"Foot" Notes - Day 8 - Surgery on Hallux Limitus

After being in steady discomfort and not wanting more pain meds I called the surgeon and we agreed that I could cut off the bandage and have my wife re-wrap the foot. She's a very handy person to have around!

I am moving the foot around trying to "polish glass". At this point I cannot move my big toe at all. Will definitely be working on moving it everyday.  

"Foot" Notes - Day 4 - Surgery on Hallux Limitus

I slept good last night. The need for Percocet is way down. My last dose was 18 hours ago. I think my post surgery supplements are really helping tremendously.









For post-operative nutrition, I'm taking Paleomeal protein powder, Hydrolyzed Whey protein powder, a super strong probiotic called VSL #3, Ultranutrients multivitamin, Ultra Pure Fish oil, Vitamin E, Bromelain and Curcumin.

The pre-operative nutrition is also important and I also recommend the following supplements taken 10 days before a scheduled surgery:  Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Green Tea Extract, Hawthorne, Herbulk fiber, Milk Thistle, a multi-vitamin-mineral, maitake d fraction for immune support and sometime more depending on the surgery.  At the office, I have a great handout for the "pre"-"post"-operative nutrition or add it to another post.

I really think I will be walking, even running in 6-8 weeks. :)

"Foot" Notes - Day 3 - Surgery on Hallux Limitus

Surgeon's assistant suggested cutting and loosening the bandage. The decrease in pressure felt wonderful and significantly reduced the pain. Reduce the narcotic pain medication and added Ibuprophen. Slept pretty well last night all things considered.

The blue boot is a cryocuff which keeps my foot cold. This therapy reduces inflammation, edema and hemarthrosis (blood in the joint) which is essential to good healing.

It is still quite uncomfortable to have my foot not elevated so it is a bit early to do so.

"Foot" Notes - Day 2 - Post Surgery for Hallux Limitus

Hi again. I made it through the night some how. The Percocet is strong but the pain kicked my butt. Was dosed up plenty high prior to local anesthetic (bupivocaine), but when it wore off...OMG!

My dog Piper laid with me the rest of the night and she tempered the pain down quite a bit, which was remarkable.  This picture shows how my foot looks this morning post surgery, quite unlike how my foot looked yesterday!

Foot Surgery - Day 1 - 3 hours prior to surgery for Hallux Limitus

I get surgery on my injured and painful left foot today.

The problem started with an injury sustained while playing Ultimate Frisbee ten years ago.

I was sprinting down the length of the field and quickly stopped in order to make a defensive play. I heard a “POP” sound from my left foot. Ii didn’t hurt at all, so I played on.

Over the next ten years the 1st metatarsalphalangeal joint began to swell and become painful. The bump you can see in the picture is arthritic bone. The condition is called Hallux Limitus. It is a very common condition with athletes. Former Los Angeles Laker Shaquille O’Neal had the identical condition.

My surgery will consists of several parts:

1) Cheilectomy to clean up the bone chips and bone spurs in and around the joint

2) Micro-fracture to encourage new cartilage growth in the joint surfaces

3) Osteotomy to both the long metatarsal and the proximal phalanx to shorten and straighten these bones to give the best chance of slowing the inevitable return of the arthritis as I continue to age.

The recovery period is 8-12 weeks. The first 2 weeks are critical in order to insure that the bones heal properly. I have been commissioned as the Captain of the Couch.