Cartiva - Has anyone had it?
Posted , 157 users are following.
I'm looking looking at looking at getting looking at getting this. Anyone with experience here?
4 likes, 836 replies
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Notes on Cartiva - Has anyone had it?
jatire40168 krista4435
Posted
I received the Cartiva Implant on January 30th. Your right, it really wasn't very painful at all. I stopped all pain pills after the 2nd day. If you had a nerve block it will wear off in 36 hours post-op. My range of motion was 70% in surgery, but significantly dropped because of limited motion while the stitches were in. My doctor was apart of the Cartiva Implant drug trials and has done the most Cartiva implants in this country. My surgery was done in Los Angeles. He did not put me in a boot at all. I only had a hard shoe for two weeks. After the stitches were removed, he told me to start slowly walking on the foot. Although painful, its what was needed to get the joint moving. I did not ice during the first week. My doctor told me it was a waste of time since there was so much dressing covering the wound. He did tell me to wiggle my toes and he even sent a Physical Therapist to my home 3 times a week to "move" the joint around and move the toes up and down. Painful, but needed. Swelling is very minimal and continues to be only slightly swollen. I still elevate, and limit time sitting as the blood rushes to the foot.
Now....I am 4 weeks out of surgery and I have to tell you the PT is very painful. My doctor told me I would be in pain to the point of tears, but not crying. He was right. But I have to tell you, my range of motion is getting better everyday. Not perfect, but better. He has me in PT 3x a week with a Physical Therapist who only treats Foot and Ankle injuries. It's a long drive, but the outcome is worth it. Most Physical Therapists have no clue how to rehab Cartiva Implant patients as it is so new. I will share that my Therapists told me to massage the area several times a day and to exercise the joint 5X per day. Not my favorite, but again, I am looking at the end goal. I am still on no pain meds although I think about it every PT session.
I wish you the best of luck.
NancyMN jatire40168
Posted
Hello Jatire,
I've had disappointing cheiiectomy on both feet. I wonder if you would mind sharing the name of your doctor. I live in the L.A. area.
Nancy
jatire40168 krista4435
Posted
All,
Attached is the FDA's medical trial results for Cartiva. For those of you who do not know, this procedure was just FDA approved last April, but it has been used in Europe and Canada for decades. This report contains all the trial results and discussion about the effectiveness of this procedure.
https://www.fda.gov/downloads/advisorycommittees/committeesmeetingmaterials/medicaldevices/medicaldevicesadvisorycommittee/orthopaedicandrehabilitationdevicespanel/ucm496671.pdf
Good Luck!
sharee47289 krista4435
Posted
Can anyone help ?
jatire40168 krista4435
Posted
Physical Therapy is a much needed part of the healing process. Your success and ROM (range of motion) is dependent on how much work you put into PT. The more you stretch and work through the pain the greater your success.
It is very painful so as a strategy my Physical Therapist has me taking 2.5 MG of Oxy prior to our sessions. He also starts by warming my joint up with a heating pad first to loosen the joint before he starts stretching the toe. This really helps a lot.
ron43261 jatire40168
Posted
It I am a 66 yr. old male. I had OA and hallux rigidus with complete bone on bone contact in the 1st MTP joint left foot for 7 years. I had no ROM left in the joint. I had arthroscopy and a Cartiva implant on Jan 29, 2018 in Franklin, WI (suburb of Milwaukee). I took Percocet for pain for 1 day after surgery and after that just an occasional ibuprophen. The post op pain was minimal. I kept the foot elevated for 1 week and iced for 20 min. every few hours, even though only slight coolness made it thru the bandage; I felt like I was being productive anyway. I was heel walking on day 4. Stitches came out week 2 and I was told to manually begin flexing the toe up and down to pain, which I have been doing daily. I was not given any additional physical therapy instructions besides that, nor was I told that seeing a PT was going to be part of the recovery process. I was told to start transitioning into a shoe during week 3 which I did. My Keens have a wide toe box and could accommodate the normal swelling. It is now the beginning of week 5. As of right now I have about 20 degrees of flex downward and 25 degrees of flex upward from neutral. I did not have that much in the beginning. I can manually (with fingers) move the toe up and down without pain. It feels like it is riding on a ball bearing, a very welcome change. I am walking in the shoe but still somewhat flat footed and with some foot roll to the outside because of pain in the ball. I suspect that it is in the soft tissue. Also, it feels too weak to "launch" my weight forward from the ball. I am a bad patient. Numerous times I have forced myself thru the joint pain and put full weight on the joint while walking to see what would happen. After 1/2 - 1 mile the pain gets unbearable and the additional swelling forces me out of the shoe. Good news though, when I stop walking it stops hurting. Swelling continues but is localized to just the ball itself now. I have my 3rd post op appointment with the surgeon later this week and hope to get more information as to how to proceed.
Anyway, all that to ask if you would be willing to describe briefly for me what exercises/stretches the PT is treating you with?
jatire40168 ron43261
Posted
I am surprised that your physician hasn't had you in PT. Physical Therapy is an extremely important part of the healing process for Cartiva implants and greatly affects the outcome and success of your surgery. Your ROM will be significantly reduced because the tendons and ligaments are shortened as you haven't been using them. I started PT on the 4th day after surgery. My surgery was January 30, 2018. My range of motion this morning 58 degrees upward. I didn't measure downward, but I will.
The good news is that you're a guy so you won't have to wear high heels where you need to bend the toe that greatly. There are a lot of exercises you should be doing including bending the toe backwards as far as you can go, doing heel lifts, balling your toes and relaxing. You should also be massaging your foot as well as the surgery site. This will greatly reduce the scar tissue.
ron43261 jatire40168
Posted
palmetto24648 krista4435
Posted
Wow! I'm so glad to find this thread....hearing from actual peeps who have had it done is WAY better than trying to think of every question that I should ask the doc! I'm going to be quizzing him now on nerve block or not, PT or not, and a host of other things. I talked to the people at Cartiva after the first surgeon that I consulted with, so I got a lot of good info there.
Oh! Let me introduce myself.....59 years of age, walk three miles daily in spite of stage four (bone on bone) hallux, scrounge around on the interwebs for the old Skechers with true rocker bottoms.....they want to do the Cartiva on left first, and chisel off the big bone spur. Then after I can handle it, do the right.
Anyone heard of "cysts" in the bone? One surgeon said that if they were there, the implant would not work, and because of the big spurs, he can't see for sure on the xrays.
Would love to hear feedback on that.....
Thinking of scheduling in the next month or so, but since I read that BCBS may drag their feet in South Carolina, I might start the authorization soon!
linda41876 palmetto24648
Posted
I too live in South Carolina! I am 64 years old and have the same toe issues. I saw my orthopedic surgeon on March 2 and discussed the Cartiva implant. I have read so much about this implant and thought I had made a decision to have it until I talked to him. He told me that the recovery is not as easy as it sounds. One of his patients is 5 months out and still having pain. I personally would not want to have the Cartiva and still be in pain post op, but to have a fusion and be pain free. I have very little pain if I wear my rocker bottom shoes as I'm very active and get my 10,000 steps a day. He also told me not to have the surgery until it starts affecting my everyday activties. I too have bcbs and good to know this about them.
Good luck no matter what you have done!
ron43261 krista4435
Posted
julio6297 krista4435
Posted
Hi Krista4435, did you have the implant? I had it and am having it removed. I'm in a lot more pain now then I was prior to having this done. I personally don't recommend having this done.
krista4435 julio6297
Posted
Hi Julio,
I'm sorry your experience with this was bad. I don't know anything about your surgery but I can't stress enough about selecting a well experienced foot specialist surgeon. Someone that takes the full mechanics of your foot into account. There are many intricacies about the foot and doing this surgery that you really have to do your homework accounted research. Not saying you didn't do this, as I don't know, but for others just my recommendation. I personally saw 8 doctors and did months of research before selecting a surgeon for my foot. I was lucky and it was sucessful. I am not 100% like my good foot but I do have ok ROM and a lot less pain.
I wish you the best of luck finding a solution that will work for you.
Surfs_Up krista4435
Posted
Who was your final choice in a surgeon for Cartiva and where does he practice.
Thanks so much!
Nancy
krista4435 Surfs_Up
Posted
Hi Nancy,
I'm in Canada. Where are you located roughly?