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How long before being able to run/quicker recovery?

Posted , 7 users are following.

nge
nge

Hello!

I am thinking about having my bunion surgery on July 23rd and was wondering if it was actually possible to be back to normal within 4 or 5 weeks. I'm going to a music festival on August 22-23 and of course at these kinds of things your feet never get rest and they may even get stepped on. So I was just wondering if there were any people who have had a quick recovery and what can I do to make mine quicker?

My surgeon said I would be able to walk again without crutches the very next day and my father says I should be able to run and workout normally within 4 weeks but I just can't believe that. After reading so much on other people's experiences and having my own bunionectomy 4 years ago (Which actually took me around a year before I could run or do anything without extreme pain) I don't see any possible way that I would be able to have the surgery and go to the festival. Any thoughts?

Any type of response is greatly appreciated and thanks for taking the time to read this! Please share your experience here as well if you are comfortable with posting it :-)

1 like, 27 replies

27 Replies

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  • barbara00055
    barbara00055 nge

    Posted

    No way would you be ready for a non-rest festival!  I am 12 weeks and only just beginning to be confident to walk without a walking stick and then my foot swells after an hour on my feet.   At 4/5 weeks I was still resting and raising my foot most of the day.  I cannot understand these doctors who tell you it's possible to walk on the second day, I couldn't put my foot down on its heel for a week, maybe they should experience this surgery, which is a major one.  Nothing has changed since your bunion op 4 years ago, so you will know the recovery time.  Good luck with your decision.
    • nge
      nge barbara00055

      Posted

      The doctor claimed many patients weren't too fond of my previous surgeon and different results come with different surgeries. But I agree with you and I think there is no way that I would be walking by the next day let alone go to a two day music festival! I might have to just bear the pain until next summer :-( Thank you so much for your reply!
    • barbara00055
      barbara00055 nge

      Posted

      Just had a thought, if you really wanted to go to the music festival and you have a good friend or partner, maybe buy or hire yourself a good wheelchair with high leg support, so they can wheel you around. In fact that is what I did; found a good one that was in a sale and used that for quite a few weeks.  It certainly helped me because I'm not the type to want to stay in the house all the time, so my husband very kindly and happily took me out in the car and wheeled me around parks and shops, just so I could have a change of scenery!  You will be surprised how differently you are treated in a wheelchair and even with a walking stick.

      On the other hand what is most important to you, a straight toe or a music festival?

    • nge
      nge barbara00055

      Posted

      I'm most likely going to follow what Caroline suggested because I already bought the tickets and made all the arrangements D-:

      For mobility I might just get crutches again (even though my surgeon advises against it hah) because I still like being agile outside :-) Thanks for the suggestion though!

    • barbara00055
      barbara00055 nge

      Posted

      Well that makes sense and, as your other comments indicate you are a lot younger than me, you will bounce back after the op.  But give it a few weeks of rest.  I did away with the wedge boot and went into Teva active sandals at four weeks and found a wider fit skecher trainer at 9 weeks.  Good luck!
  • gillian14549
    gillian14549 nge

    Posted

    Hello nge.

    Firstly, you say you're 'thinking about having bunion surgery on 23 July'. That's in your first paragraph.

    Next, we get the question regarding quick recovery in the same paragraph.

    In the 2nd paragraph you tell us what you're surgeon has said and then your father's views.

    I take it your father is a great expert on these matters!!!!!

    In the same paragraph you go on to tell us you had your 'own bunionectomy 4 years ago' and that it took  around a year before you 'could run or do anything without extreme pain' and that you 'doubt you'll be able to go the music festival' at the end of August.

    Finally, you ask us readers if we have any thoughts.

    What a loaded cannon you have dealt for us to fire at you.

    You silly, silly person.

    Listen to yourself.

    You have asked and answered your own questions.

    Why on earth are you asking for others to give their' thoughts' if you have already had this type of surgery 4 years ago and know full well what the recovery time is likely to be?

    Your final paragraph says that 'any type of response is greatly appreciated etc'.

    I personall think you are mad and if you object to my honest, direct and abrasive response, well then, that's just tough.

    Either you need ( or, in your case I suspect, you want rather than need ) this surgery or, you don't.

    Having already gone through this type of operation you should know better than to be wasting your time asking stupid questions and expecting sympathetic answers from others.

    Gillian

     

    • nge
      nge gillian14549

      Posted

      Hey gillian :-)

      Sorry I overloaded my post. I definitely need the surgery because it's affecting all my activities since it's very painful, but I have to postpone it until mid-July because I'm competing in nationals (Actually this exact situation happened 4 years ago and I had the surgery right after my competition).

      During the time of my first operation, my mother had hers done at the same time and she recovered much more quickly than I did. I had to have my pin taken out while she didn't, so I thought maybe something might have gone a little wrong with my surgery. Also, my doctor claimed that my previous surgeon wasn't too popular, and different surgeons have different outcomes (but I still can't believe that I will be walking the next day).

      I probably already knew I couldn't do both, but I was still thinking that there might be a small be possibility, especially since I'm young and healthy and usually heal pretty quickly.

      I wasn't looking for sympathy or anything like that; just some tips other than 'rest' to help me get active faster, an honest answer, or a personal experience.

      I might either postpone it until after August or next summer.

      Thanks for giving me an honest answer and helping me with my decision!

  • nicola22779
    nicola22779 nge

    Posted

    Hi Nge

    I think you would get a rather sore foot from being at a music festival where you can't rest. I had my foot done (scarf and akin osteotomy) on February 4th and still needed to elevate my foot a lot of the time in week four though I could get around well. Like Barbara, I thought the hospital staff were mad to say I should be walking around without crutches straightaway. They made me walk across the ward without crutches before I went home. I managed to hobble across in agony and then got crutches from the local community hospital the next day which I used for a few weeks, gradually weightbearing more and more! I did manage some exercise after a few days but I don't recommend a music festival unless there is a chance to sit down! It's good to ask these things though. Nobody really knows in advance what to expect! At week 4 you'll probably be at the stage where you want to do more but are still quite restricted and needing to take care with your foot so the temptation of a music festival may not be good for your foot in the longer term!

    • nge
      nge nicola22779

      Posted

      What kind of exercising did you do? Also how long did it take you before you could wear normal shoes again? I completely have no memory of when I was able to walk outside without the boot
    • nicola22779
      nicola22779 nge

      Posted

      Upper body weight training with free weights and exercises from a book of mine which were torso and arm exercises, leg lifts and press ups mainly. I also cycled on a stationary bike as best I could with the shoe on. I was told very definitely to keep the shoe (and huge bandage) on until my six-week appointment. After that, I could fit Teva sandals on and a pair of trainers with the insole removed. It was about ten or twelve weeks before I could wear normal shoes due to the swelling.
  • nicola22779
    nicola22779 nge

    Posted

    Oh, I see you did have a bunion op four years ago so be guided by that as well! Perhaps a miracle will occur and you will be completely better by the four-week point...... unlikely!
    • nge
      nge nicola22779

      Posted

      Yes! I agree, but my doctor and father keep trying to convince me otherwise so I wanted to see if there was even ONE person who thinks this is plausible. So far it seems everyone is thinking the same thing.
    • nicola22779
      nicola22779 nge

      Posted

      Exactly what type of bunion operation are you having? The one where the bump is just shaved off the side of the foot does not take as long to heal from as akin, scarf and lapidus procedures which involve cutting major bones of your foot apart, moving the parts into different positions, screwing them together and waiting for them to heal in their new positions.
    • rebecca28244
      rebecca28244 nge

      Posted

      I would not recommend having the the , surgery where they just shave the bump off that's what they did to me 18 years ago and the bunion came back even worse than it was the first time
    • nge
      nge nicola22779

      Posted

      I'm not exactly sure what the procedure is called, but they'll be shaving the bunion off as well as cutting the bone to place it in a proper position and securing it with a screw. 
    • nicola22779
      nicola22779 nge

      Posted

      Ah, not trivial, then! Patience, patience! I recommend getting on your bike (not in an unkind way)! It's just such good exercise that doesn't disturb your foot.
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