Contemplating bunion surgery. It’s a matter of when, not if.
I’m trying to plan how long I’ll be out of commission and when I’ll be able to ride again.
Would love to hear your surgery and recovery experiences. Also, was riding more comfortable after you fully healed?
TIA!
Haven’t had it but it’s common in my profession, been around it a lot.
It depends. For most it’s more painful then they thought and took longer then they thought to recover. Really depends on where it is on the foot and in your case, where it is in relation to how your foot sits in the the stirrup. As well as how deep they had to go and the size of the bunion and incision.
Typically 45- 90 days to get back to 100% far as walking is concerned. A few have been just a month, can’t think of anybody that was more then the 3 months, except a couple that had a more involved procedure then anticipated. Most are getting around pretty good within a couple of weeks but not good enough to be on it all day and, probably, not good enough to bear the weight in a stirrup iron if its anywhere near the ball of your foot. Getting the boots on might be an issue for awhile too.
It probably depends on how bad it is and how involved the surgery is.
I had a small one that bothered me when I ran and wore heels, but not when I rode. My surgeon corrected mine without breaking any bones. I was back in regular (flat) shoes in a few weeks and probably riding then, too. It was about 8 years ago, and I’m glad I had it done!
I do remember that my surgeon was impressed with how quickly I was out of the boot, and I know someone who definitely did have it as easy as I did.
My mom had both feet done in the last few years. She was shocked by how much pain she was in for two weeks after the surgery. I’d say it took her 45+ days before she felt comfortable and her swelling stuck around for a bit longer. That said, she is SOOOO glad she had it done.
I’ve had it done three times…yes, mine came back. Waiting on my left until I can’t take it anymore. The last time, I was out of stirrups for nearly 4 months, but back in the saddle in 2.5. It HURTS. Really, really hurts. Well, mine did.
I could barely walk for a month. It sucks but the overall after once it is healed is so much better.
Oh man, y’all are scaring me!
I didn’t even think about my boots! I figured I’d just ride without stirrups for a while, but never considered it might be hard to get in my paddock boots.
Hmmm…may need to re-think the timing.
Geez, why does it hurt so much? I had a tib/fib fracture with a crushed tibial plateau a few years ago and there was almost no pain. How can a little joint in my foot hurt so much?
The doc said I could walk on my heel for the first three weeks, then full walking through six weeks, then into normal shoes and back to my normal life. The way he described it, I was thinking I just needed a couple of days off from work. Hmmm…maybe need to rethink that!
Thanks for sharing your stories.
I had my right foot done about 15 years ago. Cut and pinned the big toe, pin in the little toe and took a little knob off the toe next to the big toe. Was in a cast totally non-weightbearing for maybe 4-ish(?) weeks and back to business as usual after that. Foot was totally numb for about two days after surgery and zero pain after that. It really was no big deal.
I never went back to get my left foot done because it hasn’t bothered me as much as the right did. When I broke my left leg two years ago (literally snapped my tibia and fibula in half just above my ankle), while I was waiting in the ER to go in for surgery I asked the surgeon if he could fix my foot while he was mucking around down there. He kind of gave me a dirty look. Apparently most normal people don’t crack jokes while their foot is dangling off the end of their leg. LOL!
Hopefully yours will go as easily as mine did.
It really depends on exactly what needs to be done. Just shaving off the bunion on the big toe, simpler. Cutting the big toe in half and repositioning it, shortening the second toe and pinning it? That’s big, painful surgery on very sensitive real estate! Your toes (like your hands) are full of nerves and bear your entire weight. Foot surgery is a big deal. I’ve had 3 knee arthroscopies, and 3 shoulder surgeries…and nothing compares to the bunion I had done last time. Talk to your surgeon and get the picture on what he’s doing and what recovery will be like.
I had to wear a tennis shoe to ride in for a bit until my boots were comfy again.
I had the bone shaved on my right two outermost toes. I think I was riding after about 3 weeks but couldn’t really put much weight on that foot. I cut out the toes on an old pair of paddock boots and then vet wrapped and duct taped around it to ride. I only rode the horses that didn’t go into my right leg at first, then branched out to the rest!!
[QUOTE=toomanyponies;8183961]
I had the bone shaved on my right two outermost toes. I think I was riding after about 3 weeks but couldn’t really put much weight on that foot. I cut out the toes on an old pair of paddock boots and then vet wrapped and duct taped around it to ride. I only rode the horses that didn’t go into my right leg at first, then branched out to the rest!![/QUOTE]
Brilliant idea!
I knew there was a reason I didn’t throw those old paddock boots away!
I’ve been putting my surgery off for 15 years. Mine is going to be really bad, my bunion is HUGE and it’s on the ball of my foot. I keep my horses at home, all four of them, and do all my own barn work. SO, it is going to be EXPENSIVE to farm all of them out for 2-3 months. For me it is when, not if, I need surgery…UGH
This thread is stressing me out, haha. I’ve been throwing around the idea of bunion surgery since I was 16. At the height of my junior campaign, I couldn’t be bothered to take a break from riding. Fast forward to 2011 and I took a hiatus from riding but unfortunately didn’t have the insurance to do the surgery. Now here I am, still contemplating, but riding once more…
I have heard it’s very painful, more than you think, and not easy to recover from. Have been told to do both at once or you’ll never go back for the other one…
this is also a matter of when not if. My big toe turns more and more towards my other toes every year. and I’ve NEVER worn heels/shoes that would promote that. It’s not fair.
sigh.
I was back out in the barn, cleaning stalls with a bag over my walking shoe thingy on day 3 post surgery! Pain meds were working by then and I am a stubborn lady.:yes: The first two weeks are the worst, but it’ll get better fast after that. Go consult a podiatrist–there are fantastic new surgical techniques that make it less invasive and more efficient.
Thanks, COTH, for both terrifying me and making me feel not so much like a freak. I’ve been watching my big toes wend their way east/west for the past 10 years, with increasing anxiety. Good to know I’m not the only one, if nothing else.
I have pictures of what my dear husband refers to as my “frankenfeet” if anyone is interested. ;):eek: Pre and post surgery. Since my toes have been migrating since childhood, and after my first two surgeries, I’ve never been pain free or able to wear hooker heels. I feel so robbed!
I had both mine done the summer of 1975. When I got out of the cast for the first one I went to regional rally as stable manager and the next week had the other one done. I actually rode with my foot in a cast ( don’t tell my mom- lol) By Fall I was back to normal and riding and working full time on my feet. Hopefully the surgery has changed a LOT since back then.
Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences. I took the plunge and had my surgery today. Knocking furiously on wood, but so far, so good. (Yep, I know that I’m pumped full of drugs and worse days are to come.)
Doc says three weeks in bootie walking on my heel, then three weeks walking in the bootie with my full foot, then back into a normal shoe. He said six weeks till I can ride. Yippee!
Jingles for fast, uneventful healing!
I had two bunion surgeries last year, one in January and the other in June. Chevron osteotomy, virtually no post-operative pain. I was in a walking boot for four weeks, riding again in five or six weeks. I bought some Ariat RT paddock boots. It took a full six months to heal each one, but I was back to normal activity quickly.
My sugeon (podiatrist) is excellent. That makes a huge difference.
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