How painful is Foot Surgery?

Have you ever heard someone say something like “Foot surgery is worse than labor”, “Foot surgery is the worst type of surgery”,  “Avoid foot surgery at any cost”, etc… Sounds familiar? Yes, right? This is because foot surgery has a really bad reputation. As a Foot and Ankle surgeon, I wanted to share my opinion.

 

Don’t get me wrong… Surgery is surgery. Your doctor will make an incision then will remove something, add something or modify something. We call it controlled trauma…. Because that’s exactly what it is. We have to traumatize your tissue in order to make them better.

 

But is is really as terrible as they say? What can be done to make it easier?

 

First of all… you won’t feel anything. You will most likely be sleeping (either IV sedation or general anesthesia) and you will receive local anesthesia (or a nerve block around the knee area for bigger cases). The injection of local anesthesia is important as it decreases the stress on your body during the surgery itself and it will allow you to wake up pain free.

 

After the numbness goes away, the pain will start…. But I tell my patients to be “smart” about it… meaning don’t try to be a hero! Don’t wait for the pain to be bad… TAKE your pain meds!! Of course don’t abuse them! I tell my patients to take them when they start feeling the pain coming. The majority of the time the worst days are the 1st-3rd-ish. Often times people are not taking pain meds anymore (or only taking them at night) when I see them in the office for the 1st post-op visit approximately 1 week after surgery. 

 

What about the recovery period? Have you ever heard someone say “After foot surgery, you won’t be able to walk for months”. This portion varies depending on what surgery was done. Some do require complete non-weight bearing for up to 6 weeks like an Achilles tendon repair, a flatfoot reconstruction or a tendon transfer for example. On the other hand a hammertoe surgery and even some bunion procedures will allow you to bear weight immediately after surgery (with a dressing and a special footwear). I always remind my patient that even if weight bearing is allowed for their foot surgeries, it does NOT mean that you can go for a walk of go to the mall..! It means that you can go to the bathroom or the kitchen without using crutches. You should still limit your ambulation and elevate your foot to decrease the swelling. 

 

Another point I wanted to mention regarding surgeries that require you to be off of your foot….While everyone has heard about crutches, they are not the easiest thing to use. The good news is that there are alternatives to crutches. I love to recommend a knee scooter. It makes it so much easier for patients to move around! There are also a device called an I-walk that allows patient to walk and still use their hands. 

 

I hope that I was able to shed some light on foot surgeries! If you have any questions or if you want a consultation to see if foot surgery may be an option for you, be sure to call us and make an appointment to come in!