Surgery for Plantar Fasciitis

May 5, 2017 2:47 PM

I've had severe, life-limiting plantar fasciitis for two years. It has not improved much with the many things I've tried, including months of physical therapy. I have a dr's appt next week, and I'm thinking of asking if I'm a candidate for surgery. I'm hoping to find folks here who've had the surgery and can share their experiences. A little more inside.

I did not list everything that I've tried for the PF because I want this thread to focus on the surgery. Please refrain from asking if I've tried this or that other remedy. Thank you for your understanding.


So, for anyone who's had the surgery (or knows someone who has), I have two major questions. First, did the surgery ultimately help a lot? Second, what was the recovery like? I am interested to know how long after the surgery you were able to walk without much assistance. (And it'd be great if you could specify whether your surgery was endoscopic or not.)


Thanks.

posted by mermaidcafe to Health & Fitness (3 answers total)

I once had a student who had the surgery and was very unhappy with it... Look into the outcome stats... It's very much a last resort situation. (I have PF and would 100% do shockwave before surgery if I didn't also have neuropathy.)
posted by cotton dress sock at 3:04 PM on May 5, 2017 [1 favorite]

My wife worked in a podiatrist's office. He didn't do surgery for PF, and he operated a lot.
posted by SemiSalt at 3:29 PM on May 5, 2017 [1 favorite]

The main FDA approved implant that they use for PF has (or had when I looked last year) only a small study done on it and the results were pretty dismal- a 52% chance of reduced pain if I recall correctly.
posted by PorcineWithMe at 3:31 PM on May 5, 2017