ballerinas_mum
11-14-2003, 07:34 AM
My once active, sporty 10 year old daughter has an accessory (extra) navicular bone in each foot and has lived with this with only mild pain until recently. She now has collapsed ridges in both feet and has pain in her feet, shins, & knees after any activity - even walking. Her alignment is now awkward, and her ankles bend inward which doesn't look or feel very nice. We have seen a specialist (2 hours drive away)who says she will just have to live with it and take up different sports, like swimming. He said she may even forget about the pain - as if it's all upstairs? (I haven't paid him yet)!
I am limited for options due to where I live, but if anyone can shed some light on whether I should get a second opinion, I will travel further. Has anyone any experience with these two conditions? I believe collapsed ridges are sometimes a complication from the accessory navicular bones. It is really painful to watch your energetic child immobile with no help from professionals.
I am limited for options due to where I live, but if anyone can shed some light on whether I should get a second opinion, I will travel further. Has anyone any experience with these two conditions? I believe collapsed ridges are sometimes a complication from the accessory navicular bones. It is really painful to watch your energetic child immobile with no help from professionals.
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cjaffee
11-14-2003, 11:37 AM
I had a similar situation. I had pain in my feet that limited my physical activity for 2 years when the podiatrist said just don't play ball anymore. I then went to an orthopedist that performed some surgery which has totally corrected the problem that was there. So yes get a second opinion and never accept "there's nothing more we can do".
ballerinas_mum
11-14-2003, 07:10 PM
Thank you for your reply cjaffee. I will certainly start looking at where I can go for a 2nd opinion, nothing that I have read so far suggests that leaving her condition will 'fix it'. In the meantime I will continue to search for other peoples similar experiences.
Ronk0747
11-19-2003, 04:10 PM
Hi,
I am 40 and have had accessory naviculars (an extra bone on ech foot) all my life. While excessory naviculars in themselves aren't a problem, many people who have this problem (including myself) are very prone to having collapsed arches and posterior tibial tendon problems.
Strangely in my case, only my left foot collapsed over the years and I just had major surgery to do a posterior tibial tendon and ligament transfer as well as a bone fusion and calcaneal osteotomy to reconstruct the arch. Have to be non-weight bearing for 3 months. My doc is an orthopedic surgeon and seems to be very knowledgable on this. I have been to podiatrists and they were pretty much clueless so an orthopedist is your better choice.
Ron
I am 40 and have had accessory naviculars (an extra bone on ech foot) all my life. While excessory naviculars in themselves aren't a problem, many people who have this problem (including myself) are very prone to having collapsed arches and posterior tibial tendon problems.
Strangely in my case, only my left foot collapsed over the years and I just had major surgery to do a posterior tibial tendon and ligament transfer as well as a bone fusion and calcaneal osteotomy to reconstruct the arch. Have to be non-weight bearing for 3 months. My doc is an orthopedic surgeon and seems to be very knowledgable on this. I have been to podiatrists and they were pretty much clueless so an orthopedist is your better choice.
Ron
ballerinas_mum
11-22-2003, 03:52 AM
Thanks Ronk. We have an appointment Wednesday with another Doc. It is good to hear from someone who has been there, I am worried my daughter will have ongoing problems as her ridges are collapsed and she can not enjoy what she used to enjoy. Surgery sounds like such a major ordeal... I do hope there is an alernative for a younger child before her feet become worse.
Ronk0747
11-22-2003, 11:14 PM
Hello again,
I'm glad to hear that you decided to go to a different doc. Any doc that tells you there's nothing you can do and you just have to live with it is in my opinion telling you he's incapable of treating the problem and to change docs!!
I got away with orthodics for years before they didn't help me anymore and I was forced to either have the surgery or have my ability to walk severly compromised. Not to mention that if I had put this off much longer, the foot would have further flattened and multiple fusions would have been necessary.
Please keep on top of this. If a doctor say it's untreatable, he's telling you between the lines that he's incompetent! Keep going to different docs until you find someone who wants to treat this problem. Surgery is always a last resort but may very well be the answer for your daughter. Be sure you find a surgeon that has handled many of these types of problems. When it comes to surgery, you want the best. An orthodedic surgeon who specializes in foot and ankle problems is your best bet, not a general orthopedist that does an occasional foot surgery. I don't know where you live but even if it means having to fly to a distant city like New York or Boston, remember that it could make a major difference in your daughter's future.
I wish you the best of luck.
Ron
I'm glad to hear that you decided to go to a different doc. Any doc that tells you there's nothing you can do and you just have to live with it is in my opinion telling you he's incapable of treating the problem and to change docs!!
I got away with orthodics for years before they didn't help me anymore and I was forced to either have the surgery or have my ability to walk severly compromised. Not to mention that if I had put this off much longer, the foot would have further flattened and multiple fusions would have been necessary.
Please keep on top of this. If a doctor say it's untreatable, he's telling you between the lines that he's incompetent! Keep going to different docs until you find someone who wants to treat this problem. Surgery is always a last resort but may very well be the answer for your daughter. Be sure you find a surgeon that has handled many of these types of problems. When it comes to surgery, you want the best. An orthodedic surgeon who specializes in foot and ankle problems is your best bet, not a general orthopedist that does an occasional foot surgery. I don't know where you live but even if it means having to fly to a distant city like New York or Boston, remember that it could make a major difference in your daughter's future.
I wish you the best of luck.
Ron
plascwm
10-23-2006, 11:35 AM
Hi Hope You Dont Mind Me Contacting You Read Your Story About The Surgery You Had On Your Navicular Bone I,ve Just Had Surgery To Remove The Navicular Bone And I,m Still In Agony After 10 Weeks How Long Did You Take To Recover From Your Surgery Regards Debbie X
brakepedal
10-24-2006, 12:51 PM
I know as a mom this must be hard to watch. I do think that surgery might be a good option. It could improve her quality of life majorly. I know its hard to think of letting your child go under the knife, but when you find out your options weigh the pros and cons. I really do hope you find a solution and dont take no for an answer. get a 2nd and 3rd and more opinions if you have to. there is always a dr that is willing to help, the problem is finding them.
mrvwc
01-25-2007, 11:32 AM
My daughter too had a tarsal coalition that began with severe pain at about age 10. She couldn't sit criss-cross on the floor and putting on ski boots was incredibly painful. This tends to be an inherited congenital condition that shows up in the pre-teen years (mostly girls interestingly). After receiving several opinions we opted for her to have the surgery to take out a piece of the connecting bone creating a joint. The doc then took a piece of tendon and tucked it between the new space and tacked it to her talas bone to keep the joint from growing back together. We did this over two consecutive summers. She recovered quickly from each surgery (which was also outpatient) being in a hard cast and nwb for about 4 weeks. Now at age 14 she plays on the high school basketball team and made the varsity golf team. I have to say that it was definitely the best thing we did with a very positive outcome. I however, have problems with osteo arthritis, the opposite of what my daughter had (see failed fusions of the midfoot). I would highly suggest any parent with a child who has a problem with coalitions of the foot to get several opinions before making the decision to do the surgery and go with a doctor you trust. Also, read up on the research. There are many articles and information on this condition. The surgery we opted for was a definite success and our daughter is so glad she had it done.
pugluver31902
01-26-2007, 12:48 AM
I have accessory navicular bones in both my feet, and I had the flattest feet IN THE WORLD. Seriously, they were bad. They got to the point where I was always having back pain from my knees turning inward and throwing my lower back out, knee pain from my feet rolling in, and hip pain from my femurs rotating in from my knees. I saw at least 15 surgeons before I decided to have flatfoot reconstructive surgery. I had my right foot done in September of 2005 and my right foot done this past October. It is a major surgery so I would seriously consider the risks vs benefits. My surgery consisted of fusing one joint with a cadaver bone graft, lenghthening my achiles tendon. Reparing the ligaments and tendons that I had torn and overstreched from years of flat feet. Breaking my heel bone off and sliding it over and screwing it back on (once my feet had an arch, my heel would have not been in the right place.) I was told my every doctor I saw that if my parents had treated the problem earlier, I would not have needed such drastic surgery. I work at a physical therapy clinic and we treat a lot of children with flat feet. Some do fine with orthotics and strengthening exercises. I wish with all my heart my parents had treated it when I was younger. I would have not needed the tendon repairs, and wouldnt have suffered years of bad sprains, torn ligaments, and pain. Im 23 now and I already have arthritis in my feet. I am so pleased with the surgical results. I can run, dance, jump, and have no limp at all! One word of advice is to beware of the MBA implant. I saw many children at the clinic who's MBA's slipped out of place.
mrvwc
01-26-2007, 11:57 AM
Pugluver, my heart goes out to you and I hope that your recovery continues to produce the positive results that you are already experiencing. There is nothing worse than excruciating foot pain. And it sounds like your surgery was very excruciating as well. I'm sorry you had to endure such an invasive surgery. I know because I had to have a piece of my heel grafted to fuse two joints in my foot this last year (one fusion didn't take so am currently working on that problem). Grafts tend to be more painful than the actual surgery. Hearing your story also makes me feel better though about the decision we made to get our daughter's feet fixed at age 10 before it got worse. Believe me, we heard all kinds of criticism from family members and friends saying we should wait until she was an adult and done growing before considering surgery, mostly because this type of surgery was relatively new at that time. She's had no pain since these surgeries were performed in 2003 and 2004 and recovered very quickly as children do. Now she's very athletic and healthly. You're right, you really must do the research and talk to many, many doctors before deciding on surgery, especially on children. Through our research we discovered that the type of coalition that our daughter had is hereditary and shows up in the first 10 years of a child's (usually girls) life and if not fixed, leads to the serious problems you had to deal with. We now know to watch our other daughter who is 11, and flat-footed, for any signs...none so far thank goodness. Now if I can just get MY foot back to normal we'll all be doing well in our family. I swear I think we've put our surgeon's children through college already! HA! Best wishes to you. :wave: mrvwc
pugluver31902
01-27-2007, 02:09 AM
Its good that you took action to get your daughters feet fixed. I can understand why my parents waited, they were scared of putting me through the surgery, but in the end, I had to have SO much work done! Im happy now. Im only three months three weeks out of surgery, and I was able to go to the gym tonight and use the elliptical for a while. No pain, limp, or swelling anymore! Im suprised at how fast I healed. Even with the tendon grafts, broken bones, screws, and more, I feel better than before! Good luck to getting your feet back in shape also!
jlrs
09-18-2007, 12:08 PM
MRVWC- my 10 year old daughter just had the calcaneal navicular surgery that your daughter had previously. Hers was 8/14/07, so we are 5 weeks out and she still can't put any weight on it and it's very swollen. There isn't much information out there on what recovery SHOULD be so I don't know if this is normal or not. Her surgeon didn't make it sound like she would still be NWB this long. She was planning on playing in the last few soccer games this fall, but with recovery going so slow, I'm not sure that's going to happen. I would love to hear more of your daughter's experience after her surgery. It's great for me to hear she's playing basketball! It gives me hope. Thank you
My daughter too had a tarsal coalition that began with severe pain at about age 10. She couldn't sit criss-cross on the floor and putting on ski boots was incredibly painful. This tends to be an inherited congenital condition that shows up in the pre-teen years (mostly girls interestingly). After receiving several opinions we opted for her to have the surgery to take out a piece of the connecting bone creating a joint. The doc then took a piece of tendon and tucked it between the new space and tacked it to her talas bone to keep the joint from growing back together. We did this over two consecutive summers. She recovered quickly from each surgery (which was also outpatient) being in a hard cast and nwb for about 4 weeks. Now at age 14 she plays on the high school basketball team and made the varsity golf team. I have to say that it was definitely the best thing we did with a very positive outcome. I however, have problems with osteo arthritis, the opposite of what my daughter had (see failed fusions of the midfoot). I would highly suggest any parent with a child who has a problem with coalitions of the foot to get several opinions before making the decision to do the surgery and go with a doctor you trust. Also, read up on the research. There are many articles and information on this condition. The surgery we opted for was a definite success and our daughter is so glad she had it done.
My daughter too had a tarsal coalition that began with severe pain at about age 10. She couldn't sit criss-cross on the floor and putting on ski boots was incredibly painful. This tends to be an inherited congenital condition that shows up in the pre-teen years (mostly girls interestingly). After receiving several opinions we opted for her to have the surgery to take out a piece of the connecting bone creating a joint. The doc then took a piece of tendon and tucked it between the new space and tacked it to her talas bone to keep the joint from growing back together. We did this over two consecutive summers. She recovered quickly from each surgery (which was also outpatient) being in a hard cast and nwb for about 4 weeks. Now at age 14 she plays on the high school basketball team and made the varsity golf team. I have to say that it was definitely the best thing we did with a very positive outcome. I however, have problems with osteo arthritis, the opposite of what my daughter had (see failed fusions of the midfoot). I would highly suggest any parent with a child who has a problem with coalitions of the foot to get several opinions before making the decision to do the surgery and go with a doctor you trust. Also, read up on the research. There are many articles and information on this condition. The surgery we opted for was a definite success and our daughter is so glad she had it done.