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Joint replacement in big toe.
I’m a 72 year old female that needs a joint replacement in my big toe. I was told by the surgeon that I will need the joint replaced approximately every 5 years for the rest of my life! Has anyone else had this type of joint replacement surgery? How have you faired with it? Does the surgery actually relieve the pain and awkward mobility problems?
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Hi @nursejudith, I was not even aware that they could do joint replacement for the big toe. @rdelfin posted in another discussion about having a joint replacement done for a big toe and may be able share their experience with the surgery. I also found a patient story from 2016 that may be helpful - Small implant relieves big toe pain: https://www.dukehealth.org/blog/small-implant-relieves-big-toe-pain.
Are you still trying to decide on the surgery or do you have it scheduled?
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3 ReactionsHi John and thank you for the reply. I will evidently be moving forward with the joint replacement in my big toe. I’m biding my time for as long as I can retain my mobility because of the five year joint replacement necessity. That’s to me is so often to be having replacement joint surgery. Thank you for the links.
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2 ReactionsI had my big toe joint replaced with an implant about 10 years ago. It didn't work, was constantly painful, so I went to a great ortho surgeon instead of the original podiatrist. The ortho told me he'd never seen those implants work. He fused my toe instead and it's been good since.
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2 ReactionsYeah I've had both big toes fused. I hardly notice a difference. And they straightened my toe and removed the bunion. I could finally goi back to wearing shoes without pain.
Joint replacements don't work for the big toe and I think they don't work for the ankle either.
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1 ReactionHello. I had a failed bunion surgery which caused hallux varus…2nd surgery also failed. Now I’m facing a 3rd surgery and am getting conflicting recommendations…Fusion or Joint Replacement. I’m not sure which Dr or procedure to go with. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you!
@live5today, welcome. I moved your question about fusion vs joint replacement of the big toe to this existing discussion:
- Joint replacement in big toe.: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/joint-replacement-in-big-toe/
I did this so you can read the experiences of and connect with members like @nursejudith @bbrebozo @heyjoe415 and others.
Decision making is hard at the best of times, but especially when you get conflicting recommendations. Have you started a list of pros and cons of each procedure?
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1 ReactionThank you! I spoke with my primary care Dr. She recommended going with the fusion, since it has a better success rate. Scheduled for surgery in 2 weeks. 🤞
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1 ReactionUsually bunion removal surgery is done at the same time as fusion (I've had both big toes fused and bunions removed at the same time.)
Joint replacement in the big toe is usually not recommended over fusion. In most cases, there isn't much mobility loss with fusion anyway. I haven't noticed. Running is most likely not possible or recommended after fusion, I think.
Joint replacement in the big toes have a high rate of failure, although you can verify.
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1 ReactionThank you! Glad to hear you’ve had success with Fusion. I’ve decided to go that route.
That's great! Yeah I had horrible bunions. The surgeon removes those, remove any cartilage in the last joint and creates a ball/cup and then screws the bones together. The bones fuse, the toes are straight, and it's not painful to wear shoes!