Tell me about your toe fusion

Had issues in both big toes after wearing an aggressive shoe for a while that I probably wasn't ready for. Just wanted to offer an alternative to those who may not have progressed to absolutely needing surgery - this set of stretching and exercises helped me a lot in addition to switching to a more neutral climbing shoe: youtu.be/kiewOehiTLQ?si=A73…;

I don't always do the standing exercise, but the stretching and antagonistic strengthening have been quite helpful. I also do toe curls where I grab a towel which has helped as well. 

Finally, consider getting a Morton's extension orthotic ( a.co/d/aSEx2G0) to reduce stress on the big toes during day to day activities. I use this with a flat shoe like the Altra lone peaks, but have to be mindful that adding a rigid bottom to a flat shoe can add Achilles stress so I try not to do long hikes with this setup. I also wear a pair of rigid sandals indoors to avoid walking barefoot and stressing my big toes.

Hope this helps some people recover! It can be pretty daunting seeing most diagnoses lead to a fusion, but for some of us I think stretching/antagonistic strengthening can help a lot and hopefully prevent further injury.

I had a hallux rigidus fusion 3 months ago. I had arthritis and it started to hurt my knee when running. I would not do cortisone shots in that region of the foot.

For the first two weeks my foot was really swollen and I could hardly walk. I had to use the Darco shoes for about 7 weeks as my foot was still quite swollen. After 7 weeks the tearing in the foot stopped and it has been much less swollen since. So I could start walking in normal shoes. First in a bigger size shoe and now also in normal size shoes like the Altra lone peak. I had to do another radio after 3 months as the fusion was not complete after 6 weeks. I could increase walking week after week since week 8. Now, after 3 months I still get a bit of stinging pain in my foot and it still is a little bit swollen. A bit of swelling can be present for up to 6 months or even a year. The doc said the stinging feeling and sensibility of the zone is "normal" as the fusion is still not complete but I should be able to run again in 3-4 weeks ... 

Roger G wrote:

I had a hallux rigidus fusion 3 months ago. I had arthritis and it started to hurt my knee when running. I would not do cortisone shots in that region of the foot.

For the first two weeks my foot was really swollen and I could hardly walk. I had to use the Darco shoes for about 7 weeks as my foot was still quite swollen. After 7 weeks the tearing in the foot stopped and it has been much less swollen since. So I could start walking in normal shoes. First in a bigger size shoe and now also in normal size shoes like the Altra lone peak. I had to do another radio after 3 months as the fusion was not complete after 6 weeks. I could increase walking week after week since week 8. Now, after 3 months I still get a bit of stinging pain in my foot and it still is a little bit swollen. A bit of swelling can be present for up to 6 months or even a year. The doc said the stinging feeling and sensibility of the zone is "normal" as the fusion is still not complete but I should be able to run again in 3-4 weeks ... 

it is amazing what doctors and engineers can come up with to put things back together or repair. 

Thank you for this information.  I'm lurking in here because I eventually need to have this done.  I was tempted to do it this winter but I'm hiking the TMB this summer and wanted to make sure I'd be able to do it.  I did have a cortisone shot which has helped and I think another one will get me through the TMB.  The hardware in your foot looks different than what I've seen for others.  Did you have something else wrong besides the arthritis?  

Jamie Condon wrote:

Thank you for this information.  I'm lurking in here because I eventually need to have this done.  I was tempted to do it this winter but I'm hiking the TMB this summer and wanted to make sure I'd be able to do it.  I did have a cortisone shot which has helped and I think another one will get me through the TMB.  The hardware in your foot looks different than what I've seen for others.  Did you have something else wrong besides the arthritis?  

I did the Little Bear to Blanca traverse as an overnight about 7 months after my fusion. I remember some suboptimal things with my foot but overall it went fine.

The TMB is a week or two? That’s a long time on your feet. Definitely not the place to find out that your foot doesn’t act like it used to. Swelling easily, sore spots from the incision, new callous sites, etc.

I think it’s a 6 month recovery, plus 2 years of really getting better.

Even now, nearly 6 years later, my big toe is pain free from arthritis but it’s got a couple little issues that I really need to stay on top of. I’m even more of a shoe princess than I used to be for sure.

Thanks for the info.  I'm curious what the couple little issues are, if you don't mind sharing.

TMB is 11 hiking days. So not something I wanted to chance.  The shot has helped.

Jamie Condon wrote:

Thanks for the info.  I'm curious what the couple little issues are, if you don't mind sharing.

TMB is 11 hiking days. So not something I wanted to chance.  The shot has helped.

Somewhere back in this thread I mentioned that the doc straightened out my big toe, I actually think a slight inward cant makes more sense. So now the outside edge of my toe gets more pressure from shoes and can get pretty sore. For running shoes, I am a 2e now, at least on the right side. Keeping that new callous from getting too sore is an ongoing challenge.

The hole in my bone healed into a bone spur, directly underneath my toenail. That was extremely painful and I chose to get the nail removed permanently. That seemed to take forever to heal up.

With the removal of the joint, my toe is now shorter than my second toe, I already had a slight Morton’s toe, now it’s more pronounced. It gets pretty beat up, especially in ski boots.

Jamie Condon wrote:

Thank you for this information.  I'm lurking in here because I eventually need to have this done.  I was tempted to do it this winter but I'm hiking the TMB this summer and wanted to make sure I'd be able to do it.  I did have a cortisone shot which has helped and I think another one will get me through the TMB.  The hardware in your foot looks different than what I've seen for others.  Did you have something else wrong besides the arthritis?  

I only had the arthritis. I went to see the surgeon already 6 or 7 years ago but did not want go for surgery as long as it was not needed so the arthritis was well developped when I finally went for it. My surgeon used titanium. I am now 3.5 months post OP and can walk fast 2 hours. Also back in the gym since last week. In a couple of weeks I try to do an easy short run. For the moment I cannot use the shoes I had used before the OP as the foot is still a bit swollen so I either have to size up or find other shoes.