I had neromas which cotizon shots or othotics wouldn't make them go away. I had surgery on both feet to remove them. The tumors grew right back. My podiatrist then removed the tumors by going in from the bottom of the foot. He cut at the roots also. Doesn't look like they are growing back.

But the scar tissue that develops after the nerves are cut from surgery doesn't want to go away. Last time my podiatrist checked, which was two months ago, the scare tissue in my left foot was hard and not breaking apart. He then did shockwave treatment on both feet. I'm having pain so my guess this is not working. My podiatrist and neither do I wants anymore surgeries. Because he can remove the scar tissue but more will only form that I can't get rid of. I had physical therapy after the surgeries to help with the scar tissue but that obviously wasn't enough.

My podiatrist has pretty much run out of options if this shockwave treatment doesn't work. I'm scared. I'm too young to be in pain from short period of time walking for the rest of my life. I don't know what else I can do. I'm hoping someone may have an idea for me.

I feel for you...I have had a very bad time with multiple surgeries and feel the same about being too young to feel this way forever.

I would recommend a second opinion with an orthopedic MD...you may end up seeing several docs to get a consensus...but trust me on this...start with the least invasive thing and work your way up. Remember it CAN get worse so as much as it sucks the way it is now might be better than other choices...I hated the way my feet were after the first op....but now I would love to have them that way compared to how they are now.

Not to sound negative but there are lots of ****** docs out there and once they mess you up there is no rewind button. Try differnt orthotics... different injections...all minor options you can find.

I will look for ways to reduce scarring internally as I have a bit of problem with this as well although it is the least of my problems...

Hang in there....we have to find some way to get better and we can't trust blindly that a doc will do it....

are you sure the pain is from scar tissue ? did he bury the nerve ending into a muscle to help prevent stump neuromas ? have you looked into ultrasound with iontophoresis, anodyne or ART (active release therapy)? They can be very effective treatments.

Hi,
I know what you mean. I also had several different surgeires and finally went with the surgery to remove it from the bottom of the foot. my doc impanted the end of the nerve into health muscle so I wounldn't get a stump neuroma. I did end up having about 4 more surgeries due to a problems with my foot/body not wanting to heal. I also have a lot of scar tissue and it hurts to walk more than about an hr. I go to PT once a week, and I'm still seeing my doc every 6 weeks. (last surgery was 9 mos ago.) I try to rub the scars every day with a thick cream, but it does become very uncomfortable while doing it. also I send shock waves up my toes when I mess with it. I've been using a cane which helps with getting around. I wish I could give you more infor. I will not have another surgery as the last one put me in the hospital for 11 days, and had me on a vacpac for 2 months. I'm willing to live with the discomfort as long as I can get around and still take care of myself and my pets. Also..hubby still does a lot of the work for me.
Mary
:angel:

Snwtyger, my podiatrist is saying the scar tissue is causing the pain. But after seeing this board, I kind of wonder if i should be taking my podiatrist word for it. I don't know if he buried the nerve ending into a muscle. I will have to ask him. Those things you mentioned, will that help scar tissue or if he buried the nerve ending?

Mary, I can definitely relate to not being able to walk long periods of time before hurting. I went to the mall yesterday with my mother. I think I lasted about twenty minutes before my right foot started to hurt. I stopped walking before my left foot caught up. Did you have the extra surgeries to get rid of scar tissue that formed after surgery? I'm learning that they would be an endless circle for me if I attempt that. No more foot surgeries for me. I have to try another way.

Jenevepas, if I don't find something that will help me here or on the internet, I will be looking for a second opinion, that is for sure. I will probably see him one more time in another two months to see if the shockwave therapy worked or not.

Murph - my suggestion is to find another doc. If you are in or near a city with a pro football or basketball team or a MAJOR college athletic program, call and find out who they use for this. Whoever that is will be very good with neuromas. These are very common in runners so they see them a lot.
Good luck!

Titchou, I live near a large city who have a profession football and basketball team. Would they actually tell you who they go to?

They should tell you who they use....you can also try and find out on the internet...try a search using the local team.

I did the same thing, and am treating with the orthos that treat the Eagles (one where was at the office my last post-op - some new guy though, didn't recognize him).

My teams are the NE Patriots and Celtics. There must be some place in Boston that they go to.

I did a quick search and the New England Baptist Hospital is the official hospital of the Celtics....I bet you could find a good orthopedic foot and ankle specialist there...at least get a good second opinion.

Yes, they will tell you if you call the team's front office. Some of them have the docs listed on their websites as associates or whatever. That's who you need to see.

Katie, listen to this one. My podiatrist is a New England Baptist surgeon. Maybe I need to find a different one or find out where the Patriots go. :)

But NE Baptist is an excellent hospital. My knee surgeon is from there. He will be operating on me for the first time in May for Tibial tubercle osteotomy. If they are cursed :) I'll be in trouble once again.

Thanks Titchou, I will look into it. I have to balance one thing first. It will be one year since my last foot operation in May. I can wait another few months if necessary. I'm having knee problems also and I'm having surgery the end of May. I need to get that out of the way before I really do anything for my feet right now. I need my feet to last seven weeks of crutches. They may be sore but they will last the way I'm am at the moment

I do see my podiatrist tomorrow for a second month followup after the shockwave treatment. He said you usually can't rule it out that it didn't work until three to four months. I figure I will see him one more time before my foot surgery. If the shockwave didn't work, after my knee is back on track (7 to 8 weeks), I will check out a new route for my foot. I just needed some hope that my feet are not doomed. :(

the ultrasound, anodyne and ART are treatments to help break down scar tissue. Regular physical therapy sometimes isn't enough. I had nerves trapped in scar tissue and had ALOT of improvement with ART. It's a type of deep massage that a trained person - usually a chiropractor does. Even Marathon runners and other athletes get painful adhesions in their legs and they utilize ART often. It can be painful but it is worth a try. My insurance paid for it. Anodyne is ultraviolet light and heat that stimulates blood flow and healing and can be used in conjunction with ART. Also, ultrasound is effective at breaking down scar tissue. Ultrasound with iontophoresis is basically using ultrasound with a medication cream on the foot. The ultrasound breaks down the scar tissue and the medication gets delivered right into the tissue. This is just a quick description - do some research or ask your Dr and you will see that there are some viable options for you ! These treatments can save people from having neurectomies done.

Hi Snwtyger

Now that you describe it, I had the Ultrasound with iontophoresis for the tendanitis in my ankle but they never tried it for the neuromas. I'll look into the other two options also. If ART is painful, I don't care. I'll do almost anything (aside from surgery) to get rid of this scar tissue.
Thanks!!

Just before I saw this post, I'd been reading an article about ART in Sunday's edition of the Chicago Tribune. The Bears football team hires a chiropractor named Stuart Yoss to do ART-- the article said that Yoss also uses it on people suffering from carpal tunnel syndrom, plantar fascititis, etc. It also said that ART practitioners can be occupational therapists, athletic trainers, and even medical doctors. Most relevantly, it said that for a foot injury, you should make sure that the provider is certified in "lower extremity" in addition to (or instead of?) "full body". Sounds intriguing...

Thanks for the info KathJack! I'll ask my podiatrist about it tomorrow. I'm curious to see what he says about it.

I saw my podiatrist today. We have another two months before we give up on the shockwave treatment working. I'll just cross my fingers that it does work but I won't hold my breath. He thought ART was a good idea. He never had any of his patients do it before but he has heard about it. He said it couldn't hurt to try but we agreed not to try it until after my knee surgery. ART will probably make my feet hurt worse for a bit and I have to use crutches for seven weeks after the knee surgery.

It is funny that find out who the Celetics use as their podiatrist. I just found out the other day that the doctor they use, is the podiatrist my podiatrist work with. Small world, huh!. But my podiatrist, who works closely with the other doctor, has run out of options.

ART didn't work and I even tried accupuncture as a way of desperateness. None work. The neuroma in my left foot is growing back for the third time. So I'm going to finally swittch podiatrist. I found the Patriots podiatrist and he is in my insurance network. He will be my next route. I may have to wait until I get an appointment but unfortunately, I'm not in a big rush. I found out he is also a consultant for the Boston Ballet.