bone spur surgery on top of big toe: recovery time

Thankyou. I have to have both big toes done and I want to do it at one time. You are encouraging. I think it is better to be positive. :)

Its good to hear some positive results. Too many people want to only share negative results on the web and its hard to find good outcomes! My doctor told me he has a 95% success rate, and the ones that arent successful, are the onle who dont follow proper post-op restrictions. I have to admit, I considered cancelling as well after reading all these horror stories. I had a long talk with my doctor and he explained EVERYTHING to me. Im confident that he would not mislead me. I know to expect a long recovery time, and luckily since I was jsut laid off, Ill have the time to be home and relax like Im suppose to! It would be nice if more people posted positive outcomes. This is freaky enough to think they are going to cut into me, yet alone to get the impression that it will be worse. Im praying that my doc is correct, and what Im reading here is that 5% who are using the web as a way to vent their frustrations. Ill get back with you in three weeks after Ihave my surgery :)

I would tell you not to have the bone spurs surgicial removed.I just had removed 6 months ago and have a lot of pain. After the surgery it was very very painful.i kept my feet elevated for 5 days and now i am taking coxagine shots to help with pain.Dont do the surgery at all.

This thread is VERY VERY FRIGHTENING.  It makes me feel I'm about to give up everything I enjoy in life to live in pain and be an eternal criple.  I have been in pain for almost 30 years and have had enough - but I don't want to make things worse and I am TERRIFIED after eeading the stories on here.

I was refered for a bone fusion as my worst toe will not bend, I hardly can find any shoes to fit without being blindingly painful and I need to wear rockers. My final xrays show the joint is not fused and is 'stuck' because of the mass of bone spurs. So I was DELIGHTED not to need screws and a plate fitting!

Now after reading these comments I am not so delighted - bone spur removal seemed such a simple procedure with a comparably fast recovery time.  I am having both feet done at the same time - to get it over with. I've been told it was FROM a 6-8 week recovery time - but no promises - that they would have a better idea 6-8 weeks after surgery as to what the final recovery time would be. I was told there is a 70-80% chance of sucsess, that 80% of patients find significant mobility/pain relief from this surgery, and there is a 5% risk it will cause further pain/problems and need repeated surgery.

We can't be pain-free without this surgery - but an 80% chance of improvement seems worth the risk - is it really as bad as the comments on here make out? How can I find information on checkimg out the risks before it's too late?  

 

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I had this surgery and wondered why until after about a year, no pain and full movement! So far it has been 10 years. It is a long recovery process but it does work! Hang in there!

I had a spur removed from the top of my big toe three weeks ago. Still in a lot of pain and can not bend my toe is that normal

I had my toe done 18th April. Toe feels stiff, but not really painful and I can bend it although am wearing a boot cast. Not taking any painkillers.

I had my surgery almost 2 weeks ago on both feet. First 48 hours was tough then each day has ben better - but on the whole it went much better then I expected and it's been fine. One joint was more badly damaged the other was in good shape - though right now that one causes more 'pain'. been without pain killers for a couple of days now. stitches out later this week.  I have no idea if this was a good move yet but I hope the results are better then the ones I read on here. Fingers crossed.

How is it now? I'm almost 3 weeks on and I can't bend either of mine and they are still very sensitive, since the surgery one heel is numb and painful. I can comfortably walk about 1/2 mile in an hour with crutches! lol

I have 2 bone spurs plus a bunion on my right foot that are giving me extreme pain...I'm thinking seriously about doing the surgery.  But I work at a hospital and am a single mother and very active with fitness, so I'm very afraid where post-surgery will leave me.  I did great after having a cervical disectomy & fusion, so am confident I could get through this, but...does anyone think foot surgery would be worse than neck surgery???

I am so fearful of the thought of foot fusion I may need for a bone slur on top of both feet. How are you now? Where was yours done?

I posted a full update but it don't seem to be there... I will pop back when I have time...

Here goes... after 7 weeks suddenly this became a lot for comfortable. they do a lot of messing with the joint so of course it will still be tender and have a long way to go.

I had both feet done so thinking of the mixed experiences on here I found both feet very different. Much different levels of pain in each at different times. The less damaged more bendy joint was more painful in the earlier days - because the foot/toe was doing more. The badly damaged one wasn't moving so was much more comfortable.

The one that could flex a little now almost has full movement when I bend it by hand - and full movement when I use floor pressure, and 1/4 bend on it's own and is very very comfortableand healing very very well because it had less damage to begin with.

 The worse one now is still comforable but harder work to get moving because it was badly damaged and had much more done to it in surgery, it now has about 1/4 of it's bending ability using the floor pressure and a tiny amount on it's own - small but sure progress.

or the past two weeks I've been walking comfortable for short but reasonable distances in big MBT trainers - one size larger then normal,and at 7 weeks I can now walk at a very reasonable pace in these - but normal trainers would aggrivate the joints and cause pain and slow down the healing. So I do my physio to activate the joints and rebuild the brain/toe conections - but also take care of the feet while they go through the healing process. The more I look after them and respect  thenm while they recover from what is quite aggressive surgery - the sooner I will be able to return to my sports.

Though I haven't gone into any destructive testing to see how the joints compare with life before surgery - I can honestly say that I have none of the pain I had before the surgery - but I really can't know for sure if this will be so once I'm fully back to normal for me activity. But it looks very promising. But I just need to be patient! lol

 

 

Thanks so much for your response. I think, however, you may not have had what I need: foot fusion of the bones on top of my feet, above arch, behind toes, is where I have huge bumps on top part of both feet.

My experiences.. if it helps anyone.. I'm in my mid 50s
I stubbed my big toe 20 years ago and sufferered mild pain from then on until arthritis and bone spur developed. I had a cheilectomy in late Jan 2010 by a "top London surgeon" who made an incision on the top of my toe (odd according to comments i have read here), cleaned out the damaged bone fragments and drilled holes in the end of the bone to help create new scar tissue as a cartilage replacement.
After the expected few days of elevated foot and painkillers I was able eventually to travel abroad for a holiday 8 weeks later.
The pain never really totally went away, and having moved to a different part of the country I saw a different consultant in Jan 2012.
Xrays showed that the joint was not recovering and was in fact getting more arthritic. He offered me a total joint replacement, which I had at the end of May 2012.
I had a side incision about 4 inches long.. and a bunion and other bone growth removed at the same time!
Again, foot elevated for a few days, and a boot and crutches for several weeks.
5 weeks on and I'm aware of improvements every day.. I'm in open toed sandals and still have some swelling, which I expect to have for up to three months.
First time around I took little or no medication, but this time I found that Paracetamol was my friend. For me it really did reduce the swelling, and most significantly helped if I took some when I went to bed. I took Bromelain both times too, but can't say whether it made any difference.
The only negative is the healing of the wound which is not complete, but I gather this is not unusual with bunion surgery.... in fact it's the latter that has caused the most discomfort.. not the joint replacement.
My advice to anyone.. keep the foot up as much as possible.. as often as you can .. even for weeks. Have physio, and/or manipulate the joint as much as possible as soon after surgery as allowed.. If it stiffens up you might need another hospital visit and GA to get it manipulated by the surgeon as internal scar tissue can cause the repairing joint to seize up.
SR