Weil 2nd Metatarsal Osteotomy - 4 days post op

Hello! So sorry you had to have this surgery. I had Weil's 2nd metatarsal osteotomy with plantar plate repair in December 2016. I was retired with no kids at home so was able to do what I needed to do to recover as quickly as possible. I spent most of my time the first 6 (or 8?) weeks in bed with my leg on a foam incline and the ice machine running. Kept necessities nearby - kleenix, chapstick, phone, magazines, the remote. My doctor told me that the less I moved around, the faster the swelling would go down. So that's what I did - and I was lucky to be at a stage in my life where I could do that. Each time I returned to the doctor, he said my recovery was progressing as well as it could possibly be going. So my immediate advice is keep your leg elevated, keep your foot iced as per your doctor's instructions (my ice machine was great because it kept my foot cold but never too cold so I could keep it on nearly all day and all night), and move around as little as possible to minimize swelling. Good luck!

Hi I do hope your operation went well. I had a bone fusion of 2nd joints in the mid foot approx 2-2 and a half years ago and I too was told not to even try to stand or walk on my foot until they said I could almost 2 months later. I was told to keep my foot up as much as possible. even though my husband mostly works from home there were times I needed to get up and so before the operation I purchased an I-walk2 (metal peg leg) that straps onto the thigh, below the knee and foot. I still used a zimma frame when walking with it as I don't have a good sense of balance so it took me approx 6 weeks to learn how to balance on it. basically my advice is, do everything your surgeon says and if he says 'don't' please take it as read that he's giving you his professional advice and ignoring his advice might have little effect, but most likely it will result in complications and a delay in the healing process.

Please be aware that depending on how long you have had your foot problem, your weight and the complexity of your medical condition will all affect your recovery and how well the operation has worked. in my case, due to doctors and podiarists leaving me to walk on a fractured metatarsal, a dislocated metatarsal and testing positive to tests for Murker's click and Morton's Neuroma for almost 2 years because I was morbidly obese and flat footed so weren't prepared to listen to what I stated was my problem - I Had 6 different areas of one foot causing pain with a collapsed arch due to a previous untreated fracture 30 odd years earlier and flat feet so I was repeatedly told "of course you are in pain, you are fat" to which I would reply - "then why am I not having problems with my left foot? Please look again at my foot and do a proper examination". In the end I changed hospital and so I am now under a competent foot specialist and team. in my case the operation was a partial success - the Murker's click has largely gone but I do still get the odd twinge. it took well over 2 years post op before the searing pains across the mid foot and sudden burning sensations or foot going numb before tingling to settle down and even now if I am on my feet for too long or try to carry heavy shopping or boxes I can be awake all night with pain in my foot, then when I get pain from more than one area at the same time I can still have times when I cannot stand or walk so have to put my feet up, but in an hour or two can walk without too much discomfort so don't look like I've got a problem but there isn't a day I am totally pain free its up and down with each step I take so I can be on my feet relatively pain free then put my foot down and two bones in the mid foot crunch and I need to sit down AsAp.

in my case the whole of my mid foot is riddled with arthritis so I am waiting to see if I need a second operation but the steroid injections are variable - sometimes they work well for a few hours, sometimes for a few months and occasionally not at all but be prepared emotionally that your operation might be the start of a full recovery but with feet all too often it is the start of a learning process in how to live with the condition and manage it so you can live as fulfilling a life as possible.

best wishes

hi i had a weil ostetomy and hammer toe correction 12 weeks ago still having some ball of foot swelling and pain when i walk , doc said xray looks good just wondering how long it too you to heal ?