There is no silver bullet with surgery for flat feet. There are many different procedures for which a surgeon can choose from. Also flat feet surgery is very complicated as well, leading to a decent amount of flat foot surgery being unsuccessful. I would place the rate of successful flat foot surgery at about 75%. Now there are different levels of flat foot surgery failure. In some cases the foot remains flat; in other cases the foot is in constant pain. If you have to choose, you want to get the case where the foot remains flat as the constant pain failure leads to multiple problems.
Now before I go further there is fairly common flat foot procedure called hypo cure where an implant is placed in the flatfoot. This surgery is a scam and there is no evidence it works. If you had this procedure done get the hypocure removed and hopefully it has not damaged any cartilage. Then go see a real surgeon instead of the pain by numbers guy that put the implant in. You need a second opinion, a real opinion.
Now there are a lot of other cases that result in failure as well. Some of these procedures are fusions, some are are tendon transfers, and others involve osteotomies. First step: do not be mad at your surgeon that your surgery failed. In most cases it’s not his fault. Flatfoot surgery is difficult and you should have been prepared for a possible failure.
Now a common failure is a non union from a fusion. If this is the case you can have a refusion.
If your foot is still flat after the operation it most likely means you need to have more surgery done. A fusion or further osteotomy tends to be the sign. Now if you do not want more surgery and have already failed orthotics consider getting a supportive brace to wear. The ASO brace I posted below can be very helpful in patients that have failed flat foot surgery and can help support the arch:
One thing to remember is do not be afraid to ask for a second opinion. Be open about it with your surgeon. Even ask your surgeon who he would recommend for a second opinion. As I said above flat foot surgery is complicated and having another set of eyes to look at the foot and X Rays can only be helpful. Just remember that at all times be calm and you will figure this out. If you do not know where to go for a second opinion there is a great website called health tap where you can video conference with a doctor to get a second opinion:
Get a Doctor’s Second Opinion. Live by Video, Voice & Chat 24/7.