recent sprain — but somehow they were asymptomatic until I fell and disturbed their peace. (An MRI a month before my fall showed that they had already torn.)
Well, I’m glad you’re OK in the walking boot. It definitely helps me, too, but it doesn’t completely get rid of the pain. Better than a non-removable cast, of course. Please keep writing so others with this tricky problem can see how you’re doing!
[...] of all I should mention that I have a torn peroneus longus tendon… As such I am not able to take the pressure on my ankle that eve a single full pushup would [...]
[...] I am back on track… I lost 4.1 pounds this week without being able to exercise very much (torn peroneus longus tendon)… I stuck to my diet [...]
[...] from beginners to seasoned pros. One area of the body that is frequently injured during jogging are ankles. Few of us think about our ankles until we’re hobbling around, incapacitated due to a strain, [...]
[...] started rehab this week on my torn peroneus longus tendon. I am not allowed to do anything involving “open chain” for 2 weeks. Translation: [...]
I also tore my peroneus longus about 6 months ago playing indoor soccer. An MRI about 2 months after the injury revealed a partial thickness tear and conservative therapy was suggested. My orthopedist did not recommend a walking boot though. I am still in pain and don’t really think that I could run, jump, etc on the foot. To be honest I am still too scared to try. How long did it take you to recover? Did you feel the walking boot helped?
It has almost been a year and I still am recovering. I play sports but with much less intensity. My ankle feels funny, but seems to be holding up.
I might call it an 85% recovery at this point.
Leave a Comment