Achilles Tendon Relief

As many of you who are reading this know, I've been nursing a sore right Achilles tendon for probably two and a half years. About a year ago it got bad enough I had to quit running, relying on my bike and other things for exercise. In September I visited a podiatrist/orthopedic guy who put me on a regimen of ice, stretching and heel lifts to see if it would heal on its own. He also told me about a laser procedure with an instrument called the TOPAZ Microdebrider, saying that if the more conservative treatment didn't work, it would. Well, the prescribed regimen did bring improvement, but it leveled off, not healing fully. As a result, I decided to take advantage of the relatively new laser treatment. Below is part of an article about TOPAZ that explains better than I could. You can read the whole thing here if you want or another article here.

A new medical device called the TOPAZ Microdebrider which can offer a less invasive alternative is being quickly adopted by sports medicine specialists around the country. The technology offers an innovative
advancement in the treatment of tendons and fascia. This procedure is a quick, simple and a minimally invasive alternative to conservative therapy.

How it Works

Debridement, or the surgical removal of unhealthy tissue... TOPAZ is essentially a technology which enables the debridement of soft tissue, such as tendons... applies the controllable properties of oblation. Largely considered the gold standard, coblation technology is now used in more than 10,000 operating rooms and 2 million patients worldwide.

While most radiofrequency-based surgical products, such as lasers and electrosurgical devices, use heat-driven processes to remove or cut tissue, Coblation-based devices operate at a lower temperature, allowing for more precise procedures than would be performed by traditional surgical tools. Instead of exploding tissue structures under high temperatures, Coblation technology gently dissolves target tissue, minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue. In the case of TOPAZ technology, Coblation is being applied specifically for the debridement of soft tissues such as tendons.

Through a small incision about an inch long the TOPAZ
MicroDebrider is applied on and around the affected tendon for 1/2 second duration treatments a quarter inch apart until a grid-like pattern is formed. With every fourth application, the device is inserted deeper into the tendon--approximately 1/4 inch in depth. Small amounts of tissue are removed as a light dose of radiofrequency energy is directed into the tissue. The entire TOPAZ procedure typically takes less than 20 minutes and the patient is ready to leave the clinic once recovered from light anesthesia.

So, that's how it works. Here's what will happen. Thursday morning I'll go in for the procedure and come home with a cast on my right foot... seems reminiscent of when I had a broken ankle at the end of my freshman year of college in the spring of 1969. I'll wear the cast for two weeks and then a "boot" (one of those oh-so-stylish black elastic support shoes) for two to four more weeks. After that the soreness and swelling should be pretty much gone, and it will be all about re-strengthening the area. The most inconvenient part will be that I won't be able to drive for at least two weeks while I'm wearing the cast... and maybe while I'm in the boot as well... we'll see.

I'll post about my progress. If you think about it Thursday morning, send up a prayer in my behalf. Thanks!!