I've having hammertoe surgery done. Three on the right foot and two on the left. I was wondering if anyone else on this board had hammertoe surgery and what was the average time for recovery and how long it took the swelling to go down until i could wear my regular shoes again. The podiatrist said I have flexible hammertoes and I won't need pins and I'd only have to wear the sandals, so I wouldnt have to wear those big boots. Anyone with experience?

i had hammertoe surgery about 3 months ago on all eight little toes... i'm finally just starting to feel normal again (swelling down and somewhat pain-free)...it took a lot longer than i thought for recovery and i'm still not fully there yet. i can almost fit into my own sneakers again (still a bit tight) - i was wearing a size larger all this time...and i don't think i can fit into any non-sneaker shoes yet...i still have some trouble with a little bit of pain and mobility but i'm doing my PT exercises so it's getting better. hope that helps.

was it just hammertoe surgery? or did you also have something else done? and was it flexible or rigid hammertoes? and did you need pins? sorry for all the questions.

i also had bunionectomies done on both feet...not sure if that affected it too much...the bunion site actually doesn't really bother me...it's the hammertoes that do....also i think mine were flexible hammertoes, no pins

I had hammertoe surgery on the 3rd, 4th and 5th toes on my right foot on April 30. They were flexible hammertoes so luckily, I did not have pins in. I wore a surgical shoe for two weeks. I could not get the stiches wet for the first two weeks as you could get the incision infected. I went back to work on Tuesday, May 3 - luckily, I sit most of the day. I would however, by my own experience, recommend taking at least a week off, preferrably two - as you need to elevate your toes higher than the level of your hips to prevent unnecessary swelling. I never had to take any pain killers and am very pleased with the outcome of my surgery. It is now 8 1/2 weeks since the surgery and I still have my toes bandaged as the doctor just wants to ensure proper healing of the tendons. The toes are still slightly swollen and I have been able to wear my regular sneakers in the morning but I only do it for a short time. I have chosen to be quite cautious as I want my toes to heal properly. I am regaining some flexibility in the 3rd & 4th toes but the toes still seem just a bit sensitive. I am enjoying the fact that it is summer and I have time to wear open toed sandals for a little while to ensure proper healing. This is what my schedule looks like so far:

April 30 - surgery
May 5 - follow up appt / change bandages
May 12 - follow up appt / remove stiches & change bandages
May 19 - follow up appt
May 26 - follow up appt
June 9 - follow up appt
June 23 - follow up appt
July 14 - follow up appt scheduled

My doctor has been wonderful and certainly follows up. I thought I might need to do 2 toes on the left foot but, he says I only need to do the small toe.

I hope your surgery is successful.

I was hoping to be able to wear regular shoes or sandals and have no swelling within a month. The doctor said it was possible, because in exactly a month I have a business trip to go to, which will require lots of movement and walking. I'm having my surgery done on a thursday and will be back to work Monday. Not quite sure how long I'm going to need the bandages though, never thought it would take so long to heal.

I also thought that the healing time would be much faster. I don't want to give you false hopes and can only tell you what I have gone through. I did attend an event this past Saturday and wore an open toed dressy sandal with a 1 1/2" heel. Although everyone heals at a different rate, I would venture to say that it will depend on the amount of toes being done, your healing rate, etc.

I would tell you that if you can reschedule the surgery until after your planned event, that would be much better.

I wish i could reschedule the surgery, however this is the only perfect time that I can do it. I'm also a full time student in college and I start school at the end of August. So this way I at least get a month of recovery versus the two weeks I would get before school started. I've been procrastinating the surgery for almost two years, and I can't wait any longer. So hopefully I'm a fast recoverer. Any tips for fast recovery? By the way, I'm having three toes done on the right foot, the 2nd, 3rd, and 5th. Also, I'm having two toes done on the left, the 2nd and the 5th toe. Hopefully it won't be so bad.

One more question, you said you had to wear the surgical shoe for two weeks, may I ask what you wore after those two weeks? And was the surgical shoe a sandal type of shoe?

As it does not seem to be convenient to reshedule your surgery, I can only recommend that you elevate (up to hip level or higher) as much as possible and ice your foot/feet according to the post op instructions. Of course, follow your doctor's orders carefully. I would only walk if its absolutely necessary. This way, there is little or no pressure on the foot/toes which I am sure facilitates faster healing.

The type of "surgical shoe" I wore was a black firm rubber soled (much like a flip flop but firmer so the sole of the foot does not flex much) with velcro strap closures to allow complete opening so you can place your foot into it/adjust it according to the width of your foot. I only had to wear it for 2 weeks to ensure that the foot is properly supported and it is very lightweight and I was fine in it.

I hope your foot heals well/fast enough within the 4 week period you have so you will be able to wear a regular shoe comfortably.

I will start the gym again but doing swimming for now as I need the cardio. As much as I want to get back to running, I think I am just being cautious (maybe overly so) and patient until I feel comfortable.

I have to say that I only felt 2 nights of anything that could be called pain and that was once in the 1st week after surgery and again another night in the 2nd week. It was not enough for me to take pain killers. Otherwise, it has just been a sensation of discomfort and since the 6th week my toes feel like they are little spark plugs for lack of a better description. I understand that the nerves are reawakening which I am glad to hear.

If I can help further, please let me know and keep me posted on your surgery / progress.

When did the doctor say you can start swimming again? And when did your toes start to look normal again? I will keep you posted after my surgery, hopefully all goes well. I dont have to walk much at work, just to and from the car. I was also wondering when were you able to start driving again? And how many stitches did you need? sorry for all the questions, I'm kind of nervous about the whole procedure.

Hi Purplebee99. I hope you had a great July 4 weekend.

You can probably tell that I have been quite cautious as far as the surgery and the recovery. I got the okay to start swimming at 7 weeks. The outside of the toes are completely healed where the incisions/stitches were made/placed. My doctor still wants me to keep them wrapped in Koflex bandages (stretchy self adhesive kind) to support the toes until I see him on July 14.

My toes look quite normal outside of the small amount of swelling I have at the end of the day (our feet swell in the afternoons anyway). My doctor suggested (at week 5) taking out the insole of my sneaker and wearing it but, I was a bit apprehensive. I finally did that this past Saturday and wore a thin cotton sock and walked around quite some time (at a moderate/normal pace). My toes were a little sore Saturday afternoon but I persevered and wore the sneaker Sunday, Monday and today in the morning. The toes are certainly not as sore and seem to be almost normal (minus full flexibility).

As far as driving, I am sure you should be able to drive relatively soon after the surgery. I live in Manhattan so, luckily, I have been able to use cabs to get around. I did drive over the weekend of June 24-27 and everything was just fine.

If I can be of further help, please let me know.

When are you having your surgery?

My surgery is scheduled for this thursday which is the 8th. I had a pre-op appointment with my doctor and I asked him a bunch of questions. I asked him about the swimming, and he said I can go swimming after two weeks, and I'd be able to walk as much as I want in 4 weeks. I told him I have to do extensive walking for a conference, and he said I'd be fine by then. Hopefully he's not just being optimistic and he's right. I'm kind of nervous and scared, but I can't wait to get it over with already! Did you have corns/calluses on top of your hammertoes?

Purplebee99,

I am sure that your doctor will give you proper advice. Again, each person's healing time is different. Keep in mind that I was able to walk but I have just chosen to be cautious as I am known to be impatient. Once the stitches are out, the chances of getting an infection at the incision site decreases quite a bit but, again, I chose to be cautious. You just need to do things within your comfort zone once your doctor gives you the okay.

Yes, I did have a corn each of the third, fourth and fifth toes of the right foot that I had fixed. I have a corn only on the pinky toe on the left foot. I have decided to wait until next year same time to get that one done as I want to allow lots of time to allow healing before winter comes and I have to wear closed shoes.

I look foward to hearing from you and hoping all will go well and for a speedy recovery.

I will let you know how it goes tomorrow after surgery if I'm not too drowsy from the pain killers. Wish me luck! :bouncing:

Purplebee99, of course I wish you luck. You will be fine. Just let me know how you are doing.

Guess what? I surprised myself this morning. I actually wore a pair of closed flats (brand new) just to see if I could handle it. I wore them for a short while this morning and I was fine. Woo hoo! I am getting there.

Good Luck Purplebee,
Let us know how you make out :)
Sue

I will be praying for you!
Let us know about the beautiful toes!!
Maybe we can be 'foot models' after surgery!!
God Bless !

Thats great news phoenix461!

Thanks a lot you guys. This board offers more support then anything else around. I can't wait till everything is over. It's nice to know theres other people out there experiencing the same thing. I'll keep you guys updated on how everything goes. Doctor just called and said surgerys going to be a little earlier then expected. I'm excited yet nervous. I'll let you guys know how it goes. :)

Thanks all!

Just got out of my surgery. Feeling grrrreat! Time to elevate and heal. I'll keep you guys informed on how everything goes. :p

Purplebee ... just rest up and be patient. I hope everything went well!!!

Heyyyyyyyy,
You are back!!!! That's a good sign :) Just keep your foot elevated, iced and be patient don't push yourself.Keep us posted. Hope you feel better soon, Sue

Well, so far everything seems to be going fine. I feel that my foot is swollen though. And at night I feel that my toes are stretching so they start to ache. Has anyone had that type of feeling late at night?

Yes, I had that feeling. My doctor said that was the effect in the incision area when it is swollen as the stitches are a bit stretched. Just keep elevating the foot/feet and ice as the doctor suggested. Did you have both feet done? You sound like you are doing pretty good so far. Yeahhhhh!!

Yeah I had both feet done. I figured it would be a lot easier to get them both done at the same time rather then one after the other. Plus, I don't think I'd have another opportunity to get the other one done unless it's two years from now or so. Right now, I'm doing great, I'm back at work and I've done some walking. My feet don't feel swollen anymore and I'm getting my bandages redone/replaced tomorrow. I think the hardest part is walking with the surgical shoe/sandal. I find that walking without it is much easier and lighter. I took a peek through my bandages yesterday and saw one of my toes and the stitching. I've never had stitches before so I was curious. Everything seems to be looking good and it doesn't look swollen at all. I'm wondering though how long till the scar goes away? :bouncing:

Sounds like you are doing great!

For Purplebee99 - I have minimal scarring. If I remember correctly, the scars started disappearing sometime around the 6th to 7th week. Glad to hear you are progressing quite well.

For Piggy22 - how is your recovery coming along? I hope all is well with you.