Hello,
Looking for an opinion on the need for a gastroc slide surgery and if it would help in my situation.
34 years old. ideal weight.
Flat feet.
Left foot appears to adequately adapt and be comfortable with any custom orthotic made.
Right foot always seems to have pressure and pain in arch, regardless of the adjustments made (lowered arch a bit, heel raise, etc..)
My podiatrist feels that I would benefit from a gastroc slide, but I am wondering how would this improve the "pressure" my arch feels with a orthotic that puts lift on the arch? Can it?
I do not suffer from plantar fasciitis, or heel problems. Just a flat arch that doesn't seem to accomodate whatever orthotic I get.
I do, infrequently, get charlie horses in my right calf, especially in morning if that explains anything.
I actually had this performed about 13 months ago. Am 24 yr old active female... have always had issues with flat feet. After tearing my plantar fascia, I had the Topaz procedure done 3 years ago which helped a great deal with the amount of pain in the arch. After that I still had heel pain, which prompted the gastroc slide. The procedure was ok, but had more pain after than I had anticipated. Not too severe, but definitely uncomfortable. Was on crutches for a couple weeks, in a boot for a few more. Took a while for me to exercise again. Am totally fine now biking, using an elliptical, etc... but for whatever reason running causes a bad cramp-like feeling at the incision spot. If I stop what I'm doing, it instantly disappears and feels fine. For me, it was worth alleviating the heel pain. Prior to surgery standing for extended periods left me in a lot of pain, but am doing much better now.
You may want to look into Topaz surgery, as it is less invasive, and addressed my arch pain.
