An unlikely lesson in Business from my squashed ligament.
Pain, persistence, and priorities: what my 4-year injury journey taught me about growing and scaling a business even when dealing with devastating setbacks.
Welcome to a free edition of Start Up To Grown Up: Your source for ideas, insights and tactics to take back control of your business and scale it sustainably and profitably by Heather Townsend, award-winning author of The Accountants’ Millionaires’ Club and Founder of The Accountants’ Growth Club.
The Backstory
At the start of lockdown, I believed my body was strong and in a good place. Or so I thought. By May 2020, I was in agony with my feet, later diagnosed as double nerve impingement through both ankles. Once again, I had embraced the ‘go hard or go home’ mindset. The podiatrist called my case unusual - a description no one wants from a medical professional.
After starting daily physio exercises and wearing new orthotic soles, I strengthened my ankles, arches, and feet, resolving the nerve impingement. By April 2021, I thought I was done with podiatrist appointments. My podiatrist even begrudgingly allowed me to start running 30 minutes again - a significant victory. But just before, what I thought was going to be my last appointment with the podiatrist, disaster struck.
A sharp, chisel-like pain developed in my left ankle. It felt like someone was pushing a chisel between my foot and my ankle. Over the next 18 months, I endured three MRIs, a fracture boot, one misdiagnosis, a steroid injection, a change of podiatrist, and eventually keyhole surgery. The culprit? My Basset’s ligament, a ligament not everyone has, was being trapped between my ankle bones with each step. You see, I told you I was special. By the way, it’s as painful as you are imagining it to be.
In July 2022, my surgeon removed the ligament and scar tissue wrapped around the superficial peroneal nerve. Recovery involved another summer on the sofa, with weeks of physio. But eventually, in Autumn 2022 I returned to walking netball.
2 years after starting my injury journey I was fixed.
Or so I thought…
What Then Happened?
Over the last few months, I’ve experienced occasional tweaks in my ankle; setting my mind racing with fears of recurrence. With some mental effort, I switched on my rational brain and it reassured me:
Don’t worry - you can’t squash a ligament you no longer have.
For months, these minor tweaks resolved themselves overnight.
Until they didn’t.
The niggling pain became a constant. A level of pain which drains you and needs focus to just be able to function. At first, I was in denial, convinced this pain would disappear. After all, it had done before. And, most importantly, I couldn’t squash a ligament that was no longer there. Then, I made the mistake of googling “recurrence of anterior ankle impingement” and learned it’s fairly common due to the build up of new scar tissue or arthritis.
What Now?
I was building plans for 2025 which included increasing my exercise. Those plans are in disarray. Cast aside before I’d even started to translate them to my diary. My left ankle cannot dorsiflex without me wincing with pain. This is where your foot moves in a motion towards your leg. It’s a pretty common movement which means everything I do is being re-evaluated. For example, navigating stairs, walking, driving, rowing machine, mountain biking and many activities I love all involve various degrees of dorsiflexion.
I’ve booked the first appointment with my podiatrist and anticipate an MRI, plus appointments with my ankle consultant. This isn’t me being a drama queen. This is me knowing what the professionals will need to do to diagnose the problem and find a solution. While I hope a steroid injection will resolve the inflammation and stop my tissues from being trapped, I’ve already earmarked April for surgery if needed.
How Am I Feeling About It All?
I’ve cycled through anger, frustration, and sadness, but I’m also surprisingly grateful. Unlike last time, I won’t wait 18 months for a diagnosis. I wouldn’t endure set back upon set back upon set back as new medical professionals try and work out what is going on. My medical team is already intimately familiar with my ankle and foot, which means a faster path to recovery. Which then means that conservative management - AKA avoiding the surgeon’s knife - has a possibility of working.
Experience means I’ve been through all this before. This feels like a bonus to me. Unlike last time around I’m not afraid and I know what’s important. And that’s quality of life and staying pain free. Everything is now focused on how to get back to this point.
What’s This Got to Do with Running a Business?
You may be thinking, nice story Heather. But so what? There’s a lot to glean from this story. There are many lessons - even though the ending of my story is still very unclear.
Expect the Unexpected: Your business reality can shift in a moment. A key employee leaving or a major client pulling out can leave you vulnerable. Always have contingency plans.
Have some flex in your diary: My 2025 plans didn’t include a succession of medical appointments and 2 weeks off to recover from surgery. And I’ll be honest, getting that 2 weeks in the diary is going to be a struggle before the summer. This is a reminder to not get too busy!
Failures Are Lessons: You either succeed or you learn. And failure often makes the best teacher. The failure of my ankles back in 2021 have now given me the knowledge for how to make a quicker recovery in 2025.
Focus on Priorities: In managing my ankle, I won’t waste time on minor fixes with slim chances of success. Instead, I’ll go straight to effective solutions like MRIs or surgery if necessary. In business, knowing what’s important helps you make decisive choices to move forward.
Your action this week.
Is to review your plans for 2025 and ask yourself the following questions:
Have you got contingency plans ready in case something goes wrong?
Is there enough flexibility in your diary and commitments? Or are you working flat out?
What lessons were you taught in 2024 which you need to learn from in 2025?
What are your key priorities in 2025 to hit your goals?