The Washington Wizard’s point guard John Wall recently underwent surgery for heel pain from Achilles tendinopathy. Media reports described the planned surgery as addressing Haglund deformity. This is a discretionary surgery to attempt to improve symptoms. Details on the medical aspects of Achilles tendinopathy were addressed in a prior post here.

The surgery to remove the Haglund deformity removes bone at the insertion of the Achilles tendon. This weakens the attachment point and creates a risk of detachment.

A month after the surgery, it was reported that Wall detached his Achilles at the surgery site. Reports indicate that the detachment was discovered during an operation to deal with an infection that accompanied the initial heel surgery. The skin in the heel area can have trouble healing and infection is a noted risk. The Achilles detachment was reported to have happened when Wall slipped and fell at his home, but detachment is one of the risks of this surgery. It is more likely with wound problems or infection.

This setback will keep Wall out of play for approximately 12 months per reports. For more information on achilles ruptures click here.