On March 6 I am having surgery for hallux rigidus. After about 7 years of cortisone shots in my toe, I finally decided that I wanted a more permanent fix. This is not the fusion, but rather, removal of part of the bone so that there is more joint mobility. I am a pretty active 56 year old and am not looking forward to sitting still for a long time. If you have had this surgery, can you tell me how long recovery was? When could you go back to work - walk around, drive, etc.? I'm pretty nervous about this and hope it corrects the problem. Thanks for any advice

My experience - and I am assuming you are having a cheilectomy with posssible osteotomy - was perfect! I had surgery on Wednesday and was driving on Friday, back at work on Monday (left foot was done). Pain meds only at night from Friday on till middle of next week. Had stitches out at 2 weeks and then in boot for maybe a week longer. Wore mule type Merrell's after that for maybe 4 more weeks (8 weeks total) and then slowly back into regular shoes. That was about 6 years or so ago. I dance, jog, wear heels, take 2 Aleve every morning, no problems.

My surgeon (sports med ortho who does pro athletes) told me recovery would be linear (in other words not up and down) and total recovery could take as long as 12 months. I would say my experience was about 9-10 months total. I was jogging a little at about 8 months but I had not jogged in years due to the pain and some other injuries.

FYI, they drilled holes in the remaining cartilege to promote growth and I feel like it worked for me.

You don't say what city you are in but there are several major college athletic programs in Virginia. I woudl call the nearest one's athletic department and ask who they use for Turf Toe (that's the common term for this). Also, Shaquille O'Neal had one when he was with the Lakers in 2002 I would say his was a success.

One additional piece of advice - do your exercises! I cannot stress that enough. It will make a world of difference in your recovery.

Good luck.

Hi Judy,

I am here sitting on the couch recovering from my 2nd surgery(both feet done) for that problem. The procedure I had done was a little more involved than what you described. On both feet there was the removal of the build up and a slight wedge cut out to allow the joint to work better. But also the Dr. cut the metatarsal and moved it down and back and then screwed things back together. 1st foot I was off my foot for 7 weeks in a regular shoe part time at 8 weeks.

Full recovery was probably about 4 or 5 months, but I was moving around pretty good at the 3 month point. Just took some time to get to pain free.

I am about 3 1/2 weeks post op on the 2nd foot and I just took the bandages off today. I am guessing that it will be at least 3 more weeks before I will be able to put some weight on it. And this one is my right foot so it will be at least that long before I will be driving, need to at least be able to put a shoe on.

My 1st foot was so bad by the time I went to see the Dr(I tolerate pain pretty good) he wouldn't even bother with the cortisone. I waited about 3 years to get the 2nd foot done, but I didn't let it get near as bad as the 1st one.

I will say that the 1st foot was a success, virtually pain free and I already have good mobility on the joint on the 2nd foot.

My experience - and I am assuming you are having a cheilectomy with posssible osteotomy - was perfect! I had surgery on Wednesday and was driving on Friday, back at work on Monday (left foot was done). Pain meds only at night from Friday on till middle of next week. Had stitches out at 2 weeks and then in boot for maybe a week longer. Wore mule type Merrell's after that for maybe 4 more weeks (8 weeks total) and then slowly back into regular shoes. That was about 6 years or so ago. I dance, jog, wear heels, take 2 Aleve every morning, no problems.

My surgeon (sports med ortho who does pro athletes) told me recovery would be linear (in other words not up and down) and total recovery could take as long as 12 months. I would say my experience was about 9-10 months total. I was jogging a little at about 8 months but I had not jogged in years due to the pain and some other injuries.

FYI, they drilled holes in the remaining cartilege to promote growth and I feel like it worked for me.

You don't say what city you are in but there are several major college athletic programs in Virginia. I woudl call the nearest one's athletic department and ask who they use for Turf Toe (that's the common term for this). Also, Shaquille O'Neal had one when he was with the Lakers in 2002 I would say his was a success.

One additional piece of advice - do your exercises! I cannot stress that enough. It will make a world of difference in your recovery.

Good luck.

thanks for the replies. I hope my surgery goes as smoothly. I will definitely remember the exercises as I want a good recovery. I am looking forward to eventually doing things like lunges, which I haven't been able to do, and some yoga moves.

On March 6 I am having surgery for hallux rigidus. After about 7 years of cortisone shots in my toe, I finally decided that I wanted a more permanent fix. This is not the fusion, but rather, removal of part of the bone so that there is more joint mobility. I am a pretty active 56 year old and am not looking forward to sitting still for a long time. If you have had this surgery, can you tell me how long recovery was? When could you go back to work - walk around, drive, etc.? I'm pretty nervous about this and hope it corrects the problem. Thanks for any adviceHi Judy,

Hope your surgery went well and that you are starting to feel better. I am expecting to have this surgery in June so I am real curious to hear how you make out.

Please update us when you can. Feel better soon.....:)

Hi Judy,
Let us know how things go. I had the surgery several years ago and my healing was much slower than the others here describe. After 6 months I still felt pain, though had recovered all the range of motion. My orthopedist (a sports med doc with much experience as a university foot problems specialist) told me the surgery doesn't help everyone the same. After 12 months it had improved more, but I still had frequent pain with walking. Two years later I suddenly realized it was significantly better. Now, several years later, when I have on very cushioned walking/running shoes that don't bend in the joint when I walk, I am pain-free and can go quite a distance. My ortho and my primary care physician both recommended I not have fusion surgery unless I have a great deal of pain.
Just wanted to share my experience, which I guess would come down to treating your feet well (i.e., wearing the right kind of shoes, keeping them up at night with cold packs and Advil for swelling) and being patient about healing. Sometimes it's fast, but sometimes not.
Best wishes,
Pam R

Pam R: Glad you're doing better! I also might add that I take 2 Aleve every morning and 2 at night if I am going dancing or will be in heels all evening. Otherwise, I have no concerns with my toe.