Experience with foot surgery?

[Jesse Jaymes]

Finally made an appointment with a podiatrist today. Been burning holes through my left sock. Right where 2nd toe meets foot pad. Some minor pain, but I've just Walked it Off for a year. I was fully expecting "Here are some really expensive orthotics....Bye"

Which he DID offer. But said the correction is to cut my big toe OFF, clock it 3 degrees and lower it 2 or 3mm and weld it back on with screws and plates. I am bearing weight on 2nd toe, not 1st. And developing stretched ligaments and arthritis is both toes.

This took him all of 12 seconds to see on Xray.

Said no crutches. Walking boot. 4 months or more until I can get a backpack on. ANd if I had it done TODAY.....I shouldn't expect to haul elk quarters this fall.

First......seemed pretty StoneAge in concept, but I guess it is just mechanics with saws and bones. Second.....anyone have either Success Stories, or Horror Stories?

Be a first major surgery. And not that anyone has any body parts that are "expendable".....think we all kinda make our living Hunting with our Eyes and our Feet. A bit apprehensive to get out the saws and cordless on my wheels.

 

[5MilesBack]

I would have to say "negative ghost rider" on cutting off my big toe. However, I have a similar issue on my right foot. In high school I broke my second toe right near where it attaches to the pad. Every time I put my foot into a shoe or boot, it feels like there's a lump under my toes where they meet the pad.........like a bunched up sock or something. It's pretty irritating but I wouldn't be lopping off any toes to fix it. Coincidentally, I just broke my big toe next to that one two weeks ago..........and now I feel that same lump under the big toe as well. Hopefully it gets better after several more weeks, but we'll see.

 

[Trumpkin The Dwarf]

I'd be getting a second opinion man. That's really hard to believe.

 

[Jesse Jaymes]

To be clear.....he is gonna weld it back on. Just lower and with less rotation.

 

[5MilesBack]

To be clear.....he is gonna weld it back on. Just lower and with less rotation.

Ya, that's one of those things where I couldn't go on any longer the way it is........before I'd even consider that as an option. Kind of like the neurosurgeon telling me I need a 4-level fusion in my neck four years ago........OK, I'll keep going with the pain and numbness until I can't.

 

[JohnB]

I'd be taking that X-ray to a podiatrist that doesn't do surgery and see what they have to say.

 

[tdot]

Definitely get a 2nd opinion. And research physiotherapists who specializes in that sort of thing. If it worked before, then they may be able to get it working again.

I had my left big toe removed, rotated and reattached as an infant. But it was a hereditary structural issue. My toddler will need it done on both is feet in the next year or so. It's not something that I'd personally want to be dealing with as an adult.

Questions I'd look into. Will any ligaments be cut? Will there be any loss of movement in the joints? I'd be speaking to other patients who have had this work done and ensure their outcomes match the Surgeon's claims. Also look into the Dr. and ensure his surgery skills are adequate for the procedure.

We've been thru 4 specialized plastic surgeons that were all highly recommeneded for my sons feet, the first 3 are considered tops in their field and they'd only seen a max of 1 other case like my sons. The 4th lady has seen a few and was the most experienced w/ positive outcomes so we'll be going with her. I personally lost a joint in my big toe from my surgery

 

[thinhorn_AK]

I’ve seen that done on that foot doctor show on Hulu. Looks freaking brutal man.

 

[Wapiti1]

I'd hit up a couple of specialists before I went under the knife for a second and third opinion. If there was consensus, I'd get it lopped off and glued back on. Maybe you can find another option. If you can't, it will never get better and it sounds like it will get worse.

I've had both ankles worked on for bone bridges. Took me out for a year to get both ankles done. Had to do it. I was like you and waked it off until I started to fall down occasionally after getting up from sitting. Looks really bad in a restaurant or other public setting when you standup then topple over. Everyone thinks heart attack or stroke. The bone on bone contact felt like a hot poker was shoved into the side of my ankle and down I'd go.

Jeremy

 

[cacklercrazy]

Finally made an appointment with a podiatrist today. Been burning holes through my left sock. Right where 2nd toe meets foot pad. Some minor pain, but I've just Walked it Off for a year. I was fully expecting "Here are some really expensive orthotics....Bye"

Which he DID offer. But said the correction is to cut my big toe OFF, clock it 3 degrees and lower it 2 or 3mm and weld it back on with screws and plates. I am bearing weight on 2nd toe, not 1st. And developing stretched ligaments and arthritis is both toes.

This took him all of 12 seconds to see on Xray.

Said no crutches. Walking boot. 4 months or more until I can get a backpack on. ANd if I had it done TODAY.....I shouldn't expect to haul elk quarters this fall.

First......seemed pretty StoneAge in concept, but I guess it is just mechanics with saws and bones. Second.....anyone have either Success Stories, or Horror Stories?

Be a first major surgery. And not that anyone has any body parts that are "expendable".....think we all kinda make our living Hunting with our Eyes and our Feet. A bit apprehensive to get out the saws and cordless on my wheels.

I go in on the 17th for something similar. The bone in the second digit has fallen and is pushing through pad. The second digit is starting to deform from the pressure on it. My doctor is taking any toe off yet. Just breaking and resetting it back into place. Told me its very common. I know it hurts like hell now.

 

[gbflyer]

There is no way some saw bones podiatrist would be doing that to me. Please seek out a real surgeon.

 

[trouthunter1106]

I had a similar (Long Arm, Austin, and Akins osteotomies) procedure in May of 2019. 20 months later I’ve gone through 2 months of physical therapy, 3 sets of custom orthotics, 15 sessions of 3 different treatments at a regenerative medicine clinic and have 5 more scheduled once I’m done with another 7 weeks of 2 x week physical therapy. There hasn’t been a single day that I’ve been glad that I had the surgery and not a single day that my foot has felt “better” than before. So take that for what it’s worth.

The big hiccup I’ve had is that after my first and second metatarsal heads were shortened my big toe and second toe were no longer engaging the ground and I developed metatarsal overload syndrome in my third met head. The result of this is that I couldn’t walk bare foot for about 15 months and because my big toe was not engaging the ground there were muscles and nerves upstream that were not firing correctly or at all, specifically the glute medius. My walking and running gate is all effed up and I’ve got problems in my knee and hip that I’m working on now.

Another thing to consider is that when they straighten your toes, or do any work to the metatarsal it will shorten that particular toe/metatarsal/portion of your arch. My right foot is now a SOLID full size shorter than my left so the whole boot fit thing is a real pain. Especially when your throwing down a few hundred dollars for some high end mountaineering boots that you know won’t fit. Unfortunately I don’t have the funds to pony up for a full custom mountaineering boot at the moment so leukotape and some blisters on my right foot are just a part of life for now.

I’m sorry that this is such a doom and gloom post, but it’s my experience for the last 20 months and in a lot of ways has had more of an impact (negative) on my quality of life than just about any other health decision I’ve made.Luckily for me I have the pain tolerance and persistence of a mule so through out all of this I’ve still been able to hunt and work around the problem. But it’s still a problem.

My recommendation is to find a regenerative medicine clinic that specializes in foot and ankle health. Getting hooked up with a good regenerative medicine doctor was the second best health decision I’ve made (getting Lasik is the first best). If your in Colorado and need someone, I’ve got a great clinic that I believe if I would have seen them first I never would have had surgery. Otherwise shoot me a PM and I’d be happy to help get you some good information that you can use to find a good regenerative doc.

 

[lyingflatlander]

1. Get a second opinion.
2. Decide if it bothers you that much or if you can wait another year.
3. Did he say “hammer toe”?
4. Unfortunately a lot of these things don’t improve with age and at some point you will have to address it.
5. Most folks that have this type of painful surgery have it done when they can’t take the pain anymore. If it only costs you $500 for a pair of boots every year is that more cost affective for you?

 

[NB7]

2nd opinion all day. You never know. What one doctor can see as a big problem, another doctor may be way ahead of the game in technique and may view it as a minor hurdle.
2nd opinion...worse you can hear is the same diagnosis

 

[potatojudge]

I'd try and see an orthopedist who specializes in hands and feet. Not that anything the podiatrist said sounds out of line, but I have my biases. Knowing immediately how they'd approach you based on their findings sometimes gives the impression they're being cavalier, but it's often a sign that they know what they're doing.

What some of these guys can do to repair bones is insanely impressive. If it needs to happen eventually, the sooner the better. But do your diligence in picking a surgeon first.

 

[Jesse Jaymes]

I am in no way dealing with unmanageable pain. My pain tolerance in embarrassingly low...but my wife is a PA in the ER and states that most men claim to be very pain tolerant, yet we all blubber like pansies.

Just an issue that is increasingly getting worse. So I thought I would make the appointment. I was fully expecting him to throw SuperFeet at me and send me out the door.

My feet are "Normal" I thought. No bunion, hammer toes, years of cowboy boots, etc. They are extremely flat. Large. And he stated "genetically flawed" in how my parents passed on the bones of my feet. But they are not terrible. I am by no means hobbled.

And he has some very spendy Kennetreks on his wall, which is openly said "You'll have to sit down before I tell you the price". And did offer custom orthotics. But he was clear.....orthotics are only band aids to string me along. Maybe one year....maybe a decade. But it's not gonna fix it.

 

[lyingflatlander]

Yep, see above. If it was me I would wait on surgery. Go see a non-surgical specialist.

 

[potatojudge]

Yep, see above. If it was me I would wait on surgery. Go see a non-surgical specialist.

If your only tool is a hammer... Non-surgeons do some wacky stuff with surgical problems. I get the sentiment, but it rarely works out for the best.

 

[Lostandfrozen]

2nd opinions are always good before a surgery as every injury and every person responds differently. But I had a bone spur growing on the end of my first metatarsal that caused a lot of joint pain on my big two.

I had surgery where they essentially cut off the end of my first metatarsal and reattached my big toe. I had the surgery late November 2018, had a walking boot for 6 weeks and then a few more weeks of PT after that. By that spring I was back racing MTN bikes and hiking as much as I wanted and fall 2019 went on a solo backcountry elk hunt in Utah and I didn't even think about my toe. Only downside has been slight loss of motion but doesn't really impact any of my activities.

Had I not had the surgery I could have still completed all those activities, but I am sure that my level of discomfort would have been much higher.

 

[EastHumboldt]

I have a similar problem. On my right foot the weight is transferring through my two middle toes and not so much through the big toe. Was causing me some pretty bad pain. My podiatrist recommended that we try orthotics first, along with a regimen of supplements, and stretching. The orthotics have not fix the problem, but between the three treatments pain is almost gone. She also discussed a surgical option with me but she didn’t push it. I always assume doctors and dentists have a sailboat payment to make. Some R better than others.

I recommend trying the less drastic treatments first and see if that’ll buy you a few years. Also get a second opinion because surgery is drastic.