Does anyone out there have a "Floppy Toe" (great toe)? I am having a failed implant removed from my great toe and was told that I will remain with a floppy toe. I'm interested in knowing if having this floppy toe limits physical activity, i.e. walking, running, etc. and, will I be able to wear a shoe with a 2inch heel. Will I be pain free? Any feedback will be greatly appreciated. I have opted for the removal of this implant iand dealing with a floppy toe instead of having a bone fusion. Surgery is scheduled for Wednesday.:confused:

I had an implant removed from my left great toe on Oct 15th. The implant was in about three years, but really never worked out. With the implant I had a "floppy toe." It was bad. My big toe supported very little of my weight. Most of my weight ended up on the ball of my foot, which over time, became very sore. I ended up with custom made orthotics, which didn't help either. I hope this isn't going to happen to you with your new "floppy toe."

When it was decided that we should remove the implant, no thought was even given to just ending up with a "floppy toe." We did the fusion. I also had the second toe shortened. Three months after surgery everything is wonderful!! I just started full weight bearing walking with regular shoes. Sore, yes, but that's to be expected. Both the doctor and myself are very happy with the results.

If I were you I would get answers to your questions from the doctor PRIOR to undergoing any surgery. Call him Monday. If you don't get answers and aren't clear about the expected results, postpone the surgery until you do get the information.

Good luck.....

Jeff H: Did I understand you correctly? You say you had a floppy toe while the implant was in place? My Podiatrist told me I would have a floppy toe after he removes the implant. He did mention that it could pose a problem in another area of my foot as the great toe would no longer be bearing all of my weight. He did say that it could be corrected with Orthodics. Did your doctor ever offer the Orthodics to you to ease the pain?

My toe was not exactly floppy with the implant in, but it stuck up so much that I would assume that it acted exactly as a floppy toe would, not being able to bear any weight.

I believe I had the problem as your doctor is alluding to, problems in other areas of the foot because the big toe would not be able to handle any weight.

That caused me MAJOR problems, which special orthotics was NOT able to solve. We tried to resolve this issue for about two years with different orthotics. NOTHING worked. I finally decided this past Sept to have the implant removed, and the toe fused. So far so good.

At the least, believe your doctor when he warns you about potential problems. They ARE real. Maybe you will be ok with a floppy toe. On the other hand, a toe fusion is not the end of the world.

See my other comments on a few related threads that I made yesterday.

Thanks, Jeff for responding. I guess I am going to have to give this a try. At this point, I really do not want to be out of work for 8 weeks (which is what my Podiatrist told me it would we with a bone fusion). The thought of even being out 4 weeks is hard to bear. When I had the implant done, I was out of work 7 weeks. That tells me that I am probably a slow healer. It took 5 months before II could get my foot into a sneaker. The bone fusion may take me twice as long to heal. I thought I would go stark raving mad with the last surgery. If it wasn't for this healthboard, I don't know what I would have done. Thank God, I can turn to you good people, again for support and understanding. This has got to work. I have put myself in God's hands. I will post after surgery as soon as I am able. This Wednesday is the day.

Good luck. Perhaps you won't have any issues with the floppy toe. Everyone is different. I certainly understand your concerns about length of recovery time. Let us know how the surgery goes.

Hi Everyone, I have been reading this thread with great interest. I have Hallux Rigidus and actually postponed my surgery last summer because I wanted to research which procedure I thought would work best for me.

I have seen too many Dr's and now have 3 recommending either an implant or fusion and 3 strongly recommending the Keller Procedure which WILL leave me with a "floppy toe". All of these Dr's have strong opinions on the procedure they recommend. Probably due to their success rate with each procedure.

The 3 Dr's recommending the Keller tell me that special orthotics that address the transfer of push off power to the smaller toes will correct the lost power from the great toe. Obviously this works for some patients and they are all very confident in the success of these inserts. BTW, the Dr's recommendning the Keller are all older and have many years experience. They claim the procedure is old but it works. The recommendation may also be due to the fact that I am almost 66 and although I am very active and like to walk 1 hr per day, being older does limit the time remaining on these old feet!

My Orthopedic surgeon said NEVER have an implant, especially at your age. He recommended I wait until I cannot deal with the pain and then have a fusion....WOW, it's amazing the opinions you get when you start looking around. Basically there are potential complications with whatever route you choose....A fusion may result in a non-union that could take months and months to heal....

I had a cortisone injection last week and my foot feels absolutely wonderful! I know this is temporary but perhaps I can manage the discomfort this way and the joint may continue to freeze up on it's own and I won't have to do anything after all! ;) At this moment I would probably have the Keller done and hope for the best....

I would love to hear any additional thoughts you all may have.

Sticher: I was happy to read your message and that several of the doctors you saw cited successful use of Orthotics to deal with the Floppy Toe situation. Like you, I visited a number of doctors; Podiatrists and Orthos. The first Ortho I saw wanted to take the injection route. At the time, I was 58 years old. However, because the cartillege between the joint of my great toe was so worn away, I knew this would only be a temporary fix. I wanted to get it corrected so I wouldn't have to deal with it again down the road when I was older, and recovering from surgery would take longer. I have come to the realization that Orthos do not like "implants" and those looking to take the more invasive approach always recommend the fusion. My Podiatrist told me he had 95% success with the implant and that's why I chose that route. Unfortunately, it didn't work for me. Although, he agrees that the implant must come out, he said he would only recommend the fusion as a last resort because once that is done, there is no other option if it fails, but to do it again. In the meantime, we are talking about taking bone from another area of the body (which I really didn't want to stir up something else in my hip or knee or wherever the bone would come from especially since I am now 60 1/2 years old). If wearing Orthotics in my shoes will do the trick, so be it. He told me I would be able to wear a heel with the Orthotic insert. That would make me so happy as I haven't been able to wear a heel in 2 years (2" is all I want so I can look decent when I want to wear a dress or suit.) He also said I would be able to get on my Treadmill again (which has been only collecting dust for the last 2 years). I'll keep updating the post during my recovery. Surgery is this Wednesday.

Dancing Feet, good luck this week.

I also had an implant removed from my MTP joint and had a fusion with bone off my hip. I was very anxious about having the fusion performed because the operation that put in the implant was not very successful. I was also worried about the recovery time. To keep it short, I had swelling in my foot after the implant was put in for 3 + years; nothing really seemed to work. Therapy, massage, losing weight, less exercise, more exercise, and on and on. Nothing was working, the swelling and pain never went away, and I was worried that this fusion could be as bad or worse. But, I am very happy to report that 10 weeks post-op and I couldn't be doing better. Everyone heals different and of course age plays a big part (I am 37), but a fusion can work for some.

The podiatrist who put in the implant told me the same thing, that he recommended it as an option because the fusion is permanent. He would have done the fusion if I opted that way, but I agreed, at my age at that time (33) I thought to give the implant a try. He has since passed away and I went to see an ortho, who was pretty upbeat about the whole fusion procedure. He claims to have patients who have had an MTP joint fusion and they have returned to marathon running, and seeing the results so far that I have gotten, I believe him. He says another month and he will clear me for full activity.

Good luck on Wednesday, I am keeping my fingers crossed for you. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Good Morning, Dancing Feet (I love your name !)

Just checking in to wish you well tomorrow and hope you have a speedy and comfortable recovery. I totally agree with your decision not to do the fusion at this time. My hubby is a veterinarian and specialized in orhtopedic surgery in small animals. He suggested that while fusions are a permanent fix, if you experience a "non-union" you can be in a cast for 6 months or more.....he is not suggesting that for me at this time either.....

On an encouraing note, I have a friend that lives where I do in the summer months and she had 2 Keller Procedures within the last 1.5 yrs and is doing great....We have the same Dr. and so if I have this done, it will be while up in Pa. ( I am currently in Fla for the winter.) I'll be stuck on top of a mountain during recovery but maybe that's good. Lots of reading and relaxing....

I am very curious to hear about your procedure, discomfort levels, pain meds, etc. So, if possible, please keep in touch.

Again, Best wishes tomorrow, I'll be thinking about you....

Hi DBGoalie and Stitcher. Thanks again for your responses and good wishes. I will certainly let you know how I am doing as soon as I am able. If it's like the last time, per doctor's orders, I can't get off the couch for 3 days; except to go to the bathroom, and so I won't be able to get to my computer. I'm believing that this time will be a lot better than last, pain-wise and recovery-wise. I was told today to be at the surgical center by 10:15 a.m. (which means my doctor probably won't start on me until around 11:45/12:00 O'clock. No eating or drinking (not even water) after midnight.

I'm really happy that the fusion is working for you DBGoalie. Continue on that path and you'll be back to normal before you know it.

Oh, Stitcher, I'm glad you like my handle. I chose "Dancing Feet" because I've always loved to dance. I also chose it because I know one day soon I'll be dancing again, God willing. :)