Question: Hello, Dr. Tayal. I thought that you'd find this interesting. You might remember that I told you that my right leg problem originated in my birth with monoplasia and the correction using the posterior tibial transfer. Of course this left me ankle with little flexibility and therefore my gait was badly affected because I did not walk heel-toe, meaning I did not put the initial pressure in stepping on my heel and then my foot, but rather the foot would go do down together and hence the knee served in place of the heel. Such a simple understanding escaped me for 50 years!

Now I am constantly trying to move the ankle around and back and forth (tapping my toes as I sit), which would also allow for movement from the atrophied calf muscle. Finally, I consciously now walk pressing first with the heel, and then the foot. This can be somewhat tiring, but as long as I do it I have no cramps or clicking behind the knee, and no PAIN.

Is it conceivable that if I stay with this exercise and walking to relieve the knee of pressure and restore normal pressure onto the heel, and lose weight (even at the age of 60) I could prevent further deterioration in the knee and avoid SURGERY on the torn meniscal root which causes me no pain? I walked several blocks today back and forth thinking to myself "heel-toe, heel-toe" and experienced no discomfort (except for some fatigue in the previously unused muscles) at all!

Thank you. Do you think this proper walking could prevent further deterioration, and even rehabilitate the meniscal root tear without surgery? Even after so many years?