Hi everyone....I was wondering how many of you have started you toe exercises and if so, what kind of exercises you are doing? At my appt on Monday the dr told me to start bending them forward and holding it for 30 seconds, and then bending them down and holding for 30 seconds. I have already noticed a better range of motion in both toes...but it isn't the most comfortable exercise! At my appointment Monday, I couldn't really move either on of my big toes. I can move them more when i go towards myself, but have hardly any luck trying to get them to go down! How long is it supposed to to take to get a decent amount of mobility back? Any advice or personal experience is more than welcome!
Thanks a ton!
Mandy
I just started toe exercises two days ago. One of the exercises is the one you mentioned, bend the toe up and hold it, bend the toe down and hold it. I asked, and the therapist said you should only bend it until you started to just feel uncomfortable. Pain is not the goal here. The range will slowly increase. However, the addage "no pain, no gain" does NOT apply here!!! Don't bend it so much as that you are experiancing pain.
I have to run ( limp) to work. I'll write more tonight.
You can count me among your fellow sufferers. I've been doing toe exercises, on the recommendation of my orthopedic surgeon, for four weeks now, and you're right--they hurt--a lot. My doctor gave me just one exercise to do, the one you've described, so I can't help you with any exercises to add variety. He said we don't care about side-to-side mobility, just front-to-back.
The only thing I've found that makes them any easier is to soak my foot in warm water with Epsom salts before. I'm not sure why it helps but I think it's because it warms up the muscles. In any event, it makes it much less painful for me before and after. One variation on the theme: I sometimes do the toe exercises while my foot is still under water (my own little water aerobics)
I've been doing these exercises once a day for a month. Plus I wiggle my toe periodically through the day to keep it limber. I now have between 80% and 90% mobility, whereas before I had none. I have no idea whether, medically, this is good progress or not; I'll find out when I see my doctor again in February. I do know it's feels a lot looser and more mobile than it was. If anybody has any other hints, tips or suggestions, I'd love to hear them too.
Seems like 4 weeks is when they start telling you to move the big toe. My doc didn't say hold it 30 secs, but that seems like a good idea. He just said move it up & down & if it doesn't want to go, gently manually bend it. He also said I have to start trying to get my foot into my clogs (strange, I thought lace up athletic shoes would be his recommendation), and walking some around the house to loosen up my toe. I tried a couple of days ago, but the bandage was too big to cram into the shoe, so maybe I'll try again tonight when I change the bandage. Ouch!
Seems like 4 weeks is when they start telling you to move the big toe. My doc didn't say hold it 30 secs, but that seems like a good idea. He just said move it up & down & if it doesn't want to go, gently manually bend it. He also said I have to start trying to get my foot into my clogs (strange, I thought lace up athletic shoes would be his recommendation), and walking some around the house to loosen up my toe. I tried a couple of days ago, but the bandage was too big to cram into the shoe, so maybe I'll try again tonight when I change the bandage. Ouch!
thanks so much for all of your advice! I am so glad I am not the only one that thinks the exercises are painful! I am supposed to go to the doctor on wed and he told me to bring my tennis shoes with me. I will be a day shy of three weeks post op then, and I am really shocked that he wants me to start wearing tennis shoes already! I am so worried it is going to hurt like crazy to put my feet in shoes! Does this seem a little early to anyone else? He had told me before my surgey that it would be 4-6 weeks before I got out of my velcro shoes. He said i am healing great and ahead of schedule....but i don't know!!! any opinions would be greatly appreciated!
I am at post-op 19 days (2.5 weeks) and I go back onTuesday at the 3-week mark. We'll see then...no toe exercises yet. I'm still aching quite a bit (as I sit here I have my velcro gel pack wrapped around my foot and my leg up on top of the desk--not a pretty sight)
PMCW (Paula)
is anyone doing toe exercises? 
