Ankle Surgery Bound: Doctor Becomes Patient

I’m about to do something I’ve never done before...this doc will become a patient when I have surgery in less than 3 weeks!!!!

I’ll be undergoing surgery on my right ankle to repair an old cartilage injury from soccer many years ago. I basically have a pothole (amongst other things I won’t bore you with) in the talus which is the major bone connecting the shin to the foot.

This injury was the result of a really bad ankle sprain while playing soccer during my sophomore year in high school. I didn’t know how severe it was at the time (the beauty of youth), and I was fortunate enough to go on to play Div I in college without any significant issues.

The amazing thing about the body is how it compensates for pain and injury. I see this everyday in my work as a physical therapist, and in my own situation, my ankle developed bone spurs as a protective mechanism. While all this is great to protect the area of injury, the bone spurs limit my ankle movement in both up and down directions.

This really started to become an issue in my 20’s when I was playing in adult soccer leagues. My ankle began to “catch” with certain cutting movements or striking the soccer ball. This was a paralyzing sensation that would require rolling my ankle until things “fell into place”. I also began to have more frequent calf strains, so I made the difficult decision to walk away from the field and stay active in other ways.

Since then, I’ve been extremely fortunate to be able to participate in demanding athletics like CrossFit, marathons, snowboarding and even an Ironman 70.3 two years ago. My surgeon said he couldn’t believe my ankle held up through all these activities (not to mention working on my feet all day), but recently time has really taken its toll.

The final straw was all the issues that began happening above my ankle which limited my athletic performance and even everyday function. Basically my body began putting the brakes on certain hip and knee movements as a way to prevent too much stress through the ankle. While training for a triathlon, my wife actually had to come pick me up on a long run because my calf seized up so badly I couldn’t make it home. That was an unwelcome first!

As a DPT, I’m so passionate about physical therapy as a first line of treatment before ever considering more risky options such as injections or surgery. I believe my own dedication to mobility, strength and rehab got me this far, but sometimes there comes a point when surgery becomes the only option to progress.

I must admit that committing to surgery was more emotional than I anticipated. Even though I take the post-surgical journey with patients everyday and know each stage of the process, nothing quite prepares you for taking the plunge yourself.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be posting regularly to let you know what I’m doing to get ready for surgery and ensure the best outcome possible.

Stay tuned...

~Dr. Mayes

PS - Update: Surgery has come and gone, and I’m feeling great!! Click here to read about the top tips that helped me recovery strong.