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Big toe joint replacement surgery

Joint Replacements | Last Active: Oct 31 11:24am | Replies (13)
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@bbrebozo

Wow, that looks painful. I had a failed implant in my big toe ~2012. After a year of pain I went to a really good surgeon who said he's rarely (never?) seen those implants work, so he removed it and fused my big toe. It is now shorter than the 2nd toe (but not as short as yours), sticks up a little (but not as high as yours), and is numb like yours. It feels weird but doesn't hurt and is definitely way better than prior to surgery. I do recall being surprised that this toe surgery was more difficult to recover from than almost any other surgery I've had, which are quite a few. Probably the best advice I can give is to find the best surgeon you can. I started out by letting a podiatrist do that implant which was a huge mistake on my part.

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Replies to "Wow, that looks painful. I had a failed implant in my big toe ~2012. After a..."
heyjoe415 | @heyjoe415 | Oct 31 9:27am

Thanks for your reply and explaining what happened to you. It's unfortunate that you had to learn the hard way that toe joint replacements rarely work. I am sorry this happened to you. I had surgery to remove bunions on both feet and at the same time, the surgeon fused the big toe joints (arthrodesis).

Recovery is surprisingly long, or at least it seemed that way. I couldn't put any weight at all on the operated foot for two weeks following surgery. That was hard to do.

It's also my understanding that in toe-joint-replacement surgery, a lot of bone is removed. So it makes sense that now that you've had the big toe fused, it is shorter than normal. Again, I'm sorry for what has happened, but it does seem like you've adjusted well. Good for you!

As for Leslie, who asked what to do after a failed joint replacement, I think your experience and advice are the best for her. I hope Leslie takes this up with her surgeon, although I'd suggest finding a new orthopedic surgeon. I'm amazed that any surgeon would recommend a toe joint replacement.

(And to be clear, other common joint replacement surgeries for the knee, hip and shoulder almost always work. So anyone reading this should not be afraid of replacing a knee, hip or shoulder. Spend some time to find a good surgeon.)

All the best to you and Leslie.

Joe

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