Advice Please!

emsjane
emsjane Member Posts: 351
edited 23. Feb 2012, 15:05 in Living with Arthritis archive
Hi,

I went to see my podiatrist today and was talking to him about my big toe on my right foot where i have Hallux Limitus.

I asked him about having the bone fused, he told me that having that done can cause knock on effects with other joints as you walk differently with it. He said he is going to refer me to the orthopedic team at our local hospital and they will xray it and decide what needs to be done.

He asked me how much it hurts and i was honest with him and said, it's not excruciatingly painful, but that is probably because i don't walk on it much and i have adapted the way i walk on that foot so i don't bend the toe too much. The podiatrist has made me some insoles for my shoes which has help a bit.

But the problem i have is because im not walking on that foot properly i am now starting to get pain in my right knee and im worried in the long run that it is going to have a knock on effect on my other joints in my legs where im walking differently!!

So, i was wondering, am i better off, when i go and see the orthopedic team, to say that it is agony to walk on and lay it on really thick, so that they do something about it!? I got the impression from the podiatrist that unless im in agony that tend to leave it be. But i am worried about the long term effects on my foot and other joints. It is only going to get worse surely, not better, unless i get some treatment! And i don't want to get to the point where i leave it and leave it and then go there and they say, 'ohh, its too bad now to do anything, if you'd come sooner we could have operated on it and helped!!!'

I hope all that makes sense!!!!??? Any advice would be appreciated :D
LOVE EMMA X

Comments

  • suzygirl
    suzygirl Member Posts: 2,005
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    I would explain to the ortho team how it is affecting your knee and see what they say. Ask them what happens if you do have the op or dont, then you will know what desicion to make.
  • elnafinn
    elnafinn Member Posts: 7,412
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    I know that a foot consultant is not usually keen to touch anything that is not painful. In the end I did have my bunion removed although I was honest and told him it did not hurt but it was creeping under the next toe and causing problems as the toe was lifting and the third toe was dislocated and an odd shape but no longer hurt either but he decided in the end to remove the bunion and deal with the other two toes at the same time. He said it was no good now to leave the bunion as it was and only deal with the other two toes because the big toe would keep moving round. It is nearly a year on. I have no pain in any of the toes but the foot/toes are now much "fatter" than the other foot and I can only get on a couple of pairs of shoes that I have. Before the op many shoes fitted. So it is swings and roundabouts. One reason why they do not like to touch the big toe if the bunion is not giving you jip is because it is unfortunately possible to end up with pain in the big toe post op.

    Elna x
    The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything.

    If you can lay down at night knowing in your heart that you made someone's day just a little bit better, you know you had a good day.
  • barbara12
    barbara12 Member Posts: 21,280
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Oh gosh I wish I could offer you some advice, if it was me, like suzygirl says explain to the ortho about your knee, if you are walking funny on that foot it is possible that its throwing the knee out.
    Sorry Im not much help, but I do wish you well with it all x
    Love
    Barbara
  • emsjane
    emsjane Member Posts: 351
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Thanks everyone!


    Elna, maybe i didn't make myself clear, but it is painful, painful enough that i can't walk on it properly, hence the reason why i keep walking on the outside of my foot which i think is causing me knee pain! Also, because its too painful to bend the big toe when i take a step and the foot goes backwards i stop at a certain point to stop the bend and ive noticed that my left hip is taking the weight instead and that is my bad hip, which i imagine is going to end up suffering because of this too!! So although i wouldn't say im in excruciating pain with it, i am in enough pain that it is affecting my walking and my everyday life as it limits what i can do as i can only walk so far. At the moment i would say that is the biggest problem i have with my arthritis!!

    So, i will try and explain all this to the orthopedic team and hope they don't just dismiss me saying im not bad enough yet!!! Surely, it is only going to get worse so why should i suffer for longer??????
    LOVE EMMA X
  • Colin1
    Colin1 Member Posts: 1,769
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    What hes trying to prevent from happening is happening to you. If change theway you walk putting your waite and ballance on the other foot or you knee it will cause problems.
    Colin
    WHEN GOD GIVES YOU LEMONS MAKE LEMONADE
  • elnafinn
    elnafinn Member Posts: 7,412
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Ooops, sorry Emma, I see now, :oops: I think you did make yourself clear, it is just my one brain cell was not working too well when reading your thread. As you say, tell them what you have told us. It must be causing you enough pain to be avoiding walking on the big toe, thus making others joints go out of alignment and so on. Make sure they listen to you, I am sure they will do so. I wish you well with your appointment.

    Please let us know how you go on.

    Elna x
    The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything.

    If you can lay down at night knowing in your heart that you made someone's day just a little bit better, you know you had a good day.
  • dreamdaisy
    dreamdaisy Member Posts: 31,520
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    I dunno much about feet but my layman's reasoning is that you are probably throwing other joints more severely out of kilter in trying to avoid hurting your big toe than you would be if the big toe was fused. I'd go for the fusion on the basis that a stitch in time could save nine. DD
    Have you got the despatches? No, I always walk like this. Eddie Braben
  • frogmorton
    frogmorton Member Posts: 29,332
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Emma

    l am not sure that l really know what l'm talking about but l do know someone who had a gait assessment. He has cerebral palsy and had electrodes l think on his joints and had to walk and a computer assessed what was good/bad about his gait.

    Wonder if that would tell you whether you are harming your other joints????

    Love (a slightly confusing) Toni xxx