bone spur surgery on top of big toe: recovery time

To help other people maybe you can update? How are you doing now and also how badly damaged was the joing before surgery? I hope this works well for you.

I'm 5 months on. Still can only walk in size larger man sized MBTs and one brand of big man walking boots. Still very veery few trainers I can fit my feet into let alone try to walk! i think being able to walk into shop and enjoy buying shoes isn't going to happen! Awful shame. But this is because my toe won't bend much so hurts in the shoes not anymore from the width!

Feet are still normally very comfortable at rest and at night... so this is a big improvement from the surgery.

Can walk well enough though at a good enough pace and distances are fine - and almost pain free... still get the pain from other bits of my feet though cos I can't walk 'properly' . Def still can't run. Struggle on uneven surfaces and walking down hill.

Don't regret doing it...and I do but feel like a fusion would have been better for me though in the long run...but it might still improve...but it is a bit pigs might fly first! I really don't want to have gone through this only to need a fusion in the next few years.. life is too short to keep taking time out with such dehabilitating surgery.

Janet.. my update..not sure where to start.. it's been a bit of a nightmare. I had the big toe implant on the NHS at the end of May. a big incision at the side that took until mid July to heal. For the first 6-8 weeks I saw general improvement and was off the crutches at about 5 weeks.. the usual swelling so sandles only. However during August I realised that things were not improving any more and I was still unable to walk for more that a 100mtres or so. I requested an appointment with my consultant before the scheduled September follow-up. He said the joint had stiffened up and that "manipulation" under general anaesthetic was required. I had this in mid September, and for 24 hours I thought it was all fixed.. then the pain came back with a vengeance.... presumably when the painkillers wore off. I moved to the westcountry from Hampshire in mid 2010 shortly after I had a cheilectomy in the first attempt at repairing my stubbbed toe. I was due a visit back there at the end of September and decided to get a second opinion from the original London specialist. He reminded me that he had not recommended an implant as the technology was not proven. (see my ealier thread). He said he could do more corrective surgery, but advised that fusion would be the best option as it would take away the pain once and for all..(I hope so). This has been the big issue for me.. pain and immobility have turned me into a blob! So, I'm booked in to have the fusion at the end of October .. privately by the London specialist. It's frustrating to have to go through it all again, but hopefully this will be final. On another downside, this will be the fourth general anaesthetic in two years. Forum postings suggest that these are not good for the brain long term. Since May I have been unable to put on a normal pair of shoes.. not from the swelling, which has now gone, but from general pain. With Winter fast approaching this has to change! I'll keep you informed Steve

Hello, thank you for your post. Was your surgery considered a "Chilectomy"? I have end stage Halux Rigidis of the big toe. I have read a Chilectomy (which is what I think you had) does not work on end stage, yet one fairly well respected surgeon in my area has recommeded this. I have seen 4 ddocs each with a DIFFERENT opinion (Fusion, Chilectomy, Partial Joint Replacement, and Keller). UGH.

Oh Steve! So sorry! Awful. Hopefully it will be third time lucky! But what an awful ride! Hope it goes well for you this time. Keep us posted.

It feels really 'soft' going on about toes/feet... and being so disabled by them..they seem so small and insignificant! But we so need them to walk & run! This seems to be really difficult joint damage to solve. I think the fusion takes quite a while to heal..but after going through so much for so long it might feel like a quick recovery! Hope it works well!

Hi,
I too had a bone spur removed (3yrs ago), and joint replacement (2yrs ago) and for the last two years it has been very painful to walk, the pain coming from the sesamoid bones in the bottom under the joint replacement. The dr. now wants to do a fusion of the big toe and i am torn on what to do. Did you have any thing else done? Thank you for your time. Barbara Duncan

I don't know if that is normal, my surgeon dances around the topic. I had the same procedure 3 weeks ago and still have a lot of pain and swelling. Cannot wear a normal shoe even 5 minutes without pain and swelling. Can bend the toe 5 degrees at best with pain. Guess I'll be in the Herman Munster boot for a while. It is better, than the first week, but seems like little improvement going into the third.

The spur pain was so bad, and for so long, I just could not take it any more...

Just be aware the 6 - 8 week recovery time is probably a surgical/medical' recovery - not a back to normal recovery. I was very excited as my 8 weeks arrived thinking i'd be able to go shoe shopping and buy some shoes..but I couldn't even find trainers I could wear! But it depends on what you had done..my better joint recovered fairly fast and could wear shoes! lol But 6 months later it still hurts and I can't run or ramble on the moors - but I can walk more or less pain free on flat footpaths and it's pain free at night! So yes it improves in the pre surgery pain. But gives different sensitivities where they messed with the joint. It is just a very looooong slooooooow booooooring recovery! But you sound off to a good start. Cos you are doing physio it will feel a bit rough...my physio said keep within your comfort zone and build up gradually. - my better joint was bendilg fully bu 8 weeks. End of the day it heals inside when it heals..we can't speed it up - but we can slow it down if we over aggrivate it so good luck - hopefully by the spring you will feel like new!

I had surgery on Tuesday this past week. I am 52, soon to be 53. I had the Halius? Rigidus? as well and had the bone spurs shaved. In addition my surgeon cut the bone behind my big toe joint and basically shortend the bone in order to decompress the joint. This will cause me to have many more good years with the toe. Pain without putting weight on it was pretty much gone after 3 days. So now in to day 5. Everything seems to be as planned. I play a lot of tennis, and am very physically active. I was told that 8 weeks is the minimum healing time for this. I could start to test it out and start trying to play some tennis that time. Basically the bone will be strong enough, it will be my pain tolerance which will be more the issue. I asked, somewhat stupidly, whether there was any chance I could do a tough mudder event in 8 weeks if I really took care of the foot. He said absolutely not. Anyway, based on this information it seems that your response is right on. Medically you are pretty much okay at 8 weeks, but you will still have a long way to go before getting to completely 'normal'. Also, everyone will have a different story depending on a variety of factors. I'm sure commitment to physical theropy plays the biggest part in this.

I'm going in on Tuesday 30th to have the joint fused. Initially I had a cheilectomy for halus rigidus arthritic joint in Jan 2010, then an implant in May 2012.. so the implant is coming out and this is the last resort... anything to get rid of the pain and very limited mobility. In both previous cases it took about 8 weeks for wound healing and significant reduction of swelling. Although it took probably longer to get into shoes, I was in sandals after 4-5 weeks. This time my consultant says I should be in shoes in 6 weeks, but I will be surprised if that's the case. I'm due to fly to the Canaries 5 weeks after the op... I'm wondering now whether it will be feasible. Another update in a week or so! Steve

Good luck steve! Third time lucky! xx

I had my right big toe cheilectomy last month on 10/8/12, wore the boot they provided, and only used the crutches also provided a couple of times. I didn't walk about very much the first few days, and kept my foot on a stool to reduce the blood's pressure column on the toe. Nine days post op, I had the sutures removed, and a week after that I was riding my bicycle.Doc told me it would take 8-10 weeks before I would feel like the left and right were similarly about "normal", and so far, he's right on. It's already a big improvement over what I've been enduring for these last few years, and it continues getting better by the day. I'm not yet ready for a 50 mile bike ride or a 20 mile hike, but it's well on the way.I am VERY glad I had this done, and if the left one ever shows any signs of a bone spur, I'll have that taken care of right away. I did take pain meds for 3, maybe 4 days post op, but that was it.

excellent kstrauser... good to hear some positive news following surgery... and Janet I have good news too.

I had my MPT fusion two weeks ago and had my bandages off at 10 days. I am walking unaided, without pain and just dealing with some residual swelling now. I am absolutely amazed.. the wound has healed and the pain I have suffered for two years following the Cheilectomy and this year's implant attempt is gone... all that at two weeks! I have to say I wish I had it done two years ago.

Fusion sounded frightening, and Iresisted it as long as I could.. At this stage I would recommend it to anyone in pain.

I'll post a further update in a month or so, when I should be back in normal shoes.

Steve R

May I ask in what part of the country was your surgery done? I am near Baltimore. I have horrible pain from huge bone spur from arthritis right on top of foot, and the only option seems to be a foot fusion. I am terrified and have heard horrible result stories....

Great news kstrauser... and I will say on mty less damaged foot I would have been the same... because that one has done great - even having to cope with the extra demands of being my one good foot!

And Steve!!! What great news! I was actually thinking of you recently and wondering how you got on! That's really really good! Phew!!!!

I see my surgeon next week to see what he thinks..I expect the descission will be be to give it more chance to recover and then be back to the - go as long as I can stand it and then come back for a fusion - which is just too silly to be true cos that's what I went in for in the first place!!!! lol

well fingers crossed you carry on making a really good recovery...don't over do things!

fancykats.. I live in the UK.. and have to admit that when I first started posting here it slipped my mind that this is an international forum.

My UK experience is that I lost confidence (pain causes that quite quickly) in my regional underfunded local hospital. In the end  I decided to go to the top with a London specialist who treats footballers. Hopefully your healthcare structure is different.

Janet.. I think with my Cheilectomy Iknew after 6 months that things were never going to get better, and i put up with it for another 18 months before doing something about it. Likewise with the replacement surgery.. after 5 months it was showing no signs of improvement at all.

I suspect they will suggest you give it more time, but at some stage you have to make a decision..Have you had a second opinion?

Steve R