Hi All,

I am thinking of having my 2nd foot done in March or April and my dr said he would use the austin/chevron procedure. To give you some background, I had a severe bunion on my right foot and had a base wedge osteotomy on that foot last April. I was on crutches for 6 weeks and all that jazz. My right foot is just about back to normal now with a little bit of swelling every now and then.

I wanted to see what peoples experiences have been with the Austin/Chevron procedure. My Pod said that he could do a more aggressive procedure since my bunion angle is about 14 degrees but I told him I can't handle doing the whole crutches/walking cast/physical therapy thing again. So he estimated that I would be in a surgical shoe for 2 weeks and wanted me to rest that entire time. I said I would probably take a week off work to rest and then be back at work the second week, but I have a desk job so it wouldn't be that much stress on my foot.

Can you guys please share your experiences with this procedure??

Thank you!! :wave:
Amy

JCPelly, Since you are a doc maybe you can help me out. I have a 13 degree IM angle. I have no pain at the bunion, althought it gets red - I have pain in the ball of my foot. I had numerous studies done - MRI, ultrasound, nerve conduction - which all showed negative for a neuroma. The MRI did pick up some mild edema between the 2nd and 3rd toes. My pod says surgery can't guarantee this pain will go away if I have surgery. Any suggestions? I mean I hate to go thru surgery and have a straight toe and still have this pain.

Heya, Dancergal! You would probably be happy with an Austin/chevron, though I found that I was also in the surgical shoe for 4 weeks, not for 2. However, I was mostly off crutches after 2 weeks (though I kept them for longer distances), and I was back at work on the 4th day after my surgery - I just kept my leg up on my desk, with ice on the foot, and that kept the pain and swelling down. I'm sure the Austin's a lot easier than what you had before. Good luck!

hey zardtoe, good to hear from you! my dr made me a little nervous that i shouldn't be going back to work after a week so i'm glad to hear someone that did it and was fine. all in all, it sounds like the procedure is very successful so i think i've made up my mind. now i just have to set the date :)

thanks everyone for your experiences & advice!!

JCPelly, I am going to see another podiatrist in Syracuse, New York for another opinion. Do you think the Austin procedure is enough for a 13 degree bunion? I am 47 years old. Thanks for your help. I don't know what to do, I don't want to have the surgery if the pain in the ball of my foot doesn't go away.

I had the Austin procedure for pretty significant bunions; my surgery was about 20 months ago. I also had a lot of pain in the balls of my feet, one more than the other. It was diagnosed many, many years ago as Morton's neuroma-- and had been bothering me for much longer than the bunions. It was not constant and I coped with it by using orthodics which took the pressure off of the balls of the feet. (I actually did well with Feathersprings, a thin stainless steel insole plate over little rubber cups.) At the point of the surgery, in addition to the pain in the balls of the feet, I had significant pain at the sites of the bunions, and was starting to experience pain on the tops of my feet more and more often. Since my bunion surgery, pain on the sides and tops of my feet is gone and pain in the balls of my feet is rare-- Very infrequent and with less intensity than before. In fact, my whole body feels better. I used to walk stiffly for the first few minutes after I got up in the morning; no longer. I do still need to use over-the-counter orthodics or wear supportive shoes like Danskos when I'll be on my feet or walking a lot, but I can wear many kinds of shoes that I hadn't been able to wear for years. I'm 58 and like to be active. I think bunions twist your feet so much that they effect many aspects besides the obvious sensitive areas on the side. My experience is that a bunion only gets worse and you'll have to deal with it someday-- The more severe it is at that point, the more difficult the surgery will be and the less the odds will be that you'll have total success in "fixing" the foot. I definitely waited longer than I should have. I think the second opinion is a good idea. Best wishes in making the right decision.

Yes, the doc I am going to see next week for another opinion is a Diplomate of the ABPS and a Fellow of the American College of Foot & Ankle Surgeons and also a Diplomate of the American Board of Podiatric Orthopedics & Primary Podiatric Medicine. Those credentials must be good! I have to travel 1 hour to see him, but it may be worth it. I live in a small city and Syracuse is the closest big city. Thanks!

I am thinking of having the austin bunionectomy done on both feet - can anyone tell me what anesthetic is used for this surgery? and how long I can expect to be "laid up"? getting anxious!

Tigertwo,

I am two weeks post a bilateral Austin bunionectomy. I was given local anesthesia during the surgery (pleasant, no side effects when I came to) and direct injections of something really strong (morphine, perhaps?) into both feet during the surgery as well. The direct injections into the feet took 2+ days to totally wear off and therefore the third day post-op was the worst for me. But, from the fourth day on, things have been improving slowly.

You just have to be very patient with the recovery. Expect to be recovering for at least 2 months (or so I've heard). And by that I mean that it might take you two months to be in regular sneakers and walking as much as you used to. But I can tell you that after two weeks, I am making my own meals on my own and showering (with help). I wear these big, astronaut-looking boots and by next week I think I will be trasferring to ligheter boots, which should help with my mobility.

Good luck to you!

Tigertwo,

I am two weeks post a bilateral Austin bunionectomy. I was given local anesthesia during the surgery (pleasant, no side effects when I came to) and direct injections of something really strong (morphine, perhaps?) into both feet during the surgery as well. The direct injections into the feet took 2+ days to totally wear off and therefore the third day post-op was the worst for me. But, from the fourth day on, things have been improving slowly.

You just have to be very patient with the recovery. Expect to be recovering for at least 2 months (or so I've heard). And by that I mean that it might take you two months to be in regular sneakers and walking as much as you used to. But I can tell you that after two weeks, I am making my own meals on my own and showering (with help). I wear these big, astronaut-looking boots and by next week I think I will be trasferring to ligheter boots, which should help with my mobility.

Good luck to you!

Thank you soo much for your reply! - my surgery is Tuesday and I don't even know what time I should arrive for 11:30 procedure - I'm giving til Monday morning to call me with info. Isn't that a bit . . . unusual?

Hi,
For my bunion surgery in June 2007, the surgical center called me the night
before surgery to tell me what time to go in. This seems to be usual for surgery scheduling. Good Luck!

jcpelly, went to this doctor in Syracuse. Seems to think I have capsulitis in that second metatarsal. I have to return next week to discuss surgery. He said the Austin procedure should work fine. He said my second metatarsal is long and he has to shorten it. He is going to take measurements of the x-rays and give me better details next week. He said when they go in, if it is a pinched nerve, he would be able to spot it right away. I have no numbness, but I do find myself taking off my shoe because it seems to be "pinching" my foot. Does this sound accurate to you?

jcpelly, I also have burning in my foot? How can they be sure it is not a neuroma rather than capsulitis?

Ultrasound showed a 5mm mass? which the radiologist couldn't say for sure if it was a neuroma, so they did a MRI which showed mild edema between 2nd and 3rd interspaces. My foot is better with rest. I see the podiatrist in Syracuse, NY again Friday. He mentioned shortening and lowering the 2nd metatarsal. Is this really necessary if it is capsulitis? The ball of my foot kills me, can't stand for long, can't walk for long - but my bunion itself doesn't hurt. Thanks for the advice.

jcpelly, I just hope if I have this bunion surgery it corrects the problem with the ball of the foot. The bunion itself doesn't hurt, it does get red and inflamed, but shoes don't bother it. My big toe itself is bent and may need an Akin procedure. I just want to make the right decision, but I can't go on like this. I used to be SO active, now I just go home and lay on the couch. This podiatrist used screws. My bunions are heredity from my mom. I just hope the surgery has inproved since she had in done in 1977. Thanks for any words of advice you can give me!