Bunion Surgery

[Trick or BeatHer]

Has anyone had bunion pain, more specifically surgery to correct a bunion? I developed a small bunion on my left big toe. I am contemplating surgery to remove it. I've tried cushions, switched my beloved high heels (which caused the bunion) to flats in wide size and nothing seems to be helping. Now my skates are hurting. I am worried of the recovery time and would like to do ASAP since we are heading into the off season. Any thoughts or experiences you want to share with me?

[GraySk8ter]

I know your pain. I have a bunion on the right foot's big toe. I first learned a patch of duct tape over the bunion gave relief. But later I found a bunion pad that is made of a soft plastic that works great. It hooks over the big toe and a flap of soft material sits on top of the bunion. No more pain.

So check your local drug store for bunion pads. They might provide enough relief to put off a surgical solution. Good luck!

Keep rollin

[sommemi]

I had bunion surgery last year. Tailor's bunion though. It was on the outside of my right foot, just at the bottom of the little toe. It was huge. I was doing everything I could to stretch out the leather on my quad boot and also to push out the boot on my inline skates (I skate speed as well). It was horrible. I would be fine for like the first 15 minutes on my skates and then the pain would set in. Hurt everytime I leaned. I feel your pain. I really do.

I don't know if I have good news or bad news about the surgery. The surgery was easy enough, but I had like a week that I wasn't allowed to walk at all (my doctor stressed that the longer I kept it elevated the less it would swell, which would speed up healing time down the road). Then a few weeks using a boot/crutch etc. to keep the weight off of it. But I think I made a big mistake by not trying to move it soon enough, and the joint at the bottom of my little toe is frozen now. I can bend it DOWN just fine, and curl my toe, but just don't have flexibility stretching it back up. I went through weeks and weeks of physical therapy trying to get it to bend, but just gave up because I didn't really NEED it to bend that way. I could skate just fine with it. I took it easy for like 2 months (did surgery during off season) and when I put my skates back on I had no pain anymore. I just hated the down time SO MUCH!!

If you can find a way to manage the swelling after the surgery, then I think you will be just fine. But taking the downtime really sucks when all you want to do is skate.

Oh... and while you're healing, don't be stupid like me and get to rushing around because you're late and go to run through your living room and slam your foot into the banister as you run past. It hurts like hell.