I am now 6 weeks post op from a bunion osteotomy and hammer toe surgery. I have been non weight bearing. Beginning today the doctor said I could remove the 'soft cast' and begin to try and bear weight. I tried to put a little weight on my foot (with crutches) but I'm not really sure how much. My foot began to swell after it touched the floor (just lightly) for only a minute or two. I am really apprehensive on how I should be doing this. Any advice would be extremely helpful.

Hi - I'm new here but I can give you a little advice. I take it everything has healed nicely in order for your Dr. to ok weight bearing. I went from boot where weight went on back of heel for a while, then into soft tennie bearing weight. Go ahead and step down to point where you can bear the pain, you will be restretching tendons and ligaments, that's the pain you will be feeling. If you are not having any physical therapy, try these at home. Take a bed pillow against the wall, sit on the floor, press your foot into the pillow at a 90degree angle, hold for ten seconds and do this ten times. Lay on couch, hang foot and ankle only off edge of couch and write the abc's with foot. But the best one is lay on floor, bend knees, keep feet flat on floor, raise buttocks pressing feet into floor, hold five seconds, do fifteen times. Do all these 3 to 4 times a day. It will help you stretch everything so as you try to bear weight it will be less painful. Take a warm bath and press foot against wall of tub, this will feel good. Be sure to get foot elevated as swelling starts, before it gets too bad. One week of this and you will be amazed at weight bearing ability. My problem is a frozen big toe after 13 weeks and 8 of those in therapy. Hope this helps!!

THANK YOU so much for your reply. I will began right away. :angel:

Yes, how do you do that? I had some foot surgery, and was NWB for 6 weeks. I now have a walking cast, so I can't do some of those exercises you mentioned. I've lost so much muscle tone in my calf muscles that I just don't feel like I can support all my weight on that leg. My OS seemed to really want me to bear weight right off the bat, but when I stepped off the exam table with my him watching, and I was very unsteady, he said, "okay, new goal, off the crutches in 3 weeks". That was fine at the time, but how do I do it? I don't want to overdo it, but I don't know how much I should push it either. A combination of the pain from the incision and the weakness from muscle atrophy is making it tough to gage. Right now, I'm still walking, but supporting myself with crutches. Any ideas?

I have a tendon injury, but a very severe one -- and a great doctor and PT-- and these are the guidelines I was given when I went out of the hard cast.

Initially, I was told only to bear 40% weight.

Also, I was told to ice my foot for 15 minutes at least 4x per day. I was told NOT to use heat ever, but maybe tendons are different.

Don't worry if you see swelling initially.

Keep elevating whenever you are at home.

I went from cast to boot to aircast/sneaker, which I'm still in.

Once I was in the boot, I could bear 60% weight.

Good luck!

Great Cuvanni - let me know how you are doing as there are others that will help as you proceed through these, they are the "next level".
Karyn - I really don't know what you should do in a walking cast, except if you try to walk a little unaided even ten steps here and there you will be amazed at how fast your calf muscle will return. Mine left quickly, two and one-half weeks and it was gone, but once in heel bearing boot (like your cast carries your weight in the heel) slow but sure some came back, just enough so that when weight bearing time came I could handle it. EVERYTHING takes time when you have been NWB for that long. What type of foot surgery? Bunions are quite different than Scarlett's tendon injury, so PT and heat/vs ice will be different. I now have found out my problem is built up fibroid tissue from nonmovement of toe. My PT was not aggressive enough due to natural fake flex in my toe. But new aggressive therapy in two days is showing great improvement and fibroid is already loosening. Who would have thought it was that simple. My therapist feels terrible that he was the problem and not the answer, but I don't hold it against him as he was sincere in what he thought he should do. Be sure you Dr. and Therapist communicate directly - mine did not until things got bad, then we all met and Dr. showed therapist exactly the aggressive movement he needed to do. I could have short circuited about 5 weeks of pain. But all is not lost, as I believe I am now on the mend.
Hope this helps...

What is "fake flex" and how can you tell the difference b/w fake and real? What did the original PT involve, and what is the aggressive PT like? Glad you found the answer!