Cheilectomy + Moberg Osteotomy
Posted , 3 users are following.
28yr old male since I was about 14-15 I have always had trouble bending my big left toe and following a broken ankle I could not bend it at all when I had my cast removed. Discovered I have hallux rigidus possibly due to playing rugby and havin large toes I was told. Eventually had a cheilectomy, incision was made into the side of my toe joint and bone spurs partly removed. I assumed I had been cured but after 2-3months still felt more or less the same pain.
While waiting to see the surgeon again I tried going to another specialist who advised, as soon as I took my socks off, that it was incorrectly done. The incision should have been on the top side of the joint to provide the best visibility of the damage and treatment needed and a large piece of the bone spur was left untreated on the inside of my toe joint (furtherest point from the incision).
To amend this I am now waiting for another cheilectomy to get rid of bone spur and also the surgeon will perform a moberg osteotomy to remove 10-15 degrees of bone in a V shape from my toe joint. This will give me added mobility for bending my toe back though my recovery time will not increase to 2-3months.
Hoping someone see's this can advise on the moberg osteotomy as I have experienced the cheillectomy already.
From my research it appears to be a useful procedure and I wish to jog and play sports and be as active if not more activer than I have been in the past few years.
Thanks!
0 likes, 2 replies
mamie2269 gavin_63940
Posted
I hope you are able to be active again. I hope I will be active again. I ran and rode horses most of my life. So I really miss doing both. I'm crossing my fingers.
OscarM gavin_63940
Posted
Hi Gavin, I was struck by your comment that after your broken ankle your toe got worse. I had a similar experience. I am now 51 year old male. I used to play basketball fervently and had toe pain and swelling after playing. I was diagnosed with Hallux rigidus but after a severe ankle sprain (about four years ago now) the toe problem worsened. Doctor saw nothing wrong with the ankle on x-rays that should cause the toe problem (like perhaps a pinched nerve). The toe on the other hand showed a bone spur near the joint just underneath where the tendon to extend the toe would run. Also saw some degenration of the joint consistent with the HR diagnosis. Doctor suggested the cheilectomy and Moberg and I underwent the surgery about a year ago. Unfortunately, the overall result is not improvement. First, it resulted in my ankle feeling reinjured and though that has subsided somewhat, I now have shin splints (pain and numbness in the shin muscles). I recently had an MRI and the muscle that contracts the toe (flexor hallucis longus, which runs along the foot, through the ankle and up to the shin where it attaches) shows increased signal indicative of strain or trauma. I think the explanation is that the procedure essentially reduces the normal tension on this muscle by tilting the toe up and now the muscle does not receive the same workload as before. Muscle cramps are more common. The toe joint itself isn't much better or worse but the foot ankle and shin/lower calf are is worse. Of course, every case is different so who knows. My wife had a simple cheilectomy and it solved her toe issues. If a doctor is willing to try just the cheilectomy on the remaining bone spur, I would try that first. Much easier recovery I would think too because the Moberg cuts all the way through the bone. Maybe in the long run the Moberg will help the toe not develop worse arthritis but that will never be known. Perhaps I'm too late for this advice to help but if you have had the procedure I would be interested to know your outcome. I hope it was positive.
OscarA