Post Bunion Surgery

pearl66

I was driving 10 weeks after surgery because my right foot which does all the work in an automatic was the one that was taking longer to heal. I am not back at work yet 11 weeks post op but due to go back on the 14th week.

__________________
foot

happyfeet2

happyfeet2

I had my right foot done 6 weeks ago and was given the o.k. to drive after 4 weeks, but was supposed to use my left foot for braking. The length of time taken off work depends on the kind of job you do. I'm at a desk much of the time where I work, so I went back after two weeks. (I iced and elevated the foot under my desk.)

saundra321

Gosh! I was really hoping to be able to drive by 2nd week. I suppose that may be a bit unrealistic. I had Austin procedure done yesterday. Am thankful for this message board--it is helpful to discuss with others who've been through it.

Janesfoot

My doctor told me I was not allowed to drive until I could wear a "real" shoe.
Driving in a surgical shoe is dangerous because it is so wide. I was in a sneaker at five weeks. I had bunionectomies on either side of my right foot with osteotomies and pins. I need to have the other foot done eventually, and hope to wait a few more years when my son has his license, then he won't be stranded (I have surgery in the summer).

earthworm88

Hello there!

Jane, you are absolutely right that it is unsafe to drive with the surgical boot. Knock on wood, if one gets into an accident, we sure know who the guilty party is when you step out of the car, big foot! lol I believe I started driving at week 6 for sure (I remember driving in Ireland) but I think I was driving before when I was able to wear sneakers. Even now ( 4 mth post-op) if I do an emergency brake action, the foot can still feel the unpleasant "shock" a bit.

I think it all depends on your comfort level as well as able to well "normal" shoe while driving. Hope all are doing well!

Cheers!

saundra321

I suppose if I had known it would take so long before I could drive, I might have put it off further. Seems there is hardly ever a good time to be "down." I'm 2 days post op now and doing pretty well--very minimal pain but still taking pain meds. My dr. said it was o.k. to put 50% weight on foot but it makes me a bit nervous so am doing this with caution and obviously only on heel. Anyone else have comments on dr.s advice regarding how much weight to put on foot immediately following surgery. I appreciate hearing others experiences. Thanks for sharing.

stepbystep89

I have found that the post op weight bearing can vary greatly from dr to dr. Sometimes it is different due to the procedure, other times due to the health of the patient, or sometimes just the philosophy of the doc.

I started out just walking on my heel with the wooden shoe. My dr was very strict about the shoe and said I was not allowed to put my foot on the floor without it. However, he said I could start walking on my heel immediately.

Please be careful to follow your dr's orders since he/she is the one familiar with the procedure used and your over-all health and history.

I wish you luck! Keep posting!


Step

pearl66

I was able to put both my feet down with the surgical shoes on from the start. iI was very nervous and the first few days stayed of them as much as possible only when i had to use the bathroom did i walk with a frame for support. I also had a wheelchair which i could get about the house and used it for pretty much six weeks and found it great. Because of my work [ i am a sales rep] i am on my feet all day long and do a lot of walking hence the longer period off from going back to work. The surgical shoes i found great as they kept the weight directly of the heels and with patience i could maneover myself around the house with the aid of the frame for the first few weeks.
Stay positive

__________________
foot

earthworm88

Talking about weight bearing, I had scarf osteotomies both feet (same as Pearl) so 100% weight bearing was perfectly fine from day one according to my OS. I had two pairs of surgical shoes, one wedge (reversed platform) and one flat. After the surgery, I was having a hard time walking on wedges so my OS said to wear the flat ones. I know from all the research I had done and books I had read regarding my specific technique and others, non-weight bearing in the beginning seems to be the general recommendation regardless of technique. So I did not take my OS advice and refuse to be on my feet unless I had to and I would wear the wedges and use the wheelchair. I strictly never put any weight on the balls of my feet for the first 4 weeks and constant elevation. As Step said, follow your doctor's advice would be the safest bet, but I don't see there is any harm in being extra careful to keep weight off your feet even if doc says ok. Whereas the other way around may be advised against. I believe in the "rather be safe than sorry" attitude.

Saundra, Austin osteotomy is supposed to be simpler and less evasive than Scarf. A poster Laurie has Austin done as well, but she is doing so well now that she hardly comes to this board anymore. I think she was NWB for 2 weeks at least. You can probably search for her posts. The only advice I have for you is that you are just fresh out, and you are still on pain meds. If I were you, I wouldn't try to put any weight on them at all. There is no harm in NOT putting weight on them, but there is if you overdo it and not know it since you are on pain meds. Common sense says that if you just cut your bones and try to put them together with screw, it needs time and rest to fuse, so let it, why put stress and pressure on it from the get-go?

JM2C!

**********************************
17 weeks post op: still healing but happy!

saundra321

Such great input! Thanks! I am amazed at how quickly my foot is feeling stronger but I must seriously take advice on limiting the weight I put on it right now. Patience has never been one of my stronger virtues and relying on others just, well I'm not so good at that either. When I think about the procedure as earthworm mentioned (cutting bone, etc.), it makes sense that healing will take a bit of time. I'm just still trying to come to grips with the reality of limited mobility for a somewhat extensive period of time. I suppose that sounds silly--like I should have realized this pre-op but I think if I had thought about it too seriously I would never have found there to be a realistic time frame to do it in. My bunion was definitely of substantial size and big toe had a pronounced slant towards other toes, but my biggest pain issue was/is plantar fasciitis. After a year of taping, a couple cortizone injections and even a month of pt, I still hurt. I've tried orthotics also but had serious discomfort (in more areas and in both feet than just the pf pain). My pod. said that I would have great difficulty getting any lasting relief from pf until I took care of the bunion that was the source of the instability that chiefly contributed to the pf. Whew! What an unravelling, huh? I tried finding some correlation postings shown on web by other os or pods regarding my pods reasoning but couldn't really come across any. I feel like his recommendation makes sense completely (particularly since to date nothing has corrected my pf) but just wanted to see or hear of other similar cases that indeed were successful. I know that regardless of whether the pf is corrected or not, having the bunion removed was the right choice but I still naturally am praying earnestly that my heel pain goes away completely. Has anyone had or heard of anything related to bunion/pf connection? Once again, I so greatly appreciate all comments and am encouraged by those who've been there before and are happily moving about freely now. Good health to all!!

speakeasy123

speakeasy123

Thanks Pearl66. It is encouraging to know that I am doing ok. Feel much better today. The scars have really healed well. Take care. Anna

speakeasy123