big toe advice please

tonywilson

Hi

I am weighing up the pros and cons of surgery for my right big toe - OE on the large joint.

I have pain when walking - not at rest.

The pain when walking is mainly in the smaller joint towards my big toe nail - this is because the joint is trying to bend upwards to compensate for the stiffness / tenderness in the larger toe joint.

Surgery options are clean up or fusion - or leave alone for now

Two hospital docs have suggested leav well alone as the pain is controllable without painkillers and only on walking.

My questions are:

1. Has anyone had the joint cleaned up and found that it has made the pain in the main joint worse (due to move movement)?
2. Has anyone had the fusion and found that the smaller joint has become more painful?

any other experiences with big toe surgery / treatment would be much appreciated

thanks

airwave

tonywilson wrote:

Hi

I am weighing up the pros and cons of surgery for my right big toe - OE on the large joint.

I have pain when walking - not at rest.

The pain when walking is mainly in the smaller joint towards my big toe nail - this is because the joint is trying to bend upwards to compensate for the stiffness / tenderness in the larger toe joint.

Surgery options are clean up or fusion - or leave alone for now

Two hospital docs have suggested leav well alone as the pain is controllable without painkillers and only on walking.

My questions are:

1. Has anyone had the joint cleaned up and found that it has made the pain in the main joint worse (due to move movement)?
2. Has anyone had the fusion and found that the smaller joint has become more painful?

any other experiences with big toe surgery / treatment would be much appreciated

thanks

Hi,
I have had a fusion on one and a replacement on the other, which has now been removed. As the weight now goes onto the other toes and joints you only move the problem along. Mine started to hurt at 25 and got operated on when I was 42, 2nd one when I was 49.

I would take heed of your consultant and not have it done until you're in pain for 24hrs a day and can't control it. At the end of the day its your choice and not every case is the same.

8) Its a grin, honest!

skezier

Hi Tony,
I had my big toe cleaned up when I was 24, they took the other toes joints out and fused them so were already in there. By 30 the big one was cleaned again and some of the extra bone was removed as well but again they were in there. By 40 they both were fused. So at this stage go for a clean up if you go for anything and see how good that is before doing more. If your bones are like mine and they grow extra bits so well sooner or later the pain will come back and when it is at rest and needs pain controll go for it then. Mine will need more sooner or later cus I will just keep growing bone! I am very quick to go for the surgical option and that I have smashed them up a bit and the one done at 24 had other complications before so had a head start on the other. Take care