by Dustin L. Kruse, DPM
The surgery you just saw was for a patient with chronic bunion deformity as well as great toe joint arthritis. It can be quite debilitating and there are several options. The option we chose was actually a first metatarsal phalanger joint fusion - that’s when you fuse the big toe joint. Functionally, it has great results. You really don’t have any deficit in your walking later on. The fusion rate is very high as opposed to other fusions and the satisfaction is very high following this.
We also fixed the second hammertoe deformity with a wire which will be removed in about six weeks. The patient will be non-weight bearing for approximately four weeks, depending on his healing, and then typically in a boot for another 2-4 weeks depending on how he’s doing. Most people are back to relatively normal activity around 3 months following this procedure.
