The only arthrodesis (fusion) involving the foot that I think works well is for the big toe. I had this procedure on both big toes, along with removal of bunions. The fusion of the big toe joint, and the removal of the bony bunion, straightened the big toes and allowed me to wear regular dress shoes without pain. It's a pretty common surgery now, there is very little loss of mobility - I don't even notice, just some stiffness from the titanium screws.

But anything else involving the foot, like joint replacement for any of the toes, or mid foot fusion is a bad idea, imo. I understand how painful it is to have these problems in the feet, and that was just from my bunions. I'm sorry for you and others suffering from mid foot problems.

I get cortisone shots for my shoulder and I've had them in my knees. When they work, pain relief is possible for up to four months. For some reason, every shot has a different outcome, at least it did for me, from no relief to 4 months of relief. I don't know if the effect of the shots diminishes with each shot.

If your surgeon says that surgery is inevitable, hopefully that means less pain than what you're experiencing. That's not very comforting, I know. It does sound like you have a thoughtful surgeon though.

All the best to you and others suffering from this malady. Hopefully medical science makes some advances that will help all of you.

Joe