Hallux Limitus – Part 3 – 2 week Cheilectomy recovery

It’s now 2 weeks since my Cheilectomy. Yesterday (13 days after surgery) I had the stitches removed. For the last two weeks, I’ve had my foot bandaged and had to wear a protective boot. Probably the toughest part of the after surgery has been keeping my foot elevated, preferably above my heart. This limits the swelling – but makes all other activities a real pain. The first post-op visit is a great milestone – so far this has been very pain-free. So this is where I am on my Hallux Limitus Cheilectomy recovery.

I have never had stitches before and consequently have never had stitched removed. However this was another easy experience – so much so I did not realize the doctor had taken them out. I was quite happy with how the wound had healed. I discussed the surgery with the doctor and some of the pictures she took during the surgery.

• The surgery went well. There were no complications. She said that during the surgery they got about 70 degrees of upward motion. You can easily see on the X-ray where the bone has been shaved down.
• We discussed one of the surgery photos (you might find these a little graphic) where you can see the head of the bone. You can see there is quite a lot cartilage missing on the right side (left side in the photo). She confirmed that was quite some significant damage and in all likelihood I’d be back at some point to have a fusion. We just don’t know if it’5 five years or 15 years.
• We did a little PT on my toe. Currently the ROM is very small about 10-15 degrees. Now starts the real work. Over the next 3-4 weeks I have to start some more progressive bending on my toe to gain more ROM.
• After few more days in the boot and then I get to transition back to my hiking shoes. I already have a carbon insole for my Altria’s and she said that would be perfect.
• The doctor estimated it would be 4-6 weeks before I could resume normal activities and that there could still e swelling of my foot. Although at the moment the swelling looks pretty minimal.
• I have a final follow-up in four weeks. If the ROM has not improved sufficiently by then they may refer me to official PT.

I’ll post another update on my Hallux Limitus Cheilectomy recovery in about 2 weeks. At that point I hope to be able to be a little more out and about – hopefully walking the dogs.

Here are the links to Part 2 and Part 4.