For Matthew Solan & James Davis at St John & St Elizabeth Hospital and OneWelbeck

For Martin Klinke at London Bridge, Cromwell Hospital, Chiswick Outpatients, New Victoria Hospital & One Welbeck

Harry Clarke

Harry Clarke is a 25-year-old from Sussex. Mr Clarke has a genetic condition called Charcot-Marie-Tooth which means the body’s connecting nerves do not function properly. This caused Mr Clarke’s foot to become so misshapen that he was unable to put his foot flat on the ground and he came to the London Foot and Ankle centre for major reconstruction surgery.

Describe your foot problem

I had problems with my left foot for my whole life and was diagnosed with Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) when I was 11. The condition affects the connecting nerves in the body, for example, I could cut my hands and not realise because I don’t immediately feel any pain. For my feet, the knock-on effect of Charcot-Marie-Tooth is that there is a lot of muscle wastage and over time, my left foot became increasingly misshaped and painful. By the time I was 14, I wasn’t able to play sport and had to wear an assortment of splints and orthotics. Once I went to university, it was having a really major impact on my life and whenever I went out with friends, I would always have to travel in a taxi. By the time I reached my twenties, I couldn’t put my foot flat on the ground or walk in bare feet.

Why did you decide to have surgery?

I had an operation before university but it didn’t work and my left foot became even more painful. I lost count of the number of foot surgeons I had seen before I came to the London Foot and Ankle Centre and met Mark Davies. When I met Mr Davies, I liked the way he focused upon long term solutions and considered the problems that related back to CMT, rather than the short term. Although I was nervous about the prospect of more foot surgery, I felt confident that I was in the right place.

Describe your procedure

I knew it would be a major operation with a lengthy period of recovery. The surgery involved lengthening my Achilles, moving my heel to align it with the rest of my foot and moving several tendons to stop my foot from turning in every time I took a step. The operation took place in September 2006.

How did you feel immediately after surgery?

I spent a week in hospital following my operation. It was painful at times immediately after surgery, but it improved and could be controlled with painkillers. I was in a plastercast for the first two weeks and had to keep my leg elevated as much as possible.

The first month after surgery

By the time I left hospital, the pain was massively reduced and it felt very manageable. I had a lot of help and support from my friends and family which was really important as I had to keep my leg elevated and stay off my feet as much as possible. I found I could visit friends, as long as once I arrived, I stayed in the same place.

Two to five months after surgery

My plastercast was changed for a fibrecast which I wore for a month. I was then in an Aircast Boot for a further month. In total, I spent three months in different types of cast, which sounds like a long time, but my foot had been so painful and restrictive before surgery that it didn’t feel too bad.

Five months and beyond

I started doing physiotherapy five months after surgery. When I started to do a little weight bearing, it was wonderful to be able to see my foot flat on the floor. I realised how far my heel used to be from the floor before I had surgery. I finally had a foot that worked and recovery was plain sailing from then on. At eight months, I was able to go for a light jog which felt really good. By the summer after my operation, I played football every weekend with friends – something I hadn’t been able to do for ten years.

What would your advice be to someone with a similar foot problem?

This operation has been life changing for me. You have to use your feet for everything you do in life but it’s only when you have a foot which doesn’t work properly that you realised how debilitating it can be. I’m enormously grateful to Mr Davies because my operation has been a huge success. In the future, it’s possible that I may need a further, much smaller operation, but the signs are that the problem has been addressed for the long term, which was always the aim. I would say make sure you are advised by a specialist who takes the long term view and any condition that you may have in to account. Although recovery takes many months, without a doubt it is thoroughly worthwhile.