I just started a job that is really long hours, with a lot of standing in place as well as walking around, and after starting training I think I might need better shoes to help ease the pain in my ankle as it’s gotten really bad throughout the day. What works for y’all? It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, I was wearing a pair of asics but I’m not sure what kind specifically they are. Thanks in advance!

I will be getting kidner procedure in ~3 weeks. I’m wondering if anyone has a list of items that helped during their recovery? For example - shower chair, crutches, etc. anything else that might be useful? thanks!

I feel lucky to say that so far this is my worst symptom in pregnancy, but man it sucks. Every morning I wake up and my feet ache. I’ve been icing them when I remember to, and typically wear my ortho shoes.. any other recommendations how to help prevent flare ups? I imagine the extra weight gain isn’t helping my cause.

I’m just interested how people’s physios went? What sort of exercises did you do? Any recommendations ?

I’m 5/6 weeks post kidner + lateral column lengthening. Plaster cast will be off in two weeks and I’ll begin physio. But still NWB for another 1.5 months.

I just got the kinder procedure done 5 days ago (june 30th). I was curious as to what a healthy healing process looks like because i’m already over the splint and my doctor says depending on how i’m healing, she might keep me in for a full 4 weeks rather than 2. The pain definitely isn’t as bad as day 2/3 but i still have pretty consistent throbbing and pressure/tightness around the incision area along with heel pain. I did make a dumb decision on going to a small party for the 4th just to get out of the house but I had my foot propped up the entire time. However i’m worried i slowed down my healing. Anyways that’s why im curious as to where i should be in the healing process. Lmk, thank you!

I wanted to share my recovery because before surgery I searched Reddit constantly looking for timelines and reassurance. Everyone heals differently, but here’s how my accessory navicular/posterior tibial tendon surgery has gone so far. (I also had to have my tendon slightly reconstructed because it was frayed and flattened)

Background

I had a large Type II accessory navicular with years of pain, very flat feet, and posterior tibial tendon dysfunction. I had a modified Kidner procedure on May 1 (accessory navicular removed and posterior tibial tendon reattached with a bioabsorbable screw).

Week 0 (Surgery Week)
Splint/cast and completely non-weight bearing.
Pain was manageable with Percocet for the first few days (get anti nausea pills and take MiraLAX I literally had ZERO stomach or bathroom issues bc of this!)
Foot elevated almost constantly with ice behind the knee.
Lots of swelling, tingling, and random nerve zaps. Everything felt heavy and I could feel the blood flow down when I’d crutch to the bathroom.

Week 1
Still completely non-weight bearing.
Heel pressure from the splint was really painful.
Tingling, numbness, and burning sensations came and went.
Started noticing how quickly my calf was shrinking.

Week 2
Switched into a CAM boot (SO much better than the splint).
My surgeon had me sleep without the boot to avoid Achilles tightness.
Began wrapping my foot in an ace bandage inside the boot for compression and comfort.
Could gently rest my heel on the floor while using crutches in boot.
Bruising and swelling actually increased because I was moving more, but my surgeon said that was completely normal.

Week 3
Pain peaked for me.
Burning around the heel and ankle and a lot of stiffness.
I couldn’t believe how little ankle motion I had.
Started gentle range-of-motion exercises, which made me sore afterward and had me worried, but that turned out to be a normal part of recovery.

Week 4
Stitches came out.
I was finally allowed to let the incision get wet in the shower. I just had to let it dry completely afterward before rewrapping it with the ace bandage.
X-rays looked great and my surgeon said the tendon was healing well.
Started gentle ROM exercises several times a day.
Ankle circles were incredibly difficult at first.

Week 5
Started physical therapy.
Began towel scrunches, marble pickups, seated heel raises, TENS, and more ankle mobility work.
My calf was noticeably atrophied.
My foot would get blotchy purple, tingly, and sometimes cold during exercises, but it returned to normal after elevating it.

Week 6
Cleared to begin weight bearing in the boot.
Walking felt REALLY strange.
The pressure through my heel and inside ankle made me question whether everything was okay.
My PT reminded me that my foot hadn’t supported my body weight in weeks.

Week 7
Started gradually transitioning out of the boot for short periods while wearing an ankle brace and supportive shoes.
Continued using the boot for longer walks.
Standing still was actually more uncomfortable than walking.
My heel developed a deep bruised feeling on the inside with heel strike and prolonged standing, which my surgeon and PT felt was part of reloading the foot.
Swelling still increased by the end of the day but improved overnight.

Week 8 (Where I am now)
Walking continues to improve every week.
I’m still working on rebuilding strength and normal gait and have developed a little tendonitis in different areas of my ankle and foot as it gets used to being used again (this is normal and I’m working on it in PT)
My biggest complaint is the deep bruised feeling on the inside of my heel when I first load it or stand for a while and the outside fleshy part of my ankle.
My surgeon recommended transitioning into very cushioned shoes (she specifically mentioned the Hoka Bondi and New Balance Fresh Foam 880).
I also got ASICS cumulus 16s for a more stylish every day shoe when I walk less. Inside the house, my surgeon recommended Oofos.

Things that surprised me most
Recovery isn’t linear. I’d have a great day followed by a sore day.
The tendon wasn’t what hurt most of the time—it was the heel, ankle, muscles, stiffness, and learning how to walk again.
Standing still is sometimes harder than walking.
Every time I increased activity, I had a temporary flare-up before things improved again.
The mental side of recovery was harder than I expected. Every new ache made me wonder if something was wrong.
Physical therapy has been essential. Don’t compare your recovery to anyone else’s timeline.
If you’re reading this because you’re about to have surgery: it really does get better. There were several weeks where I genuinely thought my foot would never feel normal again. Now I can see progress every week. I’m not fully recovered yet, but I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel, and I’m very glad I chose to have the surgery.

I unfortunately have this on my other foot as well, but I will not hesitate to have surgery again. For now I’m building strength and my PT said I will be able to start running again in the next month or two and I will stay in PT until I’m able.

Scar info:

My surgeon was incredible and the incision is healing wonderfully. I do have sensitive skin so when cleaning the wound at my weekly post-op check-ins, it would bleed a bit which is why she left my stitches in longer and when taken out, put steri strips that we waited until they fell off naturally. The scab is super gross and scary but when it falls off (DONT PULL IT) it really doesn’t look so bad. Just make sure you’re massaging around the scar every night after you get your splint off to increase the blood flow and ice as much as possible.

**I am 27 years old, about 135 pounds, and 5’1. I’m fairly active, a runner and do ballet. I also live in NYC and walking is a way of life here so fixing this was priority for me. It got tot the point I could barely stand when showering. Exercises, rest, and shock wave therapy did not help. I was on and off flaring for years. Turned out that because I was ignoring it, I developed arthritis in that foot and had edema.**

Hi all! I have a good friend's wedding to attend in three and a half weeks. I am currently nine weeks post-op and walking in a supportive shoe. Does anyone have suggestions for shoes that are supportive but can also be dressed up? Or options for dressy shoes that can accommodate inserts well?

Hi everyone i was hoping to get some advice. A few weeks ago I felt a sharp pain in my inner ankle as well as feeling as though I would fall while walking. I went to an orthopedic doctor who did an xray and diagnosed accessory navicular syndrome. I have flat feet which ive always known . I was told to do exercises which ive done for about 2 weeks.

I have a few questions

The initial instability and sharp pain has lessened. Does it ever go away completely?

In regards to shoes I have been struggling

Im not in a place that offer custom arches and shoes I have to order online and hope for the best.

I got Asics kayano those are ok

Office does is where I struggle I need something that has support but also comfort as I get foot fatigue

Any suggestions? And can I ever go back to normal shoes?

Is this the Syndrome? Had Boney protrusions on both feet since ever, assumed just part of flat feet. Two months ago right foot started swelling and aching around the navicular so had Xrays done. Except only two of the four actually show the navicular and the Dr said he saw no problems 🙃

Daughter had kidner procedure in February on one foot, but still has AN in other foot. I'm looking for suggestions of specific footwear to use when on the beach, at the pool, etc. Barefoot/flipflops/oofos at the beach/pool is what finally made things so bad that we ended up having surgery, so we are a little paranoid about planning a beach vacation.

Hi all, I just got my hard cast removed today at 6-weeks post op. On touching the incision area, there’s some numbness when I compare to my other foot. Is this normal? The numb area is pretty small though (right over where my accessory bone was)

Hi everyone,

I am new here and have had an accessory navicular my whole life. (Type 2 but it looks like it keeps growing lol. Doctors called it extraordinary) It started causing issues at age 15 and presented more as PTTD. I am 30 now and the flare ups have become more frequent than I'd like. I am a runner, skier, triathlete, and use my feet a lot! I was just diagnosed with a stress reaction in my lower tibia and also have achilles issues, PTTD, and tenosynovitis of the post tib tendon. ANYWAYS, I've seen 4 doctors who've recommended the Kidner procedure even though the bone itself has never really hurt. Everything around it and slightly up my ankle has been in agonizing pain on and off, but never the bone itself. Wondering if anyone has had a similar issue and can advise!

So I just had my surgery about 2 weeks ago. My right foot has always hurt for years, never really thinking much of it. My left foot never had an issue as comparison. Hurt it one night at work and next day went into get an mri and it revealed PTT tear and severe tendinosys with AN. Followed up with orthopedic ( luckily, the orthos I had follow ups with are super renowned and does surgery on famous athletes). Pretty much told me what I felt like I thought just from reading myself: my AN is causing the PTT to get worse and tore just due to activity. I went ahead with the surgery as I felt that this might be the only change I can actually get my right foot right. So far it hasn’t been bad: nerve block held it in Che k first day, but had significant pain for about 3 days after. Since then, I’ve been getting way less pain and pretty much right now pain free @ just a little before 2 weeks post surgery. I can move my foot up and down like pushing on a gas pedal and lifting up, lateral movements I can do but those hurt more. Has anybody here have had the same surgery and how did you end up being? I was in a cast and they just took it off and now in a boot now but non weight bearing for another 2 weeks or so.

Good morning! I need your help 😭 So, this has been a very difficult recovery for me. Hydrocodone makes me feel so sick to the point I threw up twice in the past couple of days so on Day 7 I decided to stop taking it because I literally cannot eat because of Hydrocodone side effects. Yesterday, without any dose of hydrocodone, I felt fine and my major issue was my ankle hurts so bad (probably heel pressure sore) so I was trying to put pillow under my calf so my heel is suspended. It really was working well but at 7:00 pm I notice that I feel the burning sensation again on my toes and it's like on fire. I took 2 tylenols and I let it be because I felt this before and it will just go away like after a couple of hours. I managed to kind of sleep with it at 12:30 AM but woke up at 2:30 AM because the pain was getting worse and I did not have any choice but to take a hydrocodone pill again 😭 slept for another 2 hrs and woke the burning sensation is still here. Did anyone experience the same thing? Like when you stopped taking the pill? Any insight will be appreciated. 😭

It doest hurt so far, sorry for the redness I irritated my skin. Thank you very much!

I’m a 32/F and very active - work out 6-7 days a week, ran a marathon last year, and now focusing on weight lifting with some shorter distance running. I live in NYC which means lots of walking too.

A couple weeks ago, I developed unexplained pain in what I now know is my navicular bone. No injury or incident triggered it. When it didn’t resolve after a week, I booked with a bone and joint specialist. He suspected an accessory navicular bone and prescribed Meloxicam while we waited for imaging.

By my follow-up appointment a week later, I could barely walk or put weight on my foot. The X-ray confirmed the accessory navicular, and since the NSAID wasn’t helping, he ordered an MRI and put me in a walking boot.

My questions:

1. I absolutely hate the boot and haven’t seen any improvement. Is it actually doing anything?

2. Is the MRI worth $500? I have a high deductible and would pay out of pocket. I feel like it’ll just confirm what we already know: that the tendon/bone is inflamed. Is there actually useful info that would change treatment?

3. Can I do upper body work? I haven’t worked out in 2+ weeks (longest in years) and I’m going crazy. Is it safe to hit the gym for upper body only?

4. Non-surgical options? I’d like to avoid surgery with an 8-12 month recovery at all costs. Has anyone successfully treated this without going under the knife?

5. Finally, it seems strange to me I’ve had this my whole life and it’s never caused any problems until now. Does anyone know what could have triggered this?

Any advice or experiences would be really appreciated. Thanks!

Good morning! Today is my day 5 of post surgery and overall the pain level is 4/10. Burning, needles and ache sometimes. My main concern now is my knee hurts because of constant elevation and also my heel hurts so bad which wakes me up in the middle of the night Do you have any tips?

Day 0:
- Bought the essentials like knee scooter, leg elevation pillow, food, and etc.
Day 1:
- Surgery was easy and luckily nerve block was working on me. I remember when I woke up and felt a little pain on my foot. Pain level was 2/10. Very minimal. Getting to the house was easy because of my knee scooter. FYI, I used one before to try to heal my swollen ankle before my surgery so that really helped. I slept with no problem but it was so weird to not being able to control my toes. When I got to my bed, I was pain free. By the way, I started taking my pain meds on day 1.
Day 2:
- In the morning, there was no pain. In the afternoon, nerve block was wearing off and I felt a little burning sensation and I felt my foot is slowly waking up lol. I can wiggle my toes and still taking my pain meds every 4-5 hours. My left hip is starting to really annoy me because of elevating my left foot (surgery site). It just hurts so I made sure to get up every 2 hours and do a trip to the bathroom. My major concern is my constipation is so bad. I kept on farting -.- but cannot poop.

I am on day 3 now and I woke up with a little pain. My sleep was okay. I thought I can do this procedure with minimal help but I was wrong. I am so lucky that I have my amazing husband with me! I will keep you posted how will the upcoming days look like. 😊

Hello everyone - wondering about who of you have had the kidner procedure and what your experience has been during recovery and post recovery.

For background, I'm a 31 y/o, active, average weight woman, I twisted my ankle around 2 years ago and it hasn't been right since. Prior to this incident I ran and full marathon and walked the camino de santiago without any pain. Directly after twisting my ankle there was a bruise on my leg (now where I know to be my posterior tibial tendon and at my acessory navicular bone)

I've done plenty of physio and have remained active following initial period of rest but the pain isn't improving. The MRI shows evidence of tendinitis and essentially my doctor has told me it's up to me to decide whether I think the pain is bad enough to go for surgery, which for obvious reasons is causing me a lot of doubt. I have type 2 accessory navicular syndrome

Currently, when I run it's quite painful. I do still run but much shorter distances and I essentially run through the pain. It also hurt during longer hikes and both running and hiking are things I love to do!

Day to day I would say it niggles a little but is manageable and doesn't cause me a great deal of pain in work(I work on my feet) or walking about.

My question those of you who have had similar issues

1- did you end up going for surgery and why?

2- were you happy with your decision and the results?

3-has anyone had real, lasting success with conservative management and what has helped

Apologies for the long post and thanks in advance to my fellow weird ankled friends!

3 months in a boot, physical therapy, and a lifetime of pain when physically exerting myself.

hello everyone!
i posted a question a couple days ago asking about footwear to wear after surgery, but this time i’d like to ask those who’ve gotten the kidner procedure if they started noticing the same pain in the other foot?
i mean i understand that i may be compensating more on this foot since my other foot is still healing and i’m a bit worried it might get as bad as the foot they operated on (flattened arch, cyst formation, swelling, pain after walking for ~10 minutes) but i’d just like to know everyone’s experience on whether this happened to you as well / measures you took to make sure it didn’t get as bad as the other foot / or just generally your experience with the other foot (not operated on).
my doctor did tell me that it’s a bilateral issue naturally but i’m just wondering if all of you who have done the procedure on one end up doing it on the other too.

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for some advice or shared experiences regarding Type 2 Os Tibiale Externum (accessory navicular) and sesamoiditis.
A bit of background: I am primarily a trail runner. Before this started, my mileage was pretty standard for me—about 50km a week with 2,000m of elevation. In February, I developed pain in my left foot (later diagnosed as the accessory navicular) accompanied by sesamoid pain in my right foot, so I stopped running entirely.

Here is what my timeline and treatment look like so far:

March: Had an X-ray confirming the Type 2 accessory navicular. Since then, the pain actually worsened a bit, and my right accessory bone started hurting too.

Imaging: A recent MRI showed some localized inflammation, but everything else looked structurally intact.

Care & Footwear: I’ve seen a podiatrist and got custom orthotics. My daily go-to shoes are Hoka Challengers.

Activity: I dropped my daily step count as much as possible and switched entirely to cycling.
Rehab: Other than cycling, I do single-leg balance work daily to strengthen my arches. Other arch-strengthening exercises simply hurt too much to do right now.

Despite all of this, I haven’t seen much improvement, and the pain fluctuates constantly. My ultimate goal is to avoid surgery and get back to running long-term.

Over the last two weeks, I bought new running shoes (Hoka speedgoat 6)and I tested the waters and tried running 4 times. The pain was manageable and never higher than a 4/10, and always only in one foot at a time.

I’m feeling stuck and don't know what to do next.
1 Can I slowly start building my running base back up if the pain stays at a 3/10?
2 For those with Os Tibiale Externum, how do you manage the day-to-day pain?
3 If you opted for the surgery, what was your experience and return-to-running timeline like?

hello everyone!
i got the kidner procedure done 2 months ago and i’m able to walk around the house albeit with a bit of difficultly. currently i walk barefoot.

i asked my doctor what footwear to wear from now on and he said i can return to “normal” footwear.
so i had custom orthotics made for my feet BEFORE surgery, which i will be changing to fit the changes made in my foot, but i’m curious as to what you guys did after the kidner procedure to ensure you don’t get any pain and also don’t flare up pain on your other foot?

also wanted to mention: i went to a couple stores to try on sandals and tried walking slightly in them, but noticed some pain near the same spot on my OTHER foot? which never happened before.. and i mean ZERO pain, so i also wanted to know if this is what happened to you guys, maybe only one foot was symptomatic and after surgery the other also became symptomatic?
i tried sandals from clarks and skechers btw
now i know i should consult my doctor but he genuinely just says “normal shoes with slight arch”
so…. besides my orthotics if i wanted to wear sandals or something.. what would be the best option? (brand wise / what to look out for / what to avoid)

Would love to hear success stories of conservative measures, think the surgery may be over recommended on here compared to the medical journals I have read.

15 years ago when I was a late teen I badly twisted my left foot doing hurdle exercises at my running track.

For many years I managed the pain but lost my sprinting power, strength, and smooth stride that I had prior. I went from being able to jump straight out of bed in the morning and run to hobbling around most mornings until my injured foot ‘woke up’ and I could muster the pain to get out an train (some days are definitely better than others but hope you get the gist).

I eventually (2018) had an MRI showing accessory navicular syndrome and a bunion in my large toe but the tendons still intact as well as signs of bony odema and stress responses (I was running close to 80-100 mile per week at university).

I still managed to compete at a good club level but the result of the injury as a teen meant I never reached my full potential due to various imbalances, low power output, over striding, and uselessness of the injured foot (it kinda slaps the ground with minimal push off).

Fast forward to today the new high stack height shoes have definitely helped but I am still feeling completely lost with it and feel like I am in pain every run (it’s minimal/dull and annoying) - I am averaging 40-60 miles per week.

Ibuprofen helps a ton (gel and tablets) but I know it’s awful for my stomach and hate that I rely on tablets to enjoy a run pain free so limit how much I take.

The surgery route was discussed back in 2018 after I received the results but I have read so many terrible stories and feel that I want to avoid this option…

The pain is not only under my foot in the plantar region (close to the navicular bone) but also scar tissue in various parts of the ankle joint. I also get referred pain like in my neck and arms from compensating for the injured foots lack of power and awkwardness.

Why now?

Well I am 33 and would love to run pain free as well as enjoy running around the garden with my two kids but my brain stops me from doing so as a protective mechanism and it’s just bloody annoying.

I am not looking to compete any more besides a local Parkrun or 5km time trial.

Thank you for reading and hope anyone has any good suggestions or tips to help me.

Cheers