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6 months post op and still struggling

Posted , 39 users are following.

jacqueline54795
jacqueline54795

I had my surgery in October with 2 screws/wires inserted. Prior to my op I was fairly fit, being an active gym member, running and playing netball. 6 months later I can do very little apart from using an exercise bike. Although I can deal with that in the long term, I just want to be able to walk properly. I am still in my trainers and limping. I am at my wits end as I am told the bones have healed and the pain underfoot is tissue related. When I try to walk in a natural motion, the pain shoots through my foot on lifting the toe. Does anyone else have this problem? I would like to think there is light at the end of the tunnel but at the moment everything seems to have stalled.

4 likes, 88 replies

88 Replies

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  • wendy89734
    wendy89734 jacqueline54795

    Posted

    Hi Jacqueline, so glad to hear you are back on track now and back to work etc.  I still have a way to go but I am confident that this time it will be fine. 
  • micama
    micama jacqueline54795

    Posted

    I had a big toe fusion 10 weeks ago. All went well except in the walking department. I try to walk normally but seem to be limping still and have been in my ankle. Anyone else had these problems? any suggestions or exercises that may help? Have trouble still going down stairs too. 
  • holly56354
    holly56354 jacqueline54795

    Posted

    How are you doing now ?
    • jacqueline54795
      jacqueline54795 holly56354

      Posted

      Hi Holly, sorry for the delay in replying. I haven't visited the site in a while. Well it's been 2 years 7 months since my op and still have some issues with my foot but in the whole I feel lucky compared to some. I can walk, run and do most activities which is fortunate. I firmly believe the foot strongly objects to interference which is why so many people have problems with this type of surgery. I've had other surgeries in the past of which I considered major but this supersedes them all in terms of complications. I am due to see a consultant about my right foot now but am treading very carefully before committing.
  • heather98346
    heather98346 jacqueline54795

    Posted

    Hi. I am wondering if your pain ever got better? I am 8 months post op, had a plate and screws put in, and am struggling so bad. It's painful to even walk. I feel lik at 8 months I shouldn't be feeling this. Please let me know how you are doing and if you have any advice, I'm desperate for anything to make this pain go away!!
    • patricia09370
      patricia09370 heather98346

      Posted

      How is your pain now Heather? I had a bilateral chevron osteotomy for bunion 6 mos ago. Foot looks great but the tenderness and sensitivity on the side of the foot is getting to me...can only wear shoes for a short period of time..even the softest leather and suede sandals cause excruciating pain. Wonder if there is any hope in sight...please tell me there was in your situation
    • jacqueline54795
      jacqueline54795 heather98346

      Posted

      Hi Heather. Sorry for the delay in responding and that you are still having pain in your foot. Has this improved? Have you been referred for physio? It's difficult to gauge how long your pain will last or recovery will take. I still have problems with swelling and pain but try to focus on strengthening muscles in my leg/foot as the pain in my foot altered my gait. Physio really helps mentally as well as physically and I strongly recommend this for supporting you through this rather unpleasant journey. Please keep me posted
  • janice99188
    janice99188 jacqueline54795

    Posted

    I've been desperately trying to figure out if I'm the only one struggling and I find out I'm not (that's both good & bad, I suppose).  I had lapidus bunion surgery along with the shortening of the 2nd & 3rd metatarsals 7 months ago, and I had the same procedure (except just the 2nd metatarsal was done) on the left foot 4 months ago.  This involved 6 weeks of non-weight-bearing for each foot and then 3 more weeks of partial-weight-bearing.  What a nightmare!  I've been going to physical therapy for 7 long weeks now (and told 3 more weeks!) and think that MAYBE my toes are starting to not be so stiff, but the pain in the balls of my feet (and yes, the more recently operated foot is worse) is unbelievable.  The only shoes I seem able to wear right now are Birkenstock sandals, or a pair of expensive Xelero athletic shoes with Birkenstock insoles that I got at a local shoe store that specializes in shoes and orthotics for problem feet.  Not that my feet are GREAT with the Birkenstocks, but at least I can make it through my day.  I keep being told "it just takes time!" but I'm starting to think this pain is never-ending.  The surgeon discharged me "unless I have a problem," and maybe I don't, but I just had no idea I'd still be struggling.  It sure is frustrating!  It sounds like you are finally doing better, jacqueline, and thank God for that!  
    • hendk88
      hendk88 janice99188

      Posted

      Hey Janice,

      I had a bunion corection back in January 2015 on my left foot. In both the first big toe where the tendon had to be released to allow the toe to sit straight-And the smallest toe. I've had three pins placed, two in the big toe and one in the smallest toe.

      I had an excellent surgeon who has carried out extremely difficult procedures and he is clearly good at what he does. However when it came to my post op, I really suffered! I've never had a surgery before and I was starting to think I was over reacting, but by reading these forums it really helped and made me feel like I wasn't alone!

      My recovery was a lot longer than what I was told by everyone including doctors. No weight bearing for 7 weeks, then another 6 weeks of partial weight bearing. I then developed CRPS, complex regional pain syndrome, which required a lot of mental power, physio, which as was mentioned in this forum before is physically and mentally supportive! I actually ended going to physio more often than normal people do, because my first few sessions were baby steps, I needed to start right from the beginning and build mental strength to fight the pain. It was a reall struggle and got me so down and held me back with work.

      I'm now one year and four months post op and I feel like I'm just about back to normal. I still have a huge stiffness in my big toe, so I can't actually wear super high heels, which is something I thought would never happen after the surgery, in fact I thought it would help with the pain when wearing heels. This is not a big deal for me because my main aim was to be able to walk for a long period of time even in trainers without feeling pain. Before the op I really suffered from pain in the joints even when wearing comfortable shoes.

      The swelling of the foot happened up until about 2 months ago, that means the swelling happened for a year and 2 months post op.

      I have the other foot which has the same problem, but honestly after going through the surgery? I'm not sure I want to go through it again. I would rather leave it until it gets so bad that the pain becomes so unbearable that I feel like going through the post op pain would be better.

      Now I know that from a medical point of view that is the worst way to look at it, because leaving it to worsen may make the surgery more difficult, and may make the recovery even longer, could cause long term complications, but it was such a bad experience that I'm willing to take the risk. You're so brave to have done both, the best thing is you got them out of the way. So it does get better but it just takes time- you already knew that! Keep positive and stick to getting the first foot strong, getting your strength back is so important, staying active and healthy is so important. I know it's easier said than done. The one thing this surgery has made me realise more than anything is that it feels good to walk and run! Something I used to take for granted. I hope your pain goes away soon.

    • janice99188
      janice99188 hendk88

      Posted

      Thank you so much for your reply & your encouragement!! I am so glad to hear you are finally back to normal. I guess I still have a long way to go!! It was my own decision to get the back-to-back surgeries because I just decided I needed to get it over with - also I knew I wouldn't want to get the other one done if I waited!! I guess I just thought I'd breeze right through the recovery, I'm

      usually pretty tough, but this has turned out to be much more difficult than I thought! The only other surgery I've had was a knee replacement a few years ago - the recovery and therapy after that surgery was EASY compared to this!! I never expected foot surgery to be a thousand times harder to recover from than a total knee replacement - now I know hahaha!!!

  • Kirkham
    Kirkham jacqueline54795

    Posted

    Hi Jacqueline

    i am 4 months post op and have two screws, a pin and a staple in my toe.  My scar has healed up nicely although I still get a pins and needles sensation if I touch the scar but that is all the nerve endings settling down.

    When I had the bandages off I started massaging my scar and foot gently with coconut oil every night and putting socks on before going to bed to try and get the swelling down and soften the scar.

    After 8 weeks I thought I was doing well because I could walk and went back to doing my yoga class.  However I did find it would hurt after walking half a mile and then my knee and hip started to hurt, which I knew must be related to my foot.

    i asked to referred for physio but there is a 20 week waiting list so I paid privately.  It cost me £40 to see a physio for 1 hour but she was worth it.

    She watched me walk and told me that due to my op I had started walking slightly on the other side of my foot to protect the bunion. This had caused all the tendons and metatarsals to bunch up in the middle of my foot and this was causing all the pain I was getting in the middle of my foot and under the ball of my foot.

    She massaged the foot deep into the metatarsal  heads and pulled my toes straight. Then showed me how to do this myself.

    She gave some exercises to do like standing on my toes a few times a day to help to bend my toe and get it weight-bearing.  Balance exercise with my eyes closed to get me distributing my weight evenly across my foot and some stretching exercises for my hamstrings which had tightened due to sitting quite a lot.

    I have to say that this was the best £40 I have spent because it seems to be working.  Yesterday I walked about 3 miles with no problems at all.

    I do find that my foot is a bit tender to walk on first thing in the morning but once I get going I am fine.

    i hope you get your foot sorted out soon as there is nothing worse than sore feet.  Hence why we had this operation done in the first place !

     

  • john73691
    john73691 jacqueline54795

    Posted

    Hi John 70yr old Male,  I had r foot bunion surgery same thing big toe was broke to insert 2 pins, as of Jan 8, 2016 , when surgery was done, now for several weeks under front of foot hurts like , h, is that same as you? I tried ice/Ibeuprofen etc nothing changed shoes 3 times a day and hurts when I walk a lot.
    • jacqueline54795
      jacqueline54795 john73691

      Posted

      Hi John, nice to hear from you. This is a hard surgery to recover from and you will find experiences differ from person to person. My recovery was slow but the breakthrough was physio, so this might be an option as your gait can be affected from the surgery. I am 2 and a half years post op and still experience pain although I can manage this now and know my foot very well. I wore trainers for a long time and had custom orthotics made to support my foot. They are expensive but maybe an option. My advice would be to be patient as you may have a little way to go but also look at physio as they were a great source of support for me personally. Let me know how you get on.
  • valdera
    valdera jacqueline54795

    Posted

    Hi.  new to forums but was researching pain under foot after 1MPTJ surgery and 2nd surgery for removal of hardware.    I am still in lot of pain and have read the comments with interest.   final appointement with the surgeon mentionedd the screw may have  impacted tendon but  not what to do . Today at hydro for a back problem  the physio said I may have long term scar tissue and am waiting to get in to see him on what if anything will stop the pain.  anydoy else had this and what action/results so far??? welcome any suggestions. Thx

    cry

    • louise70231
      louise70231 valdera

      Posted

      Hi valuer please could I ask you how long the recovery period is for removal of hardware? I had my 3rd fusion nearly 5 months ago and today the surgeon says if no better in 3month he wants to remove the hardware. After having a total of 4 ops and 2 failed fusions I'm a bit skeptical about this working. How long did you have to have off work? Many thanks.

    • louise70231
      louise70231

      Posted

      Sorry valdera. Stupid autocorrect.
    • GiaMarie
      GiaMarie valdera

      Posted

      Hello Valdera, I am eight months post bunion surgery. It has been an excruciatingly painful journey for me. I am scheduled for a revision surgery on January 30 to have the two screws removed. Also the dorsal medial cutaneous nerve was in trapped in the scar tissue and the surgeon is going to bury that nerve in the bone while removing the screws. In addition the podiatrist who performed the original bunion surgery over corrected by almost half a centimeter, and the orthopedic surgeon who is doing the revision surgery is considering a bone graft to give me 1 mm of phone to help me with curling the toes.
    • lisa74563
      lisa74563 valdera

      Posted

      I was wondering how your recovery is going? I am 10 weeks post bunionectomy. Head osteotomy with 1 screw. Having pain in area where bunion was removed. And still alot of swelling. Working on massaging scar tissue. Still having to wear wide shoes.

      I've appreciated this forum.

      Helps knowing how other patients have dealt with problems.

      Thanks

    • pat60760
      pat60760 lisa74563

      Posted

      How r u doing now. Would love an update. I am 3 months since fusion surgery. Walking in but painful it's night time foot and toe throb. I am not a patient person and wonder when walking will be normal and foot feel normal. I hate to think that I may regret getting this done. Can only fit into my wellies right now.

    • lisa74563
      lisa74563 pat60760

      Posted

      Hi Pat,

      I will be 1 yr post surgery Feb 2nd.

      I am fully recovered. I can wear most any shoe now. I avoid very high heels & shoes that fit across the surgery site. 

      It was a long process and there were times I thought maybe I shouldn't have had it done,but I'm glad I did.

      I struggled with swelling of my entire foot, thrombing & also numbness in my toe. I was in wide fitting sneakers for quite awhile. I found that wearing a compression sock really helped. Continue to elevate your foot as often as possible. You just haveto be patient. 

      It's an invasive surgery & it just takes time to heal.

      Don't be discouraged. I was feeling frustrated at 3 mos. out.

      Give it time,you'll get there.

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