toe fusion op – anyone had this ?

following a few post last week re arthritic big toe the specialist is talking about a toe joint fusion, as the arthritis is pretty limiting with pain walking etc. He reckons mobility will still be ok after the op even though the toe joint is basically rigid (Cycling and swimming, which are my main sports will be no probs) and he says that hillwalking and jogging will be fine, just no contact sports – football, rugby (which i don’t do anyway.

Keen to hear from anyone who has had this done……

Am waiting till after summer hols as a minimum before op and 8 weeks off bike…….

Friend of mine had it done (complication of diabetes I think). He still cycles and skis.

Can’t imagine running would be easy though.

I don’t know ( obviously) how bad yours is buyt I would want to investigate every other option and get 2nd and 3rd opinions before taking such an irrevocable step

Google throws up some good info including a variety of different types of surgery. One thing it does mention tho is you need to stop wearing high heels

LOL, yes, i’ve been googling too…..

darn, have to stop wearing the wife’s shoes for a bit !!

am seeng another podiatrist next week so will get his ‘non surgical’ opinion too.

cheers

well, after various medical opinions I was scheduled in for this op today, however have put it back till mid Sept to get past school hols etc and get a few more rides in. sounds like 3 months off the bike post op though…..-(

will need to find some excercises etc that i can do inside to keep some level of leg fitness…

I'm facing a similar solution (I use the term loosely) for my knackered ankle, so can sympathise fully. Let us know how you get on when the time comes.

Do you know if they'll do the op under local or general?

I am getting a general. Luckily I have BUPA through work, so can move the date to suit, but I have had crap mobility and occasional pain for about 10 yrs, which developend into permanent pain walking etc a few months ago.

I'm not so worried obout the actual op, it's the 3 months recovery that is getting to me – I have shonky knees which have seen a few ops and am concerned that they will deteriorate through lack of use – they get more sore than 'normal' after only week or 2 off the bike…..

Maybe gentle(ish) sessions on the recumbent exercise bikes at the gym would keep things moving in the knee department.

aye, good idea. A fried has offered me his turbo on loan, so might put some flatties on the cross bike and set it up in the gargae too.. cheers.

update – Op yesterday am, under a general. Seems to have gone fine, but sore as **** overnight last night when the hospital strong stuff wore off and I was relying on cocodamol and diclofenac. Background pain now, a huge bandage, only allowed to hobble around on my heel. Seeing the specialist in 10 days time when he will have a look and see if it has worked….. roll on December…….

I had both of my big toes fused when i was 13 (29yrs ago) as part of a series of ops to correct the problems caused by CMT.

Never really caused me any problems – apart snapping the main tendon in my left toe because i stubbed my toe in bare feet.
The toe hasn't been able to lift for nearly 30yrs now but at least i wear shoes or slippers – no walking around in bare feet now!

Never did field sports cos i can't run (CMT again) so it hasn't made much difference to me – in other words the op was a success.

muddydwarf – thanks for that, some useful info. I am same age as you. Any thoughts on how long to get back to walking/driving (not that you were doing that when you were 13 !) and riding ? I wasn't aware of the risk of walking in bare feet – will neeed to remember that. Cheers

Iain –
If i recall my toes were fused with a surgical steel rod down the length of each toe, i seem to be in hospital for ever at that point
It was different for me because i also had work done on my heels and tendons so my feet were in plaster for about 8 weeks or so.

I don't remember having any problems walking etc, just wear some strong toed shoes when riding and you should be ok.

I can't stress enough the need to avoid walking in bare feet though – when i stubbed my toe, instead of it folding under my foot as before it bent all the way back at the base and snapped the tendon – it bloody hurt and the toe is now annoyingly 'stubbable'.

As for the rest – if it hurts don't do it for a bit is my recommendation 😆

md – cheers for that 😛 the stubbing sounds absolutely horrible – I'll be getting some slippers pronto !!!. I think I have 2 screws holding the joint together, which stay in unless they cause problems – I am a bit in the dark as I got it done through BUPA and didn't see the Consultant post op (guess he was off chasing his quota for the day !!), so won't know the full story of what he found in there till next week. I have been a bit worried that it will affect normal day to day activities, incl walking, cycling and swimming, but you have encouraged me -)

You 'may' find that you need to slightly relearn how to walk as your toes now work differently, and that your balance may be affected whilst your body/brain adjust to the new data coming in.
It doesn't take long though, just make sure you take any physio if it's offered/deemed necessary etc.

Maybe i was lucky having it done as a kid – more adaptable then?

Anyway, if you are no longer in pain when you use the toe what price a little time spent re-learning your balance?

2.5 weeks post op and still hurts a fair bit…. guy thinks it has worked right enough.

I never thought I would miss going into the office, but yes, it's true !! went in yesterday but came home sore after 5 hrs, day of rest today…

3 weeks tomorrow for xrays and hopefully 'normal' shoe and some light excercise

Sounds good, i bet you didn't wake up to find a steel pin with a cork on top sticking out of your toes like i did!

jeez, that sounds horrible ! At least my titanium screws are buried inside -)

Not sure if the effect is the same but I broke by big toe doing ju-jitsu over 15 years ago. I didn't really pay much attention to it until recently when I noticed that it didn't bend more than about 10 degrees. Any more than that, or when I knock it, it hurts like ****. Doesn't really affect me, even wearing rock boots or running. Mind you, I'm useless at both but I think that's coincidental.

Having the pins removed was even more "fun"

Imagine if you will the look or terror on my face as a large male nurse advanced on my 13yr old self armed with a pair of pliers and a fixed expression…. 😯

Imagine if you will the look or terror on my face as a large male nurse advanced on my 13yr old self armed with a pair of pliers and a fixed expression

…….the stuff that nightmares are made of !!

midgebait – sounds very familiar. I hurt mine about 20 something yrs ago windsurfing and it was always a bit arthritic therafter. earlier this year it got a lot worse such that, as with you, more than about 10 degree bend up or a knock was excrutiating, unfortunately this was happening walking though….. specialist said it was unlikely to ever improve, so fusion such that it is now 'fixed' at a slight upward angle. I'm hoping that I won't walk with a limp or cause any additional pain in my already fecked kness, but at least my toe shouldn't hurt !