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2 Years After Bunion Surgery, Foot Still Hurts

Discussion in 'Ask your questions here' started by Unregistered, Sep 25, 2009.

  1. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest


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    Short version:
    Two years ago I had an "aggressive" (as the surgeon put it) bunion surgery. I was not weight bearing for 3 months after the surgery. 8 months after, he said I didn't need to see him anymore. Foot still hurts -- is it normal for this type of procedure, or should it have been completely healed and painless by now?

    Long, overly detailed version:
    In June of 2007, at the age of 22 (I'm female, if it is relevant at all), I had a surgery for a bunion on my left great toe -- while in there the surgeon also corrected a slight hammertoe in the fourth toe. He told me that since I was relatively young to be getting bunions this serious, he would have to perform a more "aggressive" procedure to ensure that it didn't come back in a decade.

    Please forgive my lack of medical terms, he explained it to me very simply so I could understand it. He cut a notch out of the bone of the front part of the great toe to straighten the toe itself (no screw), as well as shaving off the bunion and correcting the hammertoe. A bit further back, (and in retrospect, I'm not certain I understood this correctly), he put two screws into the first and second metatarsals to fuse them -- I supposed that this was to keep the toe straight for the rest of my life. He said everything went well during the procedure.

    It hurt like dickens the first two weeks, but became very manageable after that. I was ordered to bear NO weight on it for three months, and then an extra month in a walking cast. Throughout post op visits, my surgeon said I was healing very quickly and I was regaining good motion throughout my toe and foot. 8 months later he said I was good to go and didn't need to go back anymore.

    Now it's over two years and I still have pain, soreness, tingliness, and somewhat reduced range of motion in my big toe. Specifically, the area right behind bottom joint of the toe hurts when pressure is applied anywhere (top, bottom, side), but the joint itself doesn't hurt. The top front of my foot becomes sore if I've been on my feet for too long. Also, the area right above the screws sometimes hurts (or feels like there's pressure on it, when there is none) with no apparent cause. The area along my operative scar, which extends to about 3 inches from the base of the big toe, is still tingly to the touch, and very much so concentrated above the screws (which also "creak" or "grind" when I wiggle my toes). My big toe can be pulled back/up and toward the second toe with few problems, but motion forward/down and away from the second toe is very limited and somewhat painful. When I place a finger on the area above the screws and a bit lower, I feel a "grinding" feeling and I feel some shifting. The pain isn't bad -- indeed it's far less than the pain of the bunion that was corrected.

    So finally, here is my question. What is normal for a patient two years out of this sort of surgery? Am I experiencing sensations that are to be expected given the type of procedure done? Should these things have passed by now? As stated above, the pain and my quality of life have been much improved by the surgery, but I'm worried that, if abnormal, the pain and the rest might be indicative of something going wrong in my foot.

    If this sort of experience is abnormal for two or more years after the procedure, then I will most definitely go back to my surgeon to see what's up. However; if this is the expected outcome at this point in time, I don't want to waste a visit to my surgeon (and, more importantly, the payment for it).

    Thanks for your time!
     
  2. FootDoc

    FootDoc New Member

    It is certainly desirable that one recovers quickly, completely and uneventfully after any surgery, but that is not always the case. In my opinion, you should not have allowed the doctor to give you a final discharge until you were satisfied with the results or were told that nothing more could be done. You're the one who has to be satisfied . . not the doctor. If you were told that you were expected to improve over time, you should have been given a followup appointment for another evaluation. But that does not let YOU off the hook for not going back to your doctor sooner if you were not satisfied. Whether or not you should return to your surgeon would depend upon what degree of difficult you continue to experience and how much it affects you. It may be that you've recovered as much as you are going to, but I cannot tell you whether or not there is or might be something which can now be corrected or made better.
     
  3. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    I am now 23, I had dual bunion removal sugery when I turned 18. That is right...I had bunions on both my feet. I have had them since I was 7. The surgeon said I had the worst bunions he had ever seen. When I had mine done at the same time the doctor was shocked, I didn't take any pain meds or anything. no 5 years later the pain in my left foot is untolerable. I will be going to see a sepcialist very soon. The tingly numb feeling in your foot, could indicate that they nicked a nerve during surgery. I cannot feel my right toe, I haven't been able to feel it since surgery. I am pretty sure there shouldn't be this kind of pain. I cannot apply any pressure to my toe..I am wondering if I didn't break the toe or something...
     
  4. Judy

    Judy Guest

    I am.33 years old.and.i had both my bunions done almost a year ago. I have had then since I was young and they run on both sides of my family. The dr said they were pretty bad. I feel great except for I get extreme cramping in my feet at least every other day. Its so painful. I get them from anything standing, yoga ,sitting on the couch dosnt matter. Is this normal? Has anyone else experienced This.
     
  5. Chivonne

    Chivonne Guest

    I'm 34 and I had surgery done on my right foot. My Dr sawed my bunion off placed 6 screws down the side of my foot and due to pain severly on the ball of my foot she cut down my 3rd metatarsal, shortening my toe and applied 2 additional screws. The pain never leaves, barely any range of motion and my foot automatically went back in the position that it previously was in. And this was before I bared any weight. I went back to my surgeon 6 weeks post op and she apologized for the surgery not correcting my issues and told me the only option I have left is to fuse my joints. I declined. And now if on my feet more than 2 hours they swell and get stiff, my feet burns, my scars (lol) let me tell you I'm 10 months out and it hurts like hell, if my shoe or sock is against it it's so tender and feels as if the screws are sticking out. My left foot needs surgery also but since my surgery wasn't successful I'm not going to be able to do it. FYI this was the best specialist in my state. I'm going to go to my general doctor to see if any medicine is available to calm my nerves in my foot and to reduce the burning sensation. I'm sorry I didn't have hopeful news I just wanted you to know I understand.
     
  6. JJack

    JJack Guest

    Oh my goodness! I came to this site because I'm 3 months post surgery on my left foot and am experiencing pain and discomfort. Though the pain has become less over time, this experience is quite different than the pain I experienced when I had corrective surgery on my right foot last summer. My doctor informed me that this is normal and is unable to explain why the experiences are different since he performed the exact same procedure. After reading this thread, I'm concerned that it's nerve damage and that I may have to live with it. Although the bunions were unsightly before the surgeries, I had learned to manage the pain by wearing square toe shoes or sling backs with open toes.

    I am very concerned because the healing is taking longer. I only took pain meds 2-3 days after surgery on the right foot. The pain meds don't work on the pain experienced with my left foot, so I stopped taking them for fear of creating another issue.

    I'm discouraged.
     
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