Walking with Less Hobble
I believe its a milestone for anyone getting through 1 month after a surgery. Typically that means your wound is well on its way to healing, your stitches have been removed and you have several days into your physical therapy.
I feel improvements have slowed just a bit regarding flexibility, but the pain felt when flexing it or putting weight on while flexing it has been improved by at least 20% when walking on it.
Although it still requires me to not put full weight on it during walk, as the pain in the joint/wound is still healing.
Physical Therapy
So what am I doing for PT? I am not seeing any therapist, just doing what my surgeon said I should have to do, that is return to normal activities and work on its flex by sitting on chair then lifting foot up trying to work more flex into the muscles so they don’t stiffen up, retract during its healing.
I even push down on my toe, as that has limited movement vs before the surgery. But there is progress, both flexibility and reduced pain.
Still not able to work normal with no pain yet of course. But can get around pretty good, just knowing there is a throb of pain that will occur when walking.
View surgery wound after 28 days after surgery and stitches removed.
Did you complete the procedure? If so did your surgery/healing thus far match mine or differ in someway? Lets hear it in the comments below.
Today is exactly one month for my right foot. It’s exactly 9 weeks after my left foot. It’s good to compare. Left was in worse shape. I don’t remember how it felt compared to the right after a month. But now it feels much better. I started wearing my regular shoe last week on both feet. There’s a bit of a squeeze on that swollen joint area, but it’s not really painful. The left shoe fits pretty well.
Both feet ache after I’ve spent a bit of time walking, and it feels nice to take the shoes off. I bought some slippers / house shoes online last week, as before I walked around the house in socks. Slippers are way more comfortable.
I do bend both toes up and down when I get bored, overall it seems adequate PT.
This toe has a slight indentation at the joint. I think it’s a combination of where bone was removed and the way the scar is healing. The stitches were in longer and got pretty tight.. The dent has been there since the swelling initially subsided after about the 2nd week. I hope it’ll smooth down some as it continues to heal. It’s not bothersome, just not something I noticed on the left foot.
The right foot was never as extensively swollen as the left foot was, and I imagine the right one will catch up with the left in a few more weeks.
I walk with a limp, but now I feel like I don’t limp at all on the left side.
I am at 4 weeks post surgery and am having that clicking/crunching thing happen too when I bend the toe (it did not do that pre surgery). It doesn’t really hurt, but is a little unnerving. Does anyone know if it goes away?
Hi Thanks for you blog, I had my surgery 4 weeks ago and all is going well, your picture was reassuring, as i wasn’t to sure about the swelling over the join, but mine looks just like yours. Have been in normal shoes since day 13 when stitches came out.
I actually moved house on day 7, it was already scheduled when i got the call from the hospital that they had spot for me. and with our public hospital system here in Aus you don’t say no, as you don’t know when your next chance will be.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience. It has been so helpful to me to follow along your journey. I had my procedure done 4 weeks ago and all is progressing much in the way yours did. Doctor had me start PT at home 2 weeks in – I take my big toe between my thumb and index finger Right below the knuckle and move it up 20 times til it hurts, and then move it down 20 times til it hurts – I do this once in the morning and once at night. I still can’t get into any shoes – so the surgical shoe is still what I’m wearing. Doctor had me wrap it in ace bandage to help get the swelling down even more, and I’m still taking ibuprofen. I am still elevating it as much as possible and I avoid sitting with letting my legs hang down. Doctor advised me to rub Aquafor into the scar to help break up any scar tissue under the surface. I’m really happy with the way the scar looks – can’t believe that it has healed as much as it has. The doctor took the stitches out at one week which he said would help eliminate the scar. I drove for the first time today and it felt fine – just a little odd in surgical shoe – but no pain in the foot. Still discomfort when I walk – especially when barefoot which I try to avoid. Overall, things are progressing very well – will just take some more patience before I can walk normally again. Again, thank you for sharing your experience!
Hi guys I am now in week 4 and similar to the blog, walking in normal shoes now (well trainers lol) I was told to massage the site once the stitches were removed with Bio oil or E45 cream which I have done regularly and grab the toe between my fingers and move up and down at least 4 times a day. I have done this but it crunches and cracks as it moves, would be interested to know if anybody else has the same? also experience pain (ache) when walking on it I am hoping this is just early days. For info my scar looks very similar.
Hello and welcome. At this point of recovery, I do not recall feeling/hearing it make noises. But after 6 months, when the flex is much much greater (which is awesome), I do hear and feel slight joint/tendon noises (no pain), but typically only in morning and gets better after warming/stretching it up. Great tip on the massage and to use oil / cream. I did massage it, but never applied anything. Mainly as I don’t like messing with oil’s and cream :). So your healing pictures should probably look better then mine with time. Will be curious to see what it looks like after 6 months. Good luck.
Hey thanks for the response, I go to see the surgeon in 3 weeks for a follow up so ill ask about the clicking lol. Brilliant blog really helpful.
Thanks Craig, good to hear. Now that I believe you would be in (week 8ish?), things should be even better then before and have a bit less pain during walking. I am finishing up on 7 months and it still seems to be improving even more. So it does take time.
Thanks Jace,
Yes I am around 8 weeks scar looks great, still clicking lol …pushing through the toe slightly when walking now some times good sometimes a little painful, in fact slightly more than before the op at the moment, but there is no constant ache anymore, so assuming the pain will ease off eventually interested to here if you still have some pain? appears to be very shoe dependent.
Hi Jace (regards feeling ‘crunching and cracking”), I am at 4 weeks and can feel the bones clicking when I move my toe up and down. I can’t recall feeling this before surgery. It isn’t painful but I’m aware of it and slightly nervous about whether its normal.. but time will tell lol. Michelle
Were you ever told why your foot ‘clicked’? I am 4 weeks out of surgery and experience clicking feeling as well. Sometimes with pain, some times not. I feel like my foot/great toe looks same as did prior to surgery :/ Concerned my spur is not better but maybe the same due to clicking/crunching sounds/feelings that happen when I stretch/exercise my toe.
Hi. I am at week five, plus 3 days. My foot only feels decent in the post surgical shoe. I can maybe get by in a flat sandal or loose slide, both with socks, but the largest walking shoe I could find, while wearing it, it isn’t as cushioned as much on the bottom and I feel pressure, causing discomfort on the top of the toe, (shoe is totally enclosed vs sandal). I am not doing physical therapy. So my question to you is what kind of shoe were you wearing at week five? Also I have stitches that are supposed to dissolve, all to dissolve. Thank you.
Hi Lynn, curious what your surgery doctor recommended for self PT. As I was told to start self PT as soon as possible (roughly few days after surgery) which I did. Although I may have pushed it little at times, I think it helped move progress quicker. I actually went in to get my stitches removed on day 13 with my normal walking shoes, but with the laces very lose. The orthopedic doctor & nurse who removed the stitches was actually surprised I was able to fit in normal shoe. So progress is different with everybody, but feel at this point you should be able to be in a walking shoe with laces very lose. Pain/throb would still be there a bit of course. Good luck. I will be posting about my 6 months progress next month. Stay tuned.