toenails

Hi Alicia.  I'm just about 2 weeks post replacement, so am not even thinking about things like this yet.  But, when I do need my toenails cut (I did them the night before my surgery), I'm going to go and treat myself to a pedicure.  I do think we deserve to treat ourselves after all this.....lol  As for the tying of your shoes......avoid shoes with laces, and get yourself a long shoe horn......I've got one, and it works very well.

Hope you go and enjoy a wonderful, relaxing pedicure.

Take care..............Terri

I am newly post op on both hips but I identify with wanting to do your own nails and shoe laces!! When I had a lot of pain pre surgery, I found I could tie my shoes if I sat on the top step of my stairs and put my foot on the next step. A small stool would be another possibility, and might even work for a pedicure. Let me know how it goes. I'll be watching to see how you manage it! Gail

My op was unexpected/unplanned so I went into surgery with the most disgusting toenails! Didn't help that as a four-year-old I scraped one of my little toenails off entirely on the road one day and it has always grown back very thick and hard to trim since then.

I was able to cut them a bit around four weeks after my op, but am still deliberately neglecting them at the moment as I would rather be comfortable than trimmed. I can't have a pedicure as I hate the feeling of other people filing my nails...

I first cut my toenails at 6 weeks after surgery. There is no easy way. You have to work on getting flexible enough to reach. I've been reading some stories about people who have had dislocations while reaching down to the floor, sometimes to tie shoes, so I am being much more careful these days (26 weeks). I try to sit down while doing shoes and socks, and if I must do them standing up, I bend my knees a bit. I figure it can't hurt to be more careful!

 

I am 6 weeks post op and can now cut my toenails. I done them the day before surgery and got my husband to do it once 3 weeks in much to my horror as l can't stand anyone cutting or touching my feet it freaks me out. They are a mess as l am just cutting them quickly to keep them tidy at the moment an l too either do it sitting down low to floor or with my feet up on my bed. You will get there eventually. ☺x

The only thing I found that worked for me was to stand with my back against the bed, put my operated leg on the bed behind me (bend the KNEE at 90 degrees), then using the bed as support under the knee, bring the heel up as far  as I could to my rear end.  Then reaching behind me (!) used a pair of clippers.

It's not elegant, and I can only last a few seconds at a time, but a couple of tries and it seems to work for me.

It all depends on how flexible you are, and how far your joints are used to bending.  Rocketwoman would never ever be able to do what I do as her knees do not bend more than 90 degrees, but mine do.

Good luck with the suggestions here.

Graham - 🚀💃

I'm 12 weeks PO and it's still not comfortable to do them! I did just one toenail that was long!! I'm going to the chiropodist next week😀😀😀 and will have a pedicure when I'm ready for a nice painting job!! Lol