Flex is around 85-90% upward motion
It’s hard to believe it has been three months since I last posted a status, which was on purpose. As after month 3, I feel the majority of progress is made, but it is ever so slightly. But the good news is that it actually progressed in a good way every month.
I am now able to work out in the gym with gym shoes on and have NO discomfort, took about 5 months post surgery for that to occur. Around 6 months, I did my first lunge (requires ton of flex/weight on toe) successfully. Still don’t have full flex, but enough to do this exercise, which says a lot. As remember, prior to surgery, my upward motion was around 20-30%.
“Pushing” off on the toe is much better and I can do large jumps pushing off toe. Doing full workouts, with no limitations (even lunges as mentioned previously) is great.
I would say I am at 85-90% recovered (based on flex)
And I compare this to my perfectly good left toe. Remind you, it is already 100% better then what it was prior to the surgery.
I am now able to walk bare feet and in sandals without needing to adjust much or at all. Reason I say that as with any surgery on a body part, how it feels can change a bit daily. I notice if I do stretching of the toe the night before and in morning, it really helps with how it feels. As it seems like the muscles that got cut up to get to the bone, still want to stay tight/shorten.
I am not sure if you can tell in the pictures, but when look at 3 months and 6 months the flex improved by at least 10%, and the pain or discomfort decreased a lot. To be honest I was hoping for faster recover, faster flexibility, but It just is not the case. Good news is it’s going in the right direction during this time.
I can now put weight, jump off of it etc.. with very little discomfort. But there is some still there. Which I hope goes away, but there’s no guarantee really. Either way, it again, is 100% better then what state I was in previously.
Keep your stretching (aka physical therapy going)….
As per my three month post, I realize this stretching talk is even more important. Stretching is key, keep on doing it daily. Which includes standing or sitting and slowly step forward or lift the foot up where it starts to throb, hold it and then stretch a tad more for 30 seconds and release.
As I mentioned a couple times (if your taking notes) I do notice when I make time in the morning (and evening) for flexing and bending of the toe (5 x 30 seconds both ways), it typically feels much better for the day. Habit that needs to be formed daily. At least for morning and evening.
When wearing shoes, I feel no discomfort and walk around as if nothing happen, which is super cool to be honest. As you have to remember, prior to surgery (6 months ago) I was limping/adjusting my stride for a good 10 months prior to surgery.
View surgery wound and flexibility six months after surgery.
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.
Thank you, Jace for journaling your your experience. I followed it daily, then weekly, to check my progress & give me hope. I had a basic Cheilectomy 5 months & 12 days ago. My progress and recovery was very similar to yours. I started playing doubles tennis 2.5 months after surgery and my shoe was a little tight, but not much pain, but I tore my quad muscle on that leg bcs I hadn’t built up proper strength in all of my leg muscles since the surgery. Ex.. I hadn’t build up strength to push off the ball of my foot..apparently I couldn’t do that for years bcs of the bone spur. Now 5 months out my toe joint feel great, it has almost normal flexation, and no pain. I am very happy I did the procedure. I read some negative outcomes, so I wanted other to hear about a positive one.
I am at month 5 as well, I’d say 80% upward mobility, 75% downward mobility, little bit of crunching when stretching or twisting the toe. I also pull on it to pop it sometimes when it feels extra tight. Pain is about 1-4 depending on the day, that I can live with, just ice it. My problem is the swelling on the bottom of the joint, it has pretty much been the same for the last 2 months. Unsure if that is what is preventing movement, or if there was an issue with surgery, or scar tissue is built up. I am hesitant to go back because I read on this blog one lady said her doctor went or wanted to go straight in for a toe fusion as he said the cheilectomy clearly didn’t work.
Hi I am 4.5 months post surgery of the cheilectomy, yes the recovery was very downplayed, however I am limping worse than ever due to the pain, Drs solution, Tramadol pain killers, and my surgeon is eager to go straight in for A toe fusion as he said the cheilectomy clearly didn’t work,
I am not eager to do any more surgery because if its so much worse now then how will it be after another surgery and will it heel the same, not work???? too many what ifs, I cant bare to start again back to day one of sitting and doing nothing for months. I was always so athletic and was a Personal Trainer, its also really messed with my mood as I am so inactive because the pain is exhausting, walking the dogs some days is a no go area. However I did go back to work after 4 weeks and its a very active job 3 x PW and on my feet literally all day for 10 hours, not sure that’s helped at all and if its what put me behind in healing? BUT, that said I see people still making improvements after 6 months, I do not want to rush into any more surgery (because I felt at the moment surgery was the worst decision I have ever made).
I cant see a way out of this pain.
This pain is 90% more than I had before I went in for the operation, I have more movement in the flexion and dorsifletion and I can stand up nearly on tip toe …..but normal walking is a nightmare, I roll my foot out which is obviously causing knee pain and the unoperated leg is painful esp in my calves, again over compensation, not offered physio and got told to get on with my life and not worry about exercises at 3 month review???, I called a physio anyways and they said patients and rest when it hurts… I am so confused how I am like this and painkillers seem to be their answer? HELP anyone!
Hi Jen, thanks for sharing this unfortunate experience, which does remind folks, the surgery is not risk free. But this is definitely not the norm. The Cheilectomy surgery is completed so you still have movement with the toe and main knuckle. A fusion prevents all that movement (which is where your pain is now coming from, even worse than before it sounds like) so I can see why your surgeon wants to go that route. I would not hesitate to get a second opinion and validate the current state of your post-op surgery, to see if there is any hope of recovering with another Cheilectomy surgery ,allowing you to have nearly fully pain-free movement. Because, once you go down the fusion route, there is no going back. Let us know how it goes. Good luck!
Hi,
I had a minimally invasive keyhole cheilectomy 5 months ago. Swelling has been very slow to go down and still very much there. The pain is mostly gone but still not much range of flexibility. If I wear shoes with soles too soft or too hard then my foot swells and swells and if I walk or drive lots by the end of the day it’s really swollen again. Last week I had a steroid injection into the joint under sedation and 3 days later still swollen and the same range of not much flexibility but pain not as bad as before chielectomy. The pain on the underside/sole side of my toe is painful at end of day if I’ve done lots of walking or driving too. Hoping the injection will do something for the swelling and in turn I hope I get better range of movement. I can’t go on tip toe and can’t squat down which I need to do a lot with my job.
Imogen, did the steroid injection help with your pain? I also have pain under the ball of my foot and am wondering if an injection would be beneficial. Thanks, Gillian
5 months feel top of toe knuckle pain 2-3 when walking without shoes. Shoes no pain. Can healing take over a year or is something wrong hmm
Hi Jace, great blog which has been very helpful.
I am now 4 month post-op and experience has been very similar to your description over time. The pain on top and the side of the toe has nearly disappeared and the scar looks very nice. However, what is not going away (or feels like increasing) is a pain in the ball below my front foot/toe when I walk. Did you or someone else also experienced this ? And when did it go away ?
Another thing I noticed is that it looks as if my toe is more angled than before the operation (nearly looks like Hallux Valgus). Can this be the result of the swelling still present and would this get more straight again over time ?
Thank you, Bernard
I’m currently 4 months on the right and 6 months on the left. Like you, I experience pain on the ball of both feet, still. I think it’s worse on the right foot. Definitely the right foot is more swollen, and my shoes hurt due to the pressure.
It hurts walking downstairs. Usually I place my toes past the edge so they don’t bend as much, but that’s a little dangerous as I’ve almost slid off a couple times. Otherwise I walk downstairs very slowly.
I basically still walk like I’m handicapped. It’s sad because otherwise I have tons of energy, but walk like I’m 85 years old.
I have shoes that don’t squeeze as tightly, but they’re more flexible. The feet hurt more after a short walk, wearing those.
My left was more damaged (no cartilage, vs 50% on the right).
One thing I noticed is that I hadn’t been pulling my toes outward, only doing up and down movements. And when I started doing that, it was really painful. I mentioned to my doctor that I started rotating my toe and told him it hurt, and asked if I should continue. He told me to continue with a full range of motion.
I’d say the pain is a lot worse now than pre surgery, however I couldn’t bend either toe up pre surgery. If I would accidentally bend one, it would hurt terribly. Now I’m bending them both back a lot and it doesn’t hurt nearly as much, sometimes it doesn’t hurt.
Hi everyone. I’m 3 1/2 weeks post surgery. I have lots of clicking going on inside my big toe joint whenever I extend the toe up to flex. I was a ballet dancer most my life. I’m now 48 and it took me 15 years to get the nerve up to have this surgery. I know I’m being impatient but I’m concerned I’ll never get my mobility back. I’ve been moving my toe up and down since the day of my surgery. I’m currently in PT but I can’t afford to keep going as long as they want me to. I do exercises at home. So glad I found this blog so I can find comfort in knowing where I should be in my process and when. The clicking and popping is bothering me. I was told I’m
down to only about 25% of cartilage left and that doesn’t grow back. So is that why I have the popping? Bone on bone? Idk. Any insight would be welcomed. Thanks y’all!
I’m three months out from surgery. I still have pain (3-4) with every step unless I roll my foot and walk on the outside edge. No pain at rest. My doc never mentioned PT. I’ve picked up a bit from your posts, but where do I start and how do I catch up? I’m 75 and otherwise healthy.
Hi,
So glad I found this site! I had the surgery on right foot two months ago and still so much pain and swelling!
At what point did your doctor send you to PT? Mine said 6 weeks but then scheduled me recheck at 8 weeks.
Thanks!
Hi Lori,
Did you just have the cheilectomy surgery or additional work done? As pain and swelling shouldn’t be occuring to that degree at the 2 mo mark. In my first few posts I went over what PT was recommended and what I did. I never did see a PT folk.
I am 5 1/2 months post cheilectomy right foot. Pain improving. Flexibility pretty good but I have what looks like a bunion now and my big toe is not straight any longer. Wondering if this is still swelling or do I actually have a bunion now. That is also where the pain is. Shoe wearing getting better but still feels best in wider shoe. Hard to do when my other foot is not a wide
Hi Susan,
I am at nearly 3 weeks.
Exactly the same thing has happened to me.
Has yours improved over time?
Thanks,
Louise.
Hi,
I’m 5 months after my surgery and my toe has started to go numb in the last few weeks. My surgeon said it may be nerve damage from the shoes I have been wearing and may take months to recover or never at all. What!!!! Is this even possible? Has anyone had a similar experience?
Hi Marika, I am going on 19 months post recovery and never experienced “numbness” thankfully. If there is nerve damage, it would be from the surgery, not from shoes one would think. I can tell you, that even after 19 months, I still felt some improvement in the past 2 months. So it absolutely could recover / heal on its own in time. Good luck.
Hi — I’m about 5 months post-surgery and still have pain from time to time. Rarely actual “pain” but it still feels really creaky and not normal. Interestingly, the more active I am, the better it is. PT said this is to be expected (like another poster, my Doctor hugely downplayed the recovery time and didn’t even suggest PT!) I recently returned to tennis and feel great playing. The swelling certainly has gone down a ton, but I can still see that my surgery foot is swollen in comparison to my other foot (especially when I sit in say, lotus position, you can see a big difference). I had a cheilectomy but also two holes were drilled in bone to try to get cartilage to regenerate (apparently they discovered a pocket of completely destroyed cartilage once they got in there). My PT said that might last 6 months – a year. Wow.
Hello Mia,
Happy New Year!
I just had the cheilectomy procedure done on my left toe about 3 months ago. I would like to understand a bit more about the procedure you had on top of cheilectomy due to the destroyed cartilage because a previous botched bunion surgery had also rubbed away part of my cartilage 🙁
Do you feel like you can hear your bone grinding post cheilectomy if you put them in a certain degree/angle?
Best Regards,
Amy Choo
Hi Mia
I went through the same thing 9 weeks ago. I see you had it done over 2 years ago. How are you doing now?
I am six months post surgery and still have pain. Better than pre surgery but getting worried I should be pain free by now. Wondering if it’s normal to still have discomfort at 6 months. Anyone else have same experience?
Exact same situation for me. 6 months post and still have pain when walking though indeed less than pre-op. I started searching cause my impression had been been that it wouldn’t hurt any more by now. Looked around and the timeframe seems to very a LOT.
I’m 6 months on left, 4 months on right. Same here with pain in both feet. Left had no cartilage, right had 50%. Expected it to feel much better after six months. I do think it’s improving.
Thanks for sharing your journey! My surgery was on 2/11 – so I’m just past the 2 weeks mark. Good to know a bit of what to expect. My MD made this surgery/recovery sound like no big deal and I don’t think I had realistic expectations of how long the healing process would take! I’m going to Europe at the end of March (so will be 6 weeks post op) and I thought I’d be walking all over the place touring sites with no pain…doesn’t sound like that will be the case…at least not based off of your experience. Again – good to know that at some point I’ll walk without a limp. The pain before surgery pretty severe at times, so from that standpoint, it’s already a win for me.
I had my surgery on 1/22/2020 and am at 6 weeks today. I feel like I’d be able to walk quite a bit and be ok. There is still a small amount of pain, but not bad, and my gait is just a tad off still. Hope that helps you!
Let me join in thanking everyone for sharing their experience. I’m coming up on 10 weeks post surgery. I’m a retired athlete (in my 50’s) and before surgery I worked out 5-6 days per week. I did my best to not rush the recovery process and allow the body (tissue & bone) to heal. While I started daily PT “flexing” of the toe joint around week 6, I avoided the gym entirely for the first 8 weeks. Today walking is about 80% minor pain free, but I still have a slight compensation in my gait. Being back in the gym is great, but I’m only doing “low impact” or “average” flexing of the joint types of activities. Reading your comments at the 24 weeks is helpful in the sense on one hand it affirms I’m making good progress, but that the process to being “pain free” requires way more time and I should remember that progress is likely not to be a linear straight line. I’m glad I did the surgery and if things are really “good” by 24 weeks, I may consider doing the other big toe joint later in the year.
Thanks Steve for sharing your experience. As you seen first hand, it gets to the 60-75% recovery / feel-good pretty quick considering. But then it seems to take some time to get it pat the 75/80 marks. My recovery is doing well. But it is not 100% or bends up as high as my good foot (dont think it ever will actually), but it is 1000% better than before surgery. I am 100% full throttle in gym, jumping and playing indoor sports. I will take that as a win. Good luck.
Hi Jace,
Thanks for your blog, it has been very helpful as I contemplate a cheilectomy on my right big toe. At what point were you able to return to running following the surgery?
I just had mine May 31. My dr said no running until October check up. It’s 8 weeks and so far I’m nit that convinced. I am in more pain. I was only stage 2/3 arthritis and one spur. I had a toe fusion on left last year. Long painful recovery but now pain now and was running by 4 mths.
Hello Lisa, et al, I had combined surgery 1/17/23. My pain started mostly with Mortons Neuroma on my left foot. Waiting for the surgeon one day for injections, I noticed how much might right big toe hurt. She had an extra done and pointed to the l shaped spur on my big toe. She said she could do both feet at the same time during surgery. I’m at 5 weeks. Very active with home pt as I always have due to my general activity plus walking our championship golf course here in Knoxville 4 days a week.
At my current point (5 Weeks and 3 days) i can hit balls at our range but not begin to walk the golf course. Pain is 5-6. Left foot not so bad. Not complaining about my surgeon but the neuroma was one thing, this Chielectomy I likely would not have done and just dealt with the pain which was generally late in a round. I did read recently that Diclofenac gel can help with post surgery pain. Just started it today. Like others said, this is longer recovery time than I ever anticipated. Best luck to all.
Hi, Any updates on how the recovery and flexibility is coming along? Thanks!
Hi Nick, just about 2 more months has pass and it feels very similar as this update I made at the 6 month progress. Sometimes though it feels much better then the 6 mo progress, then other times feels about the same. I will actually be playing indoor volleyball (A League) for the first time tonight since surgery. I will provide a more in depth cheilectomy recovery and update article in the coming months. Thanks for asking.
Thanks for documenting your journey. Am having the same procedure this week – same area – different foot. Very helpful to know what to expect.
It’s been about a month, curious if all has gone as expected. Good luck.