Bone Spur on Big Toe

Everyone recovers differently, actually the worst part of it will be your nail bed recovery. Bones heal pretty quickly and they ache etc. BUT the nail bed is a different thing entirely, it is FILLED with nerves - years ago certain countries used to use bamboo sticks and push it under the nail bed!!!!!!!! o.O :'( This was a famous torture treatment!!! So be prepared for that. Ask to have enough of a surgical boot to keep from hitting your toe! I had the rods put through my toes and it only sent me through the roof when I got the rods caught on anything. So make sure you ask about anibacterial cream, and being able to TOTALLY TOTALLY protect the toe from being hit.

You know when you have a pimple in your mouth or on your tongue and you keep biting it?!!! It's the same with your foot, you do everything in your power to stop hitting your foot, BUT you keep hitting your foot!!!! o.O I don't know why we do that, but just be prepared. Your nails grow constantly, so as long as the toe can still get air and any infection is taken care of you toe nail should replace itself quickly. Keep your leg elevated so as to stop swelling and water and blood going to the foot. Take any pain medication and ask for it too OK? And when your foot it up and rested and there is NO one to bump it, keep the area well ventillated OK? Good luck and health! It will be a distant memory soon!

Hi there, I hope that you are going to get this surgery soon because it will help you out in the long run. The recovery will probably take awhile since you are getting surgery on your foot and that usually is always a little more complicated than normal, unfortunately. The good news is that it won't be longer than a month or two before you're back to normal especially if you take it easy. Keep us posted on how you're doing and when you finally do get surgery. :)

I am having surgery on a bone spur on big toe next week. i noticed the pain a little about a 1 1/2 years ago while playing softball. The pain got so bad and the bone started to just grow bigger and bigger. now i can only fit into one pair of shoes and had to give up sports for a while. i am hoping this surgery helps!! I have a 2yr old son, and can't even go for walkes with him and my wife because of the pain! i fill as i am missing time with him because of this toe! any advise on what to do after surgery to heal the right way or how long to stay off of foot would really help!!

thank you

RP

Hi! I just had this same surgery for the big toe bone spur growing under my nail. I also had a small bunion removed (bumpectomy) at the same time. It wasn't that bad at all. And the toe portion was not very painful at all! I was asleep during the procedure and was prescribed Vicodin but never needed it. Ibuprophin was enough to take the edge off and it wasn't so bad to begin with. I'm on day 9, wearing a boot and I'm mobile. I needed a cane to walk the first three days, but by day 4 I was walking slowly (but normally). The weather has been hot so I am experiencing some swelling, but it isn't terrible. I have a lovely cold compression boot that I use every day. It's hooked up to a machine that inflates it with air (for compression) and fills channels with cold water. It's wonderful, reducing swelling and elieviates pain. I highly recommend it. I get my stitches out in another week and i will have my other big toe worked on. But i'm not dreading it as the first one was very easy. Good luck to everyone!

Hello Heidi, Any chance you live near Boston Mass? My daughter needs this a similar surgery and we are looking for a good doctor.

Hi
I have just discovered that I have bone spurs on the big toes beneath my nails, and surgery to remove the spurs has been recommended. It is not the surgery so much, but the information that I could lose my nails, that is keeping me awake at night. That has to be so painful. Did you lose your nails?
Can you also tell me where you got the cold compression boot?
You sound so positive, and thank you for that.

sorry i'm in nyc. i'm healing pretty fast. my doctor prescribed the cold compression boot. i wouldnt worry about losing your nail. i guess it would depend on how the doctor does the surgery. my doctor just did a small horizontal incision at the tip of the toe to get at the spur and remove it.only had one stitch to hold it closed and that was removed after only a week and a half and then steri strips for another 5 or so days till the fell off. it was pretty tender if i bumped it and i did walk funny for a little while, but i'm coming up on nearly three months and i'm walking normally. i kicked a stool in the kitchen last night and saw stars, but over all its great. my toenails were already quite short because the bone spurs had pushed the nails up so much that they were thick and deformed so they were cut way back. i've been using a serum thats 40% urea and that is softening everything and helping it grow out normally. my left big toe which wasnt so bad is looking very normal, and my right which was pretty awful is slowly starting to improve. the urea stuff made the nail fall off (which is what its supposed to do) and i have been gently debriding the nailbed of the thickened tissue before it grows out again. but even though it did fall off it is growing back and its not bad. it doesn't hurt. nails are pretty resilient. and unless your doctor is being very aggressive and removing the entire nail you should be fine. even removing the nail shouldn't damage the nail bed and it should grow back. my right nail was so raised and thick, that even if it doesn't grow back completely normally i'll be happy. its vastly improved. my right foot i had the bone spur inder the toenail and the bumpectomy so the recovery time was slower. but my leftt foot was a breeze. very little pain afterwards, and i was in a boot, but back at work after 5 days. (i do have a sit down job). the nly side effects i can report are lingeringr discomfot (but hey, its only been three months and its very reasonable and very infrequent) and some numbness. the incision where the bumpectomy is and the whole outside and tip of my right big toe are still numb. they had to cut a bunch of tiny nerves aling the side of my foot because of where the incision was placed. its along the edge of my foot instead of the top for cosmetic purposes. the surgeon says that the nerves usually regenerate, but sometimes they dont. but it can take 6mos to a year to find out. it was really weird at first, but i have gotten used to it and i am not bothered by the fact that it may never be fully un-numb. it doesnt effect my gait or cause any pain. i hope it does regain full feeling but i'm not worried. on my left foot its a teeny bit of numbness at the tip of the big toe where the incision is, but its getting better.  whew. sorry this is so long winded!  did you guys decide to have your surgery?

not a big deal and is only course of action. had it done in my early 20's and now back in my 50's. out of action month at most. be back at work in a couple of days.

I had it done at age 13, 30 yrs ago. Full removal of big toenail, needed laser surgery for tissue growth post surgery and my nail has scar tissue underneath that always grows back. My toenail is deformed and it's embarrassing. No pedi here!

I have the exact same thing , bone growing up under big toe nail. So glad to finally find something about it. What is it called & is surgery the only treatment . Mine is so painful . I've been dealing with this for well over a year . Would love to get some info about whatever this is called . Thanks

Has anyone had laser treatment for bone spur on top of big toe? How many treatments/ what was the outcome? Were you satisfied with the outcome?

I need to have 2 bone spurs taken off of two big toes. I want to know how long it takes to recover and should I have both done at the same time?