Sometimes the
heel cord is too tight to be stretched by a cast or bandaging and the doctor must operate to lengthen it.
"So they suggested breaking the outer bone on each foot and adding a further piece of bone to make it longer than his
heel cords.
"It was to lengthen his
heel cords and hamstrings which meant small incision into the calf muscle and sides of the knees and then they stretched the tendons to ensure he can put his feet flat and his knees straight when walking," explained mum Sharon.
Massage, a night splint to stretch the
heel cords, or a neoprene sleeve for compression during the day can relieve calf pain, a common problem among runners of all ages that often stems from a strained gastrocnemius or soleus muscle (see below).
Then he endured a second operation to lengthen his
heel cords so he can finally stand flat-footed.
Tight
heel cords (Achilles tendinitis) are the result of wearing high heels frequently.
But, because the youngster is growing so quickly, his tendons have tightened up and his
heel cords now need urgent lengthening .
Shortly afterwards the determined youngster endured a second operation to lengthen his
heel cords so he could finally stand flat-footed.
Also look for unusual features, such as stiffness or tight
heel cords.
You should stretch the muscles in your legs very carefully including your
heel cords, your hamstrings, and your quadriceps as tightness of all of these can increase the pressure on the front of the knee.
Callum, who is now recovering after the operation on his
heel cords and hamstrings, is in the care of world-renowned surgeon Dr TS Park, who carried out selective dorsal rhizotomy surgery on his legs at the end of January.
Last Tuesday, the determined youngster endured a second operation to lengthen his
heel cords so he can finally stand flat-footed.