In this surgery, either because of arthritis or a significant deformity, the bones of the first toe are fused. Once the toe is in the right position, screws are placed across the joint to hold it in position until the bones heal.

Care of your foot after surgery

When your surgery is done, you will have dissolvable sutures. These do not need to be removed.

Elevate your leg frequently in the first few days after surgery.

I will put a tape dressing on your foot after your surgery. Let me know if you have any tape allergies. You will need to obtain a tall (not ankle height) Aircast pre-operatively. These are available at:

Campbell River Health & Drugs / 465 Merecroft Road (250-286-1771 ph).

Pharmasave Willow Point / 101 - 2276 S. Island Highway (250-923-7311 ph).

Once in the Aircast, you can walk without crutches taking weight on your heel. If you feel like you are taking weight on the tip of your toe, you need to shift your weight further back towards your heel when you walk.

Healing of the fusion is a bit like a fracture healing. The hardware holds it in place until it is healed, but if you take too much weight on the front of your foot your bones will move despite the hardware and the fusion will probably fail to heal. Do not smoke! Smoking greatly reduces the odds of bone healing.

Most people are in the Aircast until about the six week mark after surgery, as long as the x-rays at this point look okay. Once the fusion is well-healed, if the hardware bothers you, it can be removed, typically after at least six months from your surgery.