Transcription
I'm James Ando, ankle specialist, and we're going to take you through a thorough rehabilitation plan for Hain's deformity.
Be careful to listen thoroughly throughout the video as I discuss not only how to perform the exercises but also how to move on to the next stage of the rehabilitation process.
All information is for educational purposes only and it shouldn't replace medical advice. If you're in acute pain, then we'd recommend isometric holds. These are lifting your heels up off the floor and staying in that position for up to 45 seconds at a time.
First, you can practice on two legs. It's okay to have a little bit of pain; we generally recommend to our patients that up to five out of ten pain is okay, as long as the pain decreases after you stop.
If this is comfortable, then you can progress onto single leg isometric holds. You can use a wall to hold on for balance, and as you find it more comfortable, you can progress onto weaning off the wall.
Again, with the single leg, you're aiming for three by 45-second holds. If you find it too painful to do the holds on one leg, you can use a step. Lean forward, and then with the affected foot on the ground, lift your heel up and down.
As that becomes more comfortable, you move backward so you've got more weight on the back leg. Again, you're going up and down slow and controlled—two seconds up and two seconds down.
If you found the two types of exercises too easy to do, then you can move straight onto double leg heel raises from the floor. It's really, really important to do these from the floor rather than off a step, as if you drop below neutral, the Achilles tendon can compress against your Haglund's and increase your pain.
So, double leg heel raises should be slow and controlled off the floor. Then you can progress these into single leg heel raises, once again from the floor, lifting slowly up and slowly back down.
These should be done separate from the double leg heel raises and only completed if you can do the recommended amount of exercises on the double leg heel raises.
Finally, if you can do all of the single leg heel raises that we recommended and your symptoms are improving, then we'd recommend progressing onto single leg heel raises on a wobble cushion.
If you don't have this available, you can just use your pillow or cushion at home. Try to use the wall initially and then progress onto weaning off the wall to really work on your calf strength and balance.
If you find the video helpful, please like and subscribe to the channel. We've got more information on shoes for Haglund's deformity in our other videos.