Gee, I don't know about that procedure, but I had the same diagnosis by my podiatrist. Nothing conservative was working and we were discussing surgery to remove the large heel spurs that had developed over the years from constant inflammation (by the way, I rarely wore high heels). I was told the recovery was 6-12 months. When i developed the low back pain and was finally diagnosed with enteropathic arthritis be my rheumy, the Achilles tendonitis resolved with biologics. Still get pain there, but it is pretty minor.

If you have to have surgery, the type you describe sounds best. Still, I am very glad I avoided it.

Jan

Is he going to use Botox in your tendons. We do that all the time for children with spastic CP but inject it into their tight muscles.

The appt was rather interesting...had the x-ray and an ultrasound of the foot/tendon and once I got the results I wondered how the heck I ever manage to stand up in the mornings!
I have severe tendonosis (what is the difference with tendonitis?) and a shortened tendon but no calcification (which is a good thing I figure).
The foot is a mess. Shortened metatarsals, deformations, hallus limitus (the bunion is on the top of the toe and not the side so the toe cannot move up and down), something called a 'Morton' in the neveres between the toes (inflamation) and bursitis elsewhere...
His first suggestion was to 'saw' all of my toes to straiten things out, realigne them and put them back together again...(my liuck I would end up with the baby-toe glued back onto the spot where the bigtoe belongs!)
I have settled for physio for the Achilles tendon, ice and anti-inflamatories, exercises to lengthen it (standing with my toes on a phonebook, heals solidly on the floor, leaning forward against a wall...I have to start at page 300 and add 100 pages every month for 6 months to slowly stretch it out but not until the inflamation is down)...
According to him it is the tendon that is at the bottom of most of the problems. It deforms the way I walk, twists the foot when I put it down and is causing the foot, leg and possibly part of the hip pain.
He will operate to remove the bunion (pericutanous surgery...only holes, no sutures, no cutting...it all gets ground down and aspirated)...2 weeks post op convalecence and all done under local anasthetic....in at 7am and out by noon! Youppii!
So, here we go...
Doing it in 2 weeks...
As for the tendon surgery, if the stretching doesn't fix it then I will have it done...
Sharon

Tendinitis is active inflammation. Tendinosis is the malformation of the tendon, either from inflammation or repetitive stress. The symptoms are the same.

I think your choice for gradual conservative treatment makes a lot of sense. I'd avoid any invasive stuff on the tendon if you can. If the injections were to be steroid, I REALLY would avoid it.

Good luck with it and the bunion surgery!

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3312643/

Jan

No steriods in the tendons although he is suggesting it for the 'Morton' between the metatarsals...not sure yet about that...I am kind of scared of steriods...Been there, Done that...so maybe if I can avoid them...it wouldn't be such a bad thing.
If the surgery and prognositic go well I will let you know...it is an interesting method for treating the problem and totally non-invasive with fewer complications (I won't say none but less).
Hopefully it won't be too painful.
Keeping my fingers crossed.
Sharon