It has been three years since the cheilectomy now. So far, so good! There is no pain and practically no discomfort. There is a feeling in the toe joint that reminds me that once I had a problem there. The range of movement is only marginally limited, and it is not a problem for me at all. I can engage in any physical activities I want (running, jumping, playing competitive badminton, etc.). I still keep on the back of my mind the warning that I received from the surgeon - he told me three years ago that there had been a lot of damage to the cartilage, and that I might need another surgery (fusion) soon. I must be lucky though; I cannot see any worsening of the symptoms; on the contrary - my foot seems to be getting better and better with time.
I have been receiving many positive comments about this blog. I would like to thank everyone for posting their stories, questions, ideas. I started the blog with the intention to create a good repository and exchange of first-hand (or shall I perhaps say "first-foot" ...?) experience, so everyone who considers cheilectomy can find out what they may be looking for.
Your contributions made this blog so successful! Thank you again!
This is my personal experience of surgical treatment (cheilectomy) of hallux rigidus.
25 May, 2015
8 comments :
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Glad to read this. I'm nervous, but determined. Did you notice any hip pain on the opposite hip before you underwent surgery? That's the latest development that inspired me to stop enduring the pain in the right toe joint and get something done.
ReplyDeleteI cannot remember exactly, but I know that I was using the affected extremity sparingly, especially in the gym. And I could feel a lot if strain in the other one.
ReplyDeleteThanks. Final consultation on Thursday -- you are certainly an inspiration, notwithstanding the folks who shared less fortunate outcomes. Parsifal: I will thank you in one year...My eyes are open.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your recovery, glad to hear everything is going well!
ReplyDelete1 year. Glad I did it, but it's still weak. Did your toe get stronger after a year or is this pretty much what I can expect?
ReplyDeleteIt probably did. I would say that there was some further, slow improvement in the second year. With that said, I think some targeted exercising would help.
DeleteHello Parsifal, thank you for documenting your journey. May I ask how bad was the cartilage damage and did you get a microfracture done on top of cheilectomy? I had both procedures done recently because of a previous surgery (bunion) which damaged my cartilage. The doctors told me the same thing about future surgery (fusion) and I am doing all I can to improve the current situation.
ReplyDeleteAmycla, I did not get microfracture. Regarding "how bad was the cartilage?" - the surgeon said that the damage was pretty bad, and that problem would likely reappear just in a few years. But so far, so good - no problems at all.
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