hammer Toes

[bev5985]

Has anyone had an operation in which they have had their toes straightened. I am considering this but my previous operations on my joints have not been successful.

[rowantree]

I haven't had hammer toes straightened but I'm three weeks on from bunion operation. Healing well. It was really painful for first week but not so bad since. Gets very swollen though. Not sure how different hammer toes op is, probably similar. How were your other operations not successful? Do you have cavus feet? Did you have an op on them? I have terrible pain in my heels from cavus feet but surgeon doesn't want to operate as he says success rate is not great.

I'm pretty sure bunion and hammer toes ops are seen as almost always successful as they are far less complicated and far more common.

[CMTUnitedKindom Partner]

My daughter actually saw her surgeon yesterday, and agreed to undergo a procedure to have her toes straightened in the summer. She's not looking forward to it, because it involves pins that stick out the ends of the toes (she is a bit phobic about toes and feet since having other surgery), but it's only for four weeks, and day surgery!

It's a procedure that is pretty successful, in the main, and if your toes are really causing you problems, then it's probably best to get them sorted out. Funnily enough, although I've had my big toes straightened, and although my toes are really curled under, they don't cause any issues or pain, or calluses, so it's a procedure that I've never contemplated - despite having virtually every other kind of surgery in the book!!

At the end of the day, Bev - it's up to you to decide whether the problems you are having with your toes are worth the bother of surgery. Do you see a podiatrist regularly? If you do, ask them about the toes, and if they can recommend anything to pad/support your toes - that may do the trick. Or you may have already tried all that stuff and found it all useless... I don't know.

Karen

[bev5985 in reply to CMTUnitedKindom]

Hi Karen thanks for this i have noticed over the last couple of years that they are curling under more and i am getting a lot of burning pain because i think I am walking on the turned under part so yeh I think i need to see the pod man again will make an appointment for GP. They did suggest doing it when I was 17 when i first started having knee surgery but because that has never been successful and my ops since have not had much success it sort of put me off but I think now is the time to get something done about it. Not sure how work will fee about 4 weeks off though

[spabbygirl]

I'm sitting at home, feet up one week past the op for my left foot, last year I had 3 toes straighted on my right foot. I've had loads of different surgery on my feet in the past, all of which has been successful. I find it fantastic, I went into a local hospital, tetbury, last thursday at 1pm, had surgery around 2.45 then home about 5, once they've checked you & taught you to use crutches. You lie on a special bed with a different foot part, they wheel you into a room, inject your foot with loads of anaesthetic then you go into the theatre & they put a screen in front of you & do the op. I just read my book.They do their stuff, put wires in your toes with little sort of cap things on top & they make the joints stay straight until they've healed & come out after 4-6 weeks. The op takes 45mins & I didn't feel anything. After that they put a fat bandage on & wheel you back to the ward. You rest there with tea & biscuits till someone comes to collect you. This time I had 2 joints taken out of 2 toes, and 1 from another, it just depends how curled up they are. Now I have fat bandages on which get changed 2x a week at the surgery, the nurse will take the stitiches out about 10-14 days after then the wires come out 4-6 weeks later.

I'm writing this from the sofa with my feet higher than my heart, to stop swelling, & this is pretty much how you have to stay till the wires are out. It's not a bad prescription being told to go home & put your feet up for a month especially in february. You just have to find things to do, I'm writing a novel.

It makes such a difference having toes in a position to walk on the fat chubby part underneath, it's a lot more comfortable to walk on too, now my toes are in the proper position to hold my weight, so I thoroughly recomend it..

I wrote about my last op for Take a Break, though they didn't mention cmt cos they said they didn't have room. I'll forward a copy to Karen so she's got it but if I can say anymore do email me, [e-mail]

I think the operation actually sounds more scary than it is & I hope I haven't put you off. Lynne

[bev5985 in reply to spabbygirl]

thanks for this will certainly consider it

[carpy]

I had all 10 toes straightend in 2010 best thing i ever did,not all of them stayed straight but had 2 more done in 2012.

[bev5985]

thanks for this gives me some hope i think

[hhennessy]

I had this operation on my toes. I had two toes straightened and a pin in each toe and had to wear a sandal type of shoe.This operation was a success and I did not have pain only if I wore a shoe with a heel, which I was told not to for 2 months,so I can honestly say there was no pain after this operation and I did not take the painkillers. So good luck, you will be glad to look down at nice straight toes.

[mollyanna]

I had hammer toes, and had an operation on both feet in January this year.He didn't fuse them, but used what he called a unit so they can bend .The right foot is fine ,I also had a bunion removed two years ago on that foot. On the left foot ,I have arthritis in the big toe and it is pushing up the toe I had straightened. so I have to strap it down or strap it to the next toe .The upside is they are not painful any more.

[Moepinder]

Yes I have ..i was born with hammer toes and so was my son my mum took me to the clinic every week for them to be strapped up and a insole in my shoes for my arch..then when I got older I had the op they strighted my toes I had pins in them with some sticking out and corks on the end for 6 weeks they was in then they pulled the pins out I will never forget that day I was awake it killed n I was only a kid..then I had to learn to walk again I was 10years old they said I would never wear high heels but I proved them wrong had the platforms in the 70s n heels after that but now I'm older still wear small heels 60 now just got a small bunion.. 3 children and 1 had hammer toes. My youngest son has just been told he has cmt2