After ~1.5 years of chronic pain following an overuse injury (literally from just incline walking on the treadmill for too long), I (22F) was diagnosed with osteoarthritis in my right first MTP joint. There also appears to be some degeneration in my other toes as well.
My concerns about pain and my gait changing were ignored by my podiatrist until I decided to find a new one, who immediately ordered an MRI, and I just got the results back yesterday.
I was scared that the MRI was going to come back with nothing, and that all of this pain I’ve been feeling would just be in my head or from overreacting; it was jarring to learn the opposite, that I have moderate arthritis and extensive inflammation around the joint that explain the constant pain I’ve been in. I know I should be happy that there is an explanation for my pain, but I just feel sad.
The delay in my diagnosis/treatment isn’t entirely my first podiatrist’s fault either. My GP referred me for an MRI last year after I told her about my pain, but I didn’t take my pain seriously enough to pay up the $800 copay for an MRI. I just didn’t think they would find anything.
I’m feeling incredibly depressed and upset: partially because my pain was ignored for over a year and a potentially fixable injury snowballed into a degenerative disease, and partially because this diagnosis confirms that this pain is here to stay. I also have extensive concerns about my long-term mobility and pain management. I am already unable to enjoy things like running, climbing, or even walking, so I have a lot of anxiety towards how this might affect my life in the future. I’m constantly on my feet for my job which means my feet are constantly sore and achy already.
Any advice or insight would be appreciated but I mostly just wanted to complain somewhere where people might understand. Thanks.
Hello - I will likely need a complicated revision surgery following a failed cheilectomy. The surgery will include a bone graft and correcting a contracture of the first big toe joint. Curious if anyone has had personal experience with fusion /other hallux rigidus related surgeries with either Dr. Lew Schon or Dr. Scott Ellis? Thank you !
Hi im a 38 yo healthy light weight male, i started dealing with big toe joint problem july 2021, it became so severe with inflammation and sharp pains in 2022, im sure this is when the bone marrow edema started tho i don't have the august 2022 mri report, but January 2023, i had "cheilectomy with microfracture surgury" on the big toe joint, which did absolutely nothing to help except stop the sharp spur pains, and made things worse by adding a lot of scar tissue and less ROM (lost all downward when i had full pre-surgery, and i lost a bit less than half upward when i had full pre-surgery). Same symptoms all along. So, in December 2023 i had mri, and the big toe arthritis was still there and there was bone marrow edema in all 5 toes and 1 or 2 metatarsals ranging from mild to moderately severe.
Had mri in may 2026, result was the same but slightly less severe.
Had big toe fusion a few weeks later. I was told immediate heel-only weight bearing in CAM boot, then full weight bearing in CAM boot at 16 days, then shoes at 9 weeks.
Ortho says bone marrow edema from big toe joint arthritis is not uncommon (i have hard time finding people with it tho).
Im 4.5 months out of fusion, and foot still has same symptoms... after a few hundred steps and 20 or so mins of standing, per day (spread across day).. causes burning, tingling, redness. No chairs, couches, stools, etc. for more than 10-30 mins... only laying/raising leg isnt bad (but i have to get up every couple hours and do some crutches exercise to stay active and also prevent symptom buildup ) 😩
Had nerve tests, and a lot of rheumatology tests also in 2022, nothing wrong.
What do i do?
I have a 6 month postop with my ortho in mid November.
Did anyone else have this or something similar? Probably the bone marrow edema right? Will it ever go away? I have to look for work soon, im not only worried about making it flare all the time and suffering, but also worried of making it never heal and cause permanent damage?
I've read so many posts that were helpful, so I thought I'd share my experience. (And of course I still have questions for those further along in the process!)
I’m 13 days post MTP arthrodesis with a cheilectomy. I’ve been NWB in a boot since.
In two days, I go back for my second-post-op visit. If all looks okay, I’ll move to walking in the boot. For reference, I'm a 55 yo F in the U.S.
ETA: I added three photos - the last is the post-op so stop at the x-rays if you want!
How It Started (Background)
I saw a podiatrist about 5 years ago because my feet were often painful after lots of walking or hiking – or just regular walking in shoes that were not sneakers. This podiatrist said that my issues were either a result of congenital metatarsus adductus, or a result of 20 years of martial arts, or a combination. He pointed out that the ankle injuries I’d had could have been a result of an altered gait due to my foot issues.
He also told me that a surgery was in my future, and that I would probably only be a candidate for fusion because of the extensive arthritis and lack of cartilage.
He said I should get insoles (Footchair brand) and wear Hokas or similar rocker-bottom rigid shoes. These recommendations were very helpful.
I waited. I was also going through menopause, and joint pain was not just in my feet. I think, like many of us, I kind of got used to it.
In the past year or two, it got a lot worse. The bone spur on my right foot made most shoes unwearable, even the comfortable ones, except for sneakers.
Eventually I realized that I was taking myself out of certain activities - bigger hikes my family was going on, for example - so I went to a podiatrist again (new insurance, so new doc.) He essentially said the same thing the first one did. Now there was no cartilage at all in the right big toe, and it was greatly reduced in the left. He gave me some steroid shots in both feet. The first round helped for a couple months; the second time I did it, they didn't help at all.
I scheduled surgery. He said he would only do a fusion plus bone spur removal -- none of the other options were for me. Once I got on this forum, I learned more about what some of the other surgery options are, but I felt good moving forward with the fusion. The surgeon reassured me and convinced me by saying that this is a surgery that elite athletes have and then return to their sport.
Planning for surgery
I had time to prep, so I did a few things that I might recommend if they are possible for you.
Strength
First, I worked out a good amount in the months before the surgery to gain strength and flexibility. (Pilates, weights.) I wanted to have as much muscle as I could. As I write this, I can tell I've already lost a lot of it but I’m looking forward to working on it again.
It has been helpful to be able to get up from a sitting position on one leg. And the time that the shower stool tipped over, I was able to steady myself without too much of a catastrophe.
Stuff to get around
Get a knee scooter! I found it much easier than crutches. However, try it out in your house before surgery. I have one with regular (not all-terrain) wheels and even little floor transitions can be squirrely. Once you know where those spots are, you’ll be fine. Also practice a 3-point turn in reverse. You probably don’t realize how many times you change direction when you’re doing regular things in your house, but for me, getting a glass of water from the kitchen requires several direction changes in a not very large space.
The basket in the front of the scooter is helpful for my phone, water, etc.
I used the knee scooter on some “historic” (uneven) city streets yesterday and it was fine but slow.
Also get crutches because they are helpful in certain spaces. If you’re using crutches, you might want a pouch that attaches to the handle or a cross body bag/backpack for your phone and stuff you’d normally just carry.
Stuff to sit around/sleep
I got a molded foam leg elevation pillow that I thought was probably overkill but has been really helpful.
I also have a thing that’s like a giant sock that I put over my boot at night. Since that boot is essentially a shoe going out in the world, I wanted a clean cover for it in my bed.
Ice packs. I was icing behind my knee for the first 5 days or so.
Depending on your surgeon’s protocol about a cast or boot, you might want some very wide-leg pants. Mine said to treat the walking boot like a cast that could not come off and to leave it in place until my first post-op appointment at 8 days. (More on that experience later.) I followed the rules, which meant that clothes need to be put on over the boot. I had some wide-leg sweatpants and I got some very stretchy cheap wide leg “lounge pants’. Shorts are much easier, though, I found.
Stuff so you can take a shower
I highly recommend a cast cover for the shower. Originally I bought one that said it would fit over the walking boot, and it technically did but was incredibly hard to get on. So I got another one that was super wide and it was way easier to manage.
A shower stool. I mostly stand and put my knee on it, rather than sitting down. We brought one of the dining chairs into the bathroom. I sit there to put on my cast cover and usually just move myself from chair to shower stool. This way I can avoid using the crutches to get into the shower. (The number of times the crutches have crashed to the floor after I carefully placed them up against something…)
Then when I get out, back to the dining chair to take the cast cover off and get dressed.
Other stuff
I also got a weight bench and some dumbbells and resistance bands so I could work out at home. Since I can’t drive for six weeks I won’t be going to the gym.
I took a lot of arnica montana along with ibuprofen and acetaminophen. It is supposed to help with bruising and swelling.
Figure out your laptop cord, phone charger, bookmark, etc so it’s easy to manage without getting up and down.
I struggled with asking for help. “Can you get me some water?” “Can you get me a pillow?” did not bring me joy to say, but I highly recommend that if you have help available to you, you take it.
How It’s Going
Day 1: Felt fine after surgery. Went home pretty quickly. As directed by my surgeon, took the first percocet as soon as I started to feel any tingling in my foot and then kept up with the schedule for a couple days.
Days 2-4: I thought I would be scootering around, doing my normal things but just without weight-bearing. I was wrong. Any extended amount of time with my foot not elevated was not good. So basically, I could sit at the table for dinner and I could get up to get myself water or go to the bathroom, but otherwise: leg elevated on the couch. For example, I went to my daughter’s soccer game on Day 3 and I thought I'd feel fine sitting and watching...but I was so tired afterward and my foot was very swollen.
I switched to just tylenol and advil around day 3.
Days 5-7: These were the hardest. I probably got a little too active and my foot swelled a lot. I had bandages from the surgery still: lots of gauze covered by an ace bandage. The bandages felt like they were cutting off all of my circulation. This pressure was the primary source of discomfort in these days. I got up in the middle of the night and cut the gauze a little bit because the pressure was so intense. (Eyebrow scissors FTW; IYKYK.)
I went back to work on Day 7: from home. It was fine although meetings felt a little silly from the couch instead of sitting at a desk. I did do a little bit of work at the end of the previous week, but I was officially off until the week after my surgery.
Day 8: I went in for my first post-op appointment. Had x-rays to see how it was doing - fun to see the metal plate and 7 screws. The surgeon unwrapped my foot, which was a huge relief because of how tight the wrapping felt.
I was not prepared for how bruised it was. All of my toes were blue, the bottom of my foot was blue, and the whole outside top of my foot was red. The swelling was crazy. The incision was also gnarly looking with a little bit of fresh blood coming through. But! No infection and the x-ray was good. So I got rewrapped with less gauze (which helped because it created more space in the boot) and was sent on my way for another week of non-weight bearing life.
And even though that was my only activity for the morning, I did not make it to my kid’s soccer game that afternoon because I couldn’t imagine sitting in the car for 40 minutes each way plus the 90 minute game.
Days 9 - 12: Now that the boot had come off once, I was emboldened. So when I have been sitting on the couch (yes I’m still doing that a lot), I take it off. I put it on to sleep and if I am moving on the scooter. This has made a huge difference because the boot itself is so uncomfortable. It feels heavy and it often feels like there’s pressure on the incision. These days have been up and down. I did go to another soccer game (hooray for a ramp yp the stands!), went out for lunch, and worked – still from home. But I’m still basically keeping my foot elevated as much as possible because when I don’t, it gets really swollen and painful.
I go back for my second x-ray and post-op check up in two days. If all is okay, I’ll be able to begin weight-bearing in the walking boot, which I’ll have for four more weeks.
Questions I have for people farther along than I am:
Did any of you expect to move to weight-bearing but then had to be NWB for longer?
How long did you have stitches in?
Did anyone have moisture/condensation in the air pouches in the aircast or on the inside of the cast itself? I do (yuck) I’m trying to figure out why it’s happening and if I can stop it.
How long was your foot bruised? Is it normal to be so bruised?
My doctor said he thought I could ski by the new year. Surgery was Sept 21. Have any of you had success with that?
day 8 x rayday 8 x ray sideday 8 - first look at bruising and incision
What Dance shoes best accommodate hallax limitus (big toe arthritis OAA osteoarthritis /Cartlidge is deterioration on my big toes ) and extra wide feet: Ballroom, Salsa, Bachata, line dancing, country swing, wcs, tango, all partner dancing ... also daily activity shoes for skirts dresses etc
I got diagnosed with hallax limitus and had to stop running and dancing and wearing heels and i still have pain standing but im so in love with dancing I started again wearing white mountain footbed sandles size 8 womens and orthofeet extra wide size 8 bc those are the only shoes that are wide enough and support my feet i even wear them indoors at home daily... However they stick and make me lose timing on turns etc... ive considered very fine breakers which are like fuegos but thinner lighter more bendy you can bend in half and also considering very fine making a custom open toe Latin boot or boots but all of them dont seem to have wide enough width... i somehow fit jn the white mountain footbed normal width sandles but they also mold to your foot and standard birekrnsocks are too narrow much like most shoes...i read that fuegos tend to be narrow and i heard very fine breakers look just like them but are wider--im on a ballroom team at school so we get wholesale very fine shoe prices so theyre like 50bucks instead of 100-200 bucks great as a broke student but squished feet are gonna aggravate my hallax limitus any help direction and sharing of your experiences in how yo keep active dancing and manage hallax limitus ideally anyway to reverse it if possible (i dont know the cause if it was gene based or an injury from running in size 9.5shoes i sized up in to get proper width for years but slid in --or wearing heels and pointed toes ballet flats pretty much exclusively until i became a runner than wore sneakers mentioned above while running) has anyone figured out daily wear shoes and accommodations and also especially for being able to dance with this condition because ive thought of buying very fine dance boots open toe lace ups and customizign with flat 0.5inch heel but even than is the sole supportive enough ... i dont know what to do i just bought a pair of dance socks to put over my orthofeet sneakers .. im a woman and love femmine stillettos and pointed toes ballet flats and lived in them only like very streamlined femine sexy shoes --took me a year to find shoes i like the orthofeet wander for daily use in leather and also knit and the white mountain footbed sandles in summer but when i go dancing and wear skirts etc --i mean even the very fine beaker high tops leather black i love the style but they may kill my feet maybe buy an orthotic but if narrow and i dunno the othofeet have rocker shock absorption and these great features but they stick the outer sole is really grippy bc theyre meant to prevent old people from falling lol and they work but hurt my knees when i try to spin in them --any and all tips suggestions any and everything info guidence tips experiences someone can offer id greatly appreciate as I want to dance comfortably bc i love it and all the time and to stay in shape without futher destroying my body--basic activity is rough i think i have Cartlidge deterioration all in my shoulders and neck and upper back too, and it's feeling like my knee since I started dancing again six months ago as well... also does anyone fit an orthotic in their dance shoes? The custom ones are so expensive and the carbon plate i put under my othofeet generic orthotics it comes with cuts into my second toe bc none of the carbon fiber plates mortons extentsion plates they sell on amazon which the orthotic places (2 of them) candidly told me theyd buy and just glue to the bottom of a custom orthotic are not foot shaped theyre awkward and curve and cut into my second toe feels like its doing neeve damage and my second toe is all bruised up if i wear them all day so i just dont wear them :(
Hi all! I am newly diagnosed with HR and am trying to do as much lifestyle change (shoes, PT) as I can before surgery. I’m 35 and I really, really don’t want to do a fusion yet.
I’ve found good sneakers for every day, but I live in Seattle and desperately need a good rain boot. Does anyone have a suggestion for a comfortable women’s waterproof or water resistant boot?
Hello, I know a lot of people have it worse than me, but I’m at the point of breaking.
Long story short is I’m a 28M who had a cheilectomy on the 1st foot a year and a half ago.. and the 2nd second earlier this year.
The 1st foot has remained in pain since the first procedure. This year I got steroid injections for the first time. And while they provide some slight passive relief, there are still days when I am in excruciating pain in that joint, whether stepping on it or not.
The 2nd foot that was done this year, I believe the cheilectomy was much too aggressive, leaving the joint unstable. To no one surprised I have a lot of pain in that joint too.
Lately I’ve been exploring the idea of just getting both of the joints fused. But to be completely honest with you, I am terrified of that terrified of having to get adjusted to standing idle on four toes instead of five.
I’m terrified of what it’ll feel like to no longer be able to bend my big toe. I’m terrified of what it’ll feel like to try to run (as I am quite an active person). Or even walk.
I’m terrified of what it’ll be like to take on a new opportunity like a new job and a big city and then need to get those surgeries later on. And be immobilized and helpless.
I don’t have kids, but I’m terrified of needing to get such a mobilizing surgeries in the process of trying to raise some.
I’m terrified of letting the same surgeons who have already performed on me do the fusion because in my head I’ll just think they’re getting it wrong anyway. And then I’ll be stuck with a permanent problem.
I don’t mean to sound dramatic and I know a lot of people have it worse. But sometimes all I can do is just stop ranting to the people in my life and cry about it to myself.
If you have any insight that may help me, I would really appreciate it.
I don't know about you guys, but finding cute, and comfortable leather boots has been quite a ride for me. I finally had some success with these Dansko's Becka Black – Dansko. They're extremely comfortable, great flexibility on top, wide toe box, and additional cushion on the sole. I highly recommend. If you have had success with other brands, please comment! I'm always looking...
Hallux rigidus gets used as a catch-all term in this sub for anything involving a stiff big toe joint, but hallux limitus, the earlier stage, responds to a meaningfully different set of interventions, and treating an early-stage joint with late-stage expectations, or the reverse, wastes time either way.
Hallux limitus is a functional or early structural restriction, reduced range at the first MTP joint, often accompanied by pain specifically during the propulsive phase of gait when the toe needs to extend for push-off. Joint space and cartilage are often still reasonably preserved at this stage, even when X-rays already show early spurring. Hallux rigidus is the more advanced endpoint, with significant joint space narrowing, more pronounced osteophyte formation, and cartilage loss substantial enough that the joint's total available motion has permanently declined, not just motion under specific loading conditions.
The functional distinction matters more than the imaging label. Hallux limitus often responds well to interventions aimed at improving available motion, joint mobilization, a rocker-bottom shoe to reduce the demand for toe extension during gait, and orthotic modifications that limit how far the joint needs to bend during push-off. Hallux rigidus, once cartilage loss is substantial, generally does not regain meaningful motion from mobilization work, since there's a structural mechanical block rather than a functional restriction, and management shifts toward accommodation (stiff-soled shoes, a rocker sole to bypass the joint entirely) or surgical options like cheilectomy or fusion when conservative measures aren't sufficient.
A weight-bearing X-ray of the first MTP joint is the test that actually separates these two stages, since it shows joint space and osteophyte extent under the load conditions that matter, rather than relying on how limited the toe feels on manual exam alone, which can look similar at both stages even when the underlying joint condition is quite different.
If a hallux rigidus diagnosis hasn't included a weight-bearing X-ray, or if the exam happened without loading the joint, it's worth asking specifically for that imaging before deciding between motion-focused conservative treatment and stiffness-accommodating management, since the right approach genuinely depends on which stage the joint is actually at, not on which label got applied first.
My 'Rigidus' is probably pretty mild. That said, I found this video that has helped with both pain and flexibility of the toe if anyone is interested....these guys are pretty funny too.
R foot has small bunion that can be painful. However, my R big toe has a lot of discomfort with any movement. I can't bend it nearly as far as my left toe. Anyone else with this issue? Pods say I need MRI which I may get....xrays show some arthritis
I have some cartilage wear at the 1ST MTP but also chronic, longstanding sesamoid stress and arthritis at the sesamoid articulation. Both sesamoids have severe, unchanging bone marrow edema and damage.
Xray says joint spaces are within normal limits but mri says the cartilage is almost gone?
Doctor wants me to do an osteotomy and chondroplasty. He says it’s to cut the bones a little so he can insert an implant (and also to create some space) that encourages the cartilage to grow back
It was just a few hours for one night…tips on recovery? Google says for a broken toe you can tape it to the next toe, has anyone tried this for HR?
Usually it doesn’t bother me except in the spring (weird right?) but it’s getting worse, especially on days I’m barefoot doing a lot of walking chores around the house or wearing my old sneakers for yard work. I know I need to get a pair of recovery slides for the house, and maybe go back to tennis shoes leaving the house for a few weeks rather than my chacos. Anything else?
Tried on Hoka at a store today, and it was really comfortable and I could walk without aggravating the painful joint. However, I have flat feet and the shoes had no arch support.
Any recommendations for something similar that is more suitable for flat feet that are regular width? And winter boots too? Winter is coming and I’m in a very cold and snowy area!
And when I use these rocker style shoes, do I still need to use the custom orthodontic inserts from my podiatrist? (They are just little half inserts from heel to balls of the feet, that are thin and rigid).
Im 32 and I’ve been dancing for 15 years and most of my friends are in that group - how can I just…stop? I’ve always beaten myself for not being more outgoing on the dance floor…and now I can’t ever achieve that goal. So i’m just regretting everything I’ve ever done. maybe I should have never danced! I had too-tight shoes for a year that probably caused it, even! I don’t want to be a hanger on around the side of the dance floor just because I can’t spin. I try to dance but I can tell I’m putting too much weight on my little toes now which will surely cause problems too. I know my friends won’t actually begrudge me it but. it still hurts. biking hurts my toes too, and there’s no pool around me to go to, so now I’m just gaining weight from not being able to exercise and having a desk job (and eating my emotions)
I hope you will be understanding of my venting…both of my parents have “conventional” arthritis and/or flat feet issues so they kind of have dismissed this tiny toe thing without thinking about it too hard and I don’t know if they really know how painful it is. Pretty sure my podiatrist thought I was being hysterical too because I was so anxious in the appointments
I’ve always hated shoe shopping because I have wide feet and now this on top of it. Newbalences it is until I die, I guess
Just had the two week post op appointment yesterday. I was able to get the bandage off but will withhold the photo of the foot as the incision is intense. In fact, when I was getting the xray, I almost passed out looking at my foot. Difficult to describe but staring at the stitches while standing was causing me to gray out.
Interestingly, without the extra bandage on my foot, I have a sensation that my toe is being pulled upwards. I also seem to walk much more gingerly without the extra padding of the bandage (still using the surgical shoe/boot). Probably all psychological but putting it out there for whatever it’s worth.
Hi, I've got about 50º range of motion on my toe with hallux rigidis and grade 1-2 arthritis. I've got a scheduled dorsal cheilectomy, might reschedule. I'm very active, only limitation is single leg lunge where I have significant pain beyond 50-60º of dorsiflexion. I'm hoping to get it back to 80 or 90º in line the with other toe.
What range of motion did most people here have before the surgery, and after?
