Hi all, Lapidus procedure last June, 10 weeks NWB, screws out in January due to pain. I have healed (by XRAY) very well but pain, black and blue foot and swelling over outside (Non operative side) of my foot persists. I am told to keep stretching my calf muscle and am back in foot orthotics even though my arch was supposedly fixed. Has anyone else had this type of persistent pain after lapidus? I am concerned because the pain and swelling are over the different part of my foot than the surgery. I am still limping and can't wear many shoes or even slippers. Thanks for any advice.
Hello,
I have had two Lapidus surgeries, one on each foot. I did not have the calf muscle surgery you did. It sounds like you are on track for getting back to walking. I know it feels like an eternity for your foot to heal, but it is healing, it just takes a long time. Your friends and family may have forgotten about your surgery already, but you are still dealing with it on a day to day basis, it's very frustrating and depressing. The different parts of your foot that were not even operated on are adjusting to bearing weight that it wasn't used to before. The bruising seems normal. I was on an antidepressant that made the bruising worse and after going to physical therapy, the therapist massaged my foot so hard I had bruises on the bottom of my foot, which put me back into a wheelchair for a couple of weeks, so I can't recommend PT, but some people have benefited from it. My first foot surgery was filled with going forward, then going backwards. My second foot surgery went better.
For the first foot surgery, it was around 8 months where things started to get way better and walking started to get less painful, so good things are coming your way real soon. Your foot has gone through some very radical things with the rebuilding of your arch and all, it will get better. I am also wearing orthotics, they are highly recommended after this type of surgery. I only wear one pair of shoes, Brooks Ariel (good for pronators) because frankly, I have been through so much pain with my feet, all I want to do is walk pain-free. I've been to a wedding and funeral with those shoes and my friends and family don't care what I wear on my feet, they are just so happy to see me walking. Good luck to you.
Sorefooted - It sounds like you had the same procedures I had: lapidus, gastroc recession, and I also had my 2nd metatarsals shortened. I had surgery on my left foot in Aug '09 and the right foot in Dec '09. I still have swelling in both feet, but no bruising or discoloration in my left foot. I have a doc appt tomorrow for another set of x-rays on my right foot, but so far it's been healing nicely and feeling pretty good. I just started wearing regular shoes this week, but only for a few hours at a time. I never had physical therapy. My doctor said the best thing I can do, exercise-wise, is to walk. But not so much that it hurts. He said it will be a year for each foot before I'll really feel back to normal. Everybody's tolerance for pain is different, so unless you really feel something is wrong, I'd just be easy on yourself. My doctor keeps reminding me that I had major surgery on my feet, so don't be so hard on myself. As if I could forget!
