Hi, I'm a newbie ! I had a bunion removed seven weeks ago today, I have had three physio sessions and having my last one on Monday, my toe is still very painful when moving and will not bend downwards,I'm still wearing my protective boot as the scar is painful to touch, is all this normal ?! Thanks x
Hey,
I maybe not the best person to answer this question as unfortunately a year later I'm still suffering from the operation. I unfortunately caught 4 infections and still not able to move my toe properly which has caused two slipped discs and me unable to walk. What I'm trying to say is don't go on the words of your physio if you're in pain please go back to the doctor. I did a bit too much too soon after my operation which caused me to have an infection. If you feel like your foot is a bit swollen and doesn't look good better to get it checked out. You do not want to be in the same situation as I am in. Hope I haven't scared you But I just thought it was best to let you know. If you need any other advice please feel free to reply to me. Many thanks
Thanks for the reply xx I am the opposite, I did nothing but rest for the first ten days ! I also have a slipped disc which happened just before the op 😁, I think I will visit my doctor the week after the last physio session as I haven't had a follow up X-ray, I did ask the physio if he thought I needed one, he said he didn't think so ?!
I expressed my concerns re scar pain with my surgeon before my op. He demonstrated why and how I have to massage the wound very early on with oil to loosen the scar tissue and to prevent painful scar tissue. Having said that pain is not normal and should allways be investigated. As I'm only 11 days post op I can't give any other advice.
Thanks x My scar is healing really well, but yes I will talk to my doctor about it x
I had my opp 4 mths ago I'm on my 5th physio app and doing great just seen my consultant on Friday getting a review in 6 mths to have my other foot done and I'm happy about that everything takes time to heal I had good days and very bad days if you're worried go back to doctor good luck
Thanks x It just seems to be such a long process ! My physio said that next week will the last session as I can tolerate the pain !
At my first physio session my scar was still sensitive , this is despite desensitising daily with oil and massage and is quite normal as long as you do not feel you have an infection. At 9 weeks as I am now the sensitivity is much reduced.
I massage my scar at least four times a day ! That's good that at nine weeks your scar is less sensitive, I will look forward to that !
Thanks for that bit of info. I tend to want instant results in everything. The recovery for bunion ops is just a bit slower. I know 4 people that have had bunion corrective surgery, they all say they are glad they did it and none of them have any issues arises from their ops. Oh and the ladies all wear heels!
in my experience gentle rubbing the scar with an old tooth brush and VIt E oil twice a day works wonders but it has to be done religiously every day for three months as it takes that long for the scar to be fullly healed and it also allowes the new nerv endigns to loose their sensitivity
Yep, definitely gentle masaging/rubbing does help heal the scar, mine is now not so angry looking !
It was so interesting to read about the scar sensitivity - I thought it was unique to me! How vain!
I had a bunion sorted and two toes shortened. I have very sensitive scars - even one month on from the surgery but much less sensitivity now than I had originally.
My foot was covered for the first two weeks and at the end of week two, after the stitch loops were cut, I covered my scar in Sudocrem at night and put an old sock on it (to stop the creme wrecking the bedsheets). That really helped the sensitivity issue but made the rest of my skin very dry and it peeled. I am now using BioOil with some success but having read the other tips I will change my routine.
rub it, scrab it and generally teach the new nerv endings that they have to be less sensitive. You can just use an old tooth brush once or twice a day. I rubbed my scars in shower (so with soap on) and after few weeks of doing so my scars are less sensitive then the rest of the skin so I think I have succeeded 
Oil of any sort and in particular Vit E oil (as it is the vitamin which helps skin to be elastic and regenerate according to a friend of mine who is a plastic surgeon) need to be applied for 3 months (vit E oil has amazing effect on scars, in Australia it is possible to buy a pure vit E oil in Health Food Shops and some Pharmacies)
Eight weeks post op today and the scar is still very sensitive and the toe is very stiff !
Hi. This is my first post. I am seven weeks post op and went to see the district nurse about my scar today. She confirmed that the foot takes the longest to heel and despite lots of scabs it was normal for the scar to be sensitive. She advised e45 to try and moisturise the scar and only bio oil on the heeled part. I also had a raised blood blister (reason for visit) at one end which was reason for my visit but she said this would go. My toe is very stiff and I have not had any advice on exercises so not sure what I should be doing other than trying to gradually build up walking. It us so difficult to know how far to go with it. Such a long recovery! How are you getting on now?
Hi Sue, I never realised it was such a long road to recovery, I am now ten weeks one day now and had a breakthrough two days ago with my toe, lots of excercise bending both ways has loosened the muscle and now have a slight wiggle and less of a limp when I walk !
Hi terri. That is good news. Congratulations. Did you just wiggle and massage it or have you been doing regular exercises? I am not sure how much to do at this age and nervous of the pain. I have a staple in the base of my toe and one pin in the bone further down.
I'm not sure which procedure I actually had, as far as I know it was just bunion removal, no pins !
Walking had been very difficult until Saturday when my limp wasn't as bad. I've been stretching,massaging and pulling my toe under, which seems to have worked well with the muscle movement.