how long for my cast? big toe fusion

dbgoalie

Doglover, welcome to the boards. Sorry to hear about your big toe fusion, I just went through the same thing. If you search by my username, you will find the string that I started detailing what I am going through.

My doc had me in bandages for the first two weeks; after that, he took out the stitches and then put me in a cast for 3 weeks. I was surprised, I thought it would be longer than that. I was then NWB on my foot in a removable, inflatable cast (a big boot like device with a rockered foot so I couldn't put weight on my toe, and a bunch of velcro straps to get it tight) for another 3 weeks. He then released me to walking without crutches as tolerated, but still in the removable cast.

The boot isn't real hard to walk in. My biggest problem with it was that the sole of it is high, so it throws your walking off balance. You sort of walk like a penguin, bouncing back and forth. But, you are at least walking on your own, so it's better than a cast and crutches.

Good luck, keep posting and letting us know how you are doing. Give a little more background on what you procedure was and why, and what your prognosis is.

debbie g

did your dr tell you how long? i was in a cast after big toe fusion for 9 weeks and the boot for 4. i hated crutches. hope it is soon for you to get out of the cast.

doglover123

Holy moly!! At my first post-op checkup, 10 days later, he said about 5 weeks total in the cast. Since I was complaining so much about the crutches, he said maybe 4 1/2 weeks. Well, with the doctor's schedule limitations, my next appt. is 4 wks and 1 day post-op. I sincerely DOUBT it will come off! But, the most important thing is for it to heal- I don't want to re-injure it by taking the cast off prematurely! I admit I am adapting a little more each day to living with the cast at work and at home. Fortunately, I have a rather sedentary job. It's just a pain getting into my building- no elevator! I now have access to indoor carpeted steps- all 19 of them! I go up and down on my bottem- it's just too scary to negotiate all those steps on crutches!!! Also, someone lent me one of those walkers on wheels with a SEAT! I keep it in the kitchen- it's fantastic! I can help myself in the kitchen. No heavy cooking for me, however- I tend to drop things! At least I can make breakfast for myself. My 2 daughters, 17 & 21 are a big help now that my hubby went out of town on business. I will get through this!!!

vicher59

I'm 5 weeks into an ankle fusion, and I know what you're going thru! I haven't been able to go back to work, as I'm on my feet most of the time....and I'm three days past bored out of my mind...I hope to get a walking boot in 2 more weeks...my foot seems to be sore when I wiggle it in the cast....is it going to be painful when I get the walking boot??

debbie g

i only went down the stairs on crutches when i had to. otherwise i used my bottom. the only thing good about crutches is they give you a good workout! you dont have too much longer to go so hang in there.

dbgoalie

Stairs are tough with crutches. You can do it going up and down, but you need good balance and arm strength, and to be honest with you, even if you are good at it, it's not the safest thing in the world. Obviously you can hurt yourself falling down the stairs, so if you can handle doing steps on your bottom, do it that way.

I didn't experience any discomfort out of the ordinary when I got into the walking cast. In fact, it's a relief becuase you can finally wash that part of your leg and start working on getting the incision site cleaned up and healed. One thing to be aware of, and you don't realize it at the time, but when your foot is immobile in the cast, you are losing all of the muscle tone in your ankle. You don't realize it when you are walking, but once you are immobile for that long, you will quickly understand what I am talking about. I have been cleared to walk gently around the house, and my ankle is very, very sore. It's hard to realize how much your ankle muscles do in supporting your body and helping you walk, but you will understand very quickly once you get your cast off. Be careful when you start walking again. It will help to stretch your ankle, moving your foot to both sides, up and down, etc.

Vicher, I don't know how that will affect you with your ankle being fused. I don't know what kind of movement you will have or not have, so you may be in for a different experience than those of us with toe surgeries.

doglover123

I believe he replied, when I said I thought it was for 3 weeks, "oh no, it's more like 5 weeks!" Because I was complaining, he said maybe 4 1/2 weeks. I'll find out Jan. 16th at my next appointment!

doglover123

Thank you for the advice about cast removal! I didn't think I would be hiking in the woods so fast with a boot. I will definitely take it easy with the boot, and won't just resume my old activities. I realize my muscles will have atrophied, and it will take some time to recover. My goal is to be able-footed by mid-may for my first trip to Italy!!(Even if I have to wear ugly shoes!!! ha,ha!)

dbgoalie

Good for you, I hope it works out that way, ugly shoes and all. My goal is a 10 mile in Philadelphia, the Broad Street Run, on May 4th.

I would assume by your name that you have a dog or two, and they probably haven't gotten as much exercise recently as they should. So they will also be sore when you return to walking, so you and the four-legged friends should take it nice and slow. My wife is a dog lover, and I guess by way of marriage I am too now. I've been taking our choc. lab out to walk around the driveway and in the woods a little bit now that I am mobile, and me and the lab are both sore, but it's coming around.

JeffH

I had an implant removed and a fusion on my left big toe on Oct 15th. I was in a large bandage for two weeks. I then went to the big plastic boot, non weight bearing for seven weeks. I then went to full weight bearing with the plastic boot for three weeks. Last week I started to use a regular shoe, as I could tolerate. I could do five or six hours a day the first week.

I used crutches only to navigate two steps out of my house. All of the other time I used a Roll A Bout, which has been discussed here often. I could not have managed on crutches. The Roll A Bout was a life saver.

So far, the results of the fusion have been everything that we had hoped for!