Yes, I had my moments of doubt - now I know for myself what successful recovery takes:
- lots of strong painkillers just after surgery - to block the emergence of pain (and not kill the pain once it is there)
- quick withdrawal of painkillers when one does not need them
- remaining as active as possible (in the post-op shoe, then in normal comfortable footwear)
- accepting some pain and challenging myself (but no torture!)
- accepting that the recovery will take time, and believing that it will be better
How are you doing now? I just had my stitches removed today at day 12 post cheilectomy. Was able to squeeze into a shoe but it was way to uncomfortable and didn't last long. I'm a long distance runner so this down time and fall weather is torturing me right now. Congrats on your recovery so far!
ReplyDeleteI am quite well - trained myself again to run 7m each Sunday, I can run @7.1 mph (previously 8.5 mph). However, after I run 7m on Sunday, I cannot run at all on Tuesday, and on Thursday I can run perhaps for 5 minutes only. The limiting factor is neither the foot after the cheilectomy, nor the cardio level of fitness (I do not get too tired after 7m, and do not even need any drink while and after running), but the muscles and ligaments in my legs hurt horribly. I know I shall be fine with time, so I am not giving up.
ReplyDeleteAs I wrote on my blog, once I had had the stitches taken out, I did not wear any dressing, and I managed to walk in a soft large shoe (a black Bostonian with a rubber sole, one size too big). It took me a few more weeks until I could wear "proper" shoes or trainers.
I wanted to thank you for this blog on surgery to improve Hallux Rigidus. This is very helpful, and I have read it from beginning to end.
ReplyDeleteI am a 54 Y.O male and had a cheilectomy-moberg operation to my right big toe on 9/5/12. my experience is similar to yours, from the actual hospital visit, to each day's improvement, the timing of the suture removal and returning to a full schedule, including exercise
Today marks a month since my surgery, and while it is still swollen and tender, I am almost to the place where my toe hurts as much as it did prior to surgery. My doctors says i will be basically pain free in 6 months, (though with limited motion) which believe me I look forward to.
Right now I am wearing MBTs, and have found those "rocker" shoes helpful
Glad to hear you are doing well after 3 months, and thank you again for posting.
Could you answer a question for me? I'm 67 yrs old and had Cheilectomy done on both big toes about 8 yrs ago and was completely happy with the results. Doc told me it (pain) would return in about 5-6 yrs. Recently, only the left toe is bothering me. The right seems to have full mobility and no pain.
ReplyDeleteNow doc is telling me the next step is fusion which i don't want to do. Do you know of any reason cheilectomy can't be done a second time?
I am unable to answer your question - I have my own experience of cheilectomy, but I am have no expertise in orthopaedic surgery. Perhaps we have some readers who have the required knowledge?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the informative blog. I will be going with my family to China exactly 12 weeks post surgery. Will I be able to do extensive walking and climbing e.g. The Great Wall? Or should I cancel and wait till after the trip is over(although it is quite painful to walk as of now).
ReplyDeleteI wish I could tell you - but I do not know. I would say that it took approx. 6 months for me to be completely OK, but at week 12-13 I was definitely better than before the surgery. On the other hand, everyone's recovery is different. Some people who leave their comments here apparently need more time to recover. I think that if you go before the surgery, you know how much pain you can expect. If you go ahead with the surgery - no one knows for sure, you may be virtually pain free, but you may as well be unable to climb. If I were to do my second foot (fortunately I do not need to), I would probably either wait until after the trip, or go for a flexible arrangement (i.e. allowing me to cancel/reschedule the trip).
DeleteWhat happened with the China trip? I am in the same boat. I am 46, overweight and out of shape. I weigh 180 lbs. and am 5"8, I am an oncologist and work CRAZY hours and have 2 young boys, age 7 and 9 whose needs I meet first. I was going to do chielectomy in Feb. and trip to Italy in June (4 months) Would you suggest waiting until after???
DeleteDid you have post op Physical Therapy of any kind? Did it help?
ReplyDeleteI did not. I got full function back after approx . 6 months
ReplyDeleteI had my 3-month follow-up with my surgeon today. Things aren't where I would like them to be, but the doctor says I'm still healing, and things should continue to improve.
ReplyDeleteMy biggest problem at this point is pain when I walk. It's dependent on how much I have to bend my toe: If I'm strolling slowly, then it isn't bad. But if I'm walking at a normal or brisk pace where I have to roll over my big toe and push off of it, that hurts. I can do it for a little while, but a mile is about as much as I can tolerate.
The wound itself is also still somewhat tender, and there's a little swelling in my foot. The scar has gotten bigger, wider, and more red over the past few weeks forming a keloid. It's not painful at rest, but it does limit the shoes I can wear.
I had to leave town for several weeks for a family emergency, so I missed about a month of physical therapy. I've done it 4 times in the last 8 days, and it is making a difference. I can feel the joint loosening up a bit, and my foot is a little less sore.
The surgeon says my foot looks more like he'd expect it to look 1 month after surgery instead of 3, but he says it should continue to improve. He says the keloid scarring is indicative of continuing inflammation, so he suggests icing it for 30 minutes every evening, Maderma application daily, and ibuprofen as needed for pain.
I'll go back and see him again in 3 months, and if it isn't improved, he'll give me a cortisone injection to bring down the inflammation.
I am 69 and had cheilectomy on my right foot 10 and 1/2 weeks ago. I would describe my symptoms and course at this point like Kristina, directly above, except that I don't have a keloid. Overall I would say I am still not quite as good as pre-op. Are there others out there who had similar symptoms at 10-11 weeks and might you share your subsequent course? Is there a chance I will still get significant improvement? And if not, is fusion likely to lead to a better outcome?
ReplyDeleteI'm at week 13 post surgery, and my toe continues to improve. I was in Europe for the holiday, so lots of walking, and I really didn't have any pain. My toe still feels "tight" and uncomfortable much of the time, but the pain seems to be gone. All in all, it is better than before the surgery.
ReplyDeleteI also started playing tennis and running again this week, and the toe help upl. It felt great to play tennis, and some of the guys told me that I was playing like there was money at stake :-) My range of motion isn't great, and I get increasing discomfort the more I use the toe, but again....no pain. The biggest observation that I had is that my left leg is pretty weak, and I generally lack endurance when running. I think with some rehab, I can improve on that.
All in all, I'm fairly pleased wtih the surgery, and I'm hopeful that the toe will continue to get better. I was told that the cartilage was pretty denuded, so we will see where that leads me in a few years. I also have just as much limitus in the right toe, but that one is pain free at the momment.
hey van - you are 3 weeks ahead of me !! i recommend a good physio to deal with the "tightness" you describe - my physio today spend 30 mins gently moving the joint - i have tried to copy her technique but i never get the same results but she clearly knows her stuff and i walked home afterwards with no pain or sensation at all - as good as my good left foot - leaving today as y best day since surgery - good luck Van - Rob
DeleteI'm in week 10, and couldn't second regular PT more; I've had 8 weeks@2x/week with a real pro -- the best pt I've ever seen, and I've worked with plenty. The big snapping scar tissue cracks I was having are gone, and we've started cracking out scar tissue in completely new places. But it's all much easier now, and the ROM is excellent -- I can almost do a lunge, which is the gold standard.
DeleteActually, I have one update/correction. When I do ROM exercises, which honestly isn't often, my toe does hurt! I should probably do these more often, and after reading some of the posts on here - I think I will. The surgeon also suggested doing these more often at my discharge appointment.
ReplyDeleteWeek 12
ReplyDeleteI HAVE STARTED RUNNING AND ITS GREAT !!
SLIGHTLY SORE YESTERDAY BUT RAN 8K TODAY AND 7K YESTERDAY PLUS WALKING. METRICS VIRTUALLY THE SAME AS LAST WEEK - SEE ENTRY FOR THAT
Its much better than before surgery and i am sure there is more recovery on its way BUT IM 95% THERE
The scar is healing well but still red and sometimes after exercise is only very slightly swollen - ive sent a photo to parsifal
i will next check in at the end of month 4 -6th March - good luck to you all best Rob
HERE ARE MY STEPS SINCE THE LAST ENTRY
28-Dec 12148
29-Dec 4509
30-Dec 6505
31-Dec 4577
1-Jan 7339
2-Jan 5335
3-Jan 11026
4-Jan 10570
5-Jan 10566
6-Jan 10827
7-Jan 13401
8-Jan 11475
9-Jan 16412
10-Jan 11793
11-Jan 10349
12-Jan 10364
13-Jan 10847
14-Jan 17026
15-Jan 15036
16-Jan 10228
17-Jan 10449
18-Jan 10163
19-Jan travel
20-Jan 6993
21-Jan 152323
22-Jan 20278
23-Jan 14891
24-Jan 12425
25-Jan 10111
26-Jan 13055
27-Jan 20660
28 -Jan so far 18666
parsifal - have some photos of my scar - if you let me have email address ill send
ReplyDeleteI have added a contact form under 'pages' in the sidebar on the right. Please feel free to test & use!
DeleteI'm a getting-fit-again-nearing-50-years-old man, and aren't doing as well as some of the others at 12 weeks post-surgery. Each step hurts, though I've ramped up the exercise and I'm sure that's partly responsible for the pain. I "ran" 1 mile on a treadmill a few days ago in 9:30, and have done various kinds of 1/2 hour HIIT exercise programs every day since, most of which involve jumping. I've definitely got some swelling, and my scar is red and prominent. I still crack out scar tissue in a lunge or downward dog position. My ROM is excellent, though I can't get into a deep lounge. I see the surgeon again for what I hope will be a final visit in another 10 days, and after that point, I think he will tell me it's time to stop the 2x/wk PT, and just let things heal. In terms of before and after, my ROM is much better, but the pain when walking is about the same or maybe even a little more. I limp. I assume, based on people's reports and experience, I'll feel good in another 3 months, but I'm not there yet.
ReplyDeleteHello all. My question is about the numbness. I am 4 weeks post op and the area around the wound is numb, the little toes consistently feel like pins and needles but bend and the big toe is very stiff, numb and hurts to bend. It’s this typical of what everyone has experienced? Also my ROM in my ankle is very stiff as well. My DR doesn’t seem to be concerned but if any of you have any exercise or supplement advice I’d love to hear it! Thanks
ReplyDeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteLong time lurker. Wanted to say thanks for keeping this blog! I'm at week 12 post surgery and really glad that I had it done. My recovery pretty much mirrored what I read on here exactly, which was very motivating on days when I felt like I was never going to be better (I'm not the most patient patient). I still can't put all my weight on my big toe, for example doing a yoga plank, but I'm hopeful that with time I'll be able to. Given that I was at about 0 degrees of bend before, the flex that I have in my toe is so much better.
Hi, thanks for this blog! I have been healing slowly but surely, however, my podiatrist is not happy with my stiffness and range of motion 3 months post surgery. I am getting a procedure called a manipulation today. I did a search and have not seen this elsewhere on your blog.
ReplyDeleteBasically, I have to have general anesthesia for this because he is going to manually break up the scar tissue to increase range of motion. It's non-invasive however, no knife.
I have been able to walk at a steady pace for up to an hour (a couple miles) but I do continue to have pain off and on so hoping this works. I look forward to my golf and longer hikes.
I have had 2 cheilectomies. Left foot is at week 12. Right foot at week 3. So, right foot takes my attention off the left. Left was in worse shape originally with no cartilage, and at week 3 was worse off that right (50% cartilage) is currently. It just feels like much more was removed with the first surgery. The entire foot was swollen and darker for a long time. The right foot is much less swollen, and the color isn’t much darker than normal.
ReplyDeleteMy 12 week toe hurts similarly as the the 3 week toe, but not as badly. I walk up and downstairs barefoot, carefully, several times a day. Walking down is a challenge for both toes, but becoming less challenging by the week.
I don’t have a routine for PT, but I tend to bend my toe up and down at random times during the day. Standing I’ll often press the front of the foot into the floor alternating between right and left. I manually bend them down. Strangely, the right one doesn’t seem to “snap back” as good as I remember the left one doing. But then again I may not have been able to bend it down so much after 3 weeks.
The left toe / joint looks nice after the surgery. The scar is healing pretty well. The right one is swollen in such a way, there feels like a bit of a dent where the toe joins with the metatarsal head. I have worn a regular running shoe for several weeks on the left foot, but continue wearing the hospital shoe on the right foot. I can only tolerate a shoe on the right foot for a few minutes.