(877) 975-8669
(877) 975-8669
Problems with the Achilles tendon can also result in bone spurs, also known as Retrocalcaneal Exostosis. When the tendon is overly tight, it can pull on the heel bone, resulting in a spur. In many cases, the condition results in the growth of additional bone and scar tissue in the Achilles tendon, also known as tendinosis. The care for an Achilles bone spur is similar to the treatment used for tendinosis.
Conservative care for an Achilles bone spur involves the use of special orthotics and physical therapy. This is intended to ease the tendon tension and alleviate the pain in the heel. Through a combination of stretching, soft tissue inflammation relief and decreased strain on the tendon, symptoms may be relieved dramatically. However, even with these treatments the bone spur can continue to grow and necessitate further treatment including surgical care.
Our innovative approach to tissue healing of the Achilles has dramatically decreased the need for surgery. What commonly used to be a surgery only option can often be treated with tissue repair techniques. The idea is to allow the body to help heal itself by increasing blood supply to the soft tissue and Achilles without the need for downtime or long recovery periods.
In many cases, Platelet Rich Plasma therapy (PRP) is utilized in Achilles tendon issues. PRP therapy is the patient's own blood supply that is drawn from a vein in the arm and placed in a special machine to spin the blood and concentrate the growth factors. The platelet rich growth factors are then concentrated and injected into the Achilles tendon to increase blood supply and healing cells to allow the body to heal itself.
In severe scar tissue cases within the Achilles, a combination of stem cells from the patient's bone marrow and amniotic stem cells are combined in a specific desired formula to hyper drive the healing process in the Achilles tendon region. This injection combination is proprietary to our Institute and designed for the most difficult to heal cases.
If all regenerative treatments fail or there is so much damage that tissue healing is not a high potential for a patient, we can used the Topaz or Tenex techniques to increase soft tissue healing through a minimally invasive surgical technique. Both of these procedures allow scar tissue to be broken down through an ultrasonic or heat technique that then increases soft tissue healing. Although recovery for these two procedures is slightly more than injections therapy, it is dramatically less than with open surgery.
Treatment for an Achilles tendinosis with bone spur can be done utilizing the Tenex and Topaz procedure. These two procedures breaking up scar tissue within the tendon and increase healing within the tendon by increasing blood supply to the region and alerting the body to the damage in the Achilles region. These procedures are minimally invasive and our doctors are proud to be at the leading edge of teaching these procedures to other surgeons across the world.
If the Achilles bone spur needs to be removed an open clean up of the spur and Achilles tendon is performed. What is innovative at our location is the use of a dynamic anchoring system that allows for a dramatically improved healing time. Instead of several months on crutches and off the foot, our innovative technique allows weight on the foot within a few weeks resulting in less down time and earlier return to activity. During this procedure, a highly skilled Achilles surgeon splits the Achilles tendon in the center, removes the bone spur and scar tissue, and then reattaches the Achilles tendon to the bone with the use of our dynamic attachment technique with soft tissue to bone anchors.
Our surgical treatments are only the start of our innovations. Through a combination of early range of motion, improved patient education and on site physical therapy services, we are able to return the patients to full activity earlier and with better overall outcome in a friendly and professional manner.
