Has anyone had severe foot nerve pain after an ankle fusion?

[Heidi Bliss]

Good Morning,  

I am 7 weeks post op from my right ankle fusion.  I had a popliteal block prior to the surgery.  And another block in surgery on the medial side of my lower leg.  Hard splint for one week post op, then a cast which only lasted 2 weeks due to the severe nerve pain I was having in my foot.  

 

At my 3 week appointment he then placed a posterior splint again, so I could remove it when the pain was bad and massage and move my foot.  

I am now 7 weeks post op, the nerve pain has lessened a bit, but I still have many areas where it's still numb, burning and painful.  I am also on 900mg 3'x day of Gabapentin for the pain. 

The ankle has healed great with zero issues.  I am still non weight bearing for another week. PT starts tomorrow for the nerve pain.  Then in a week or two for the ankle.  I can't even imaging putting weight on this foot, the bottom of my foot is one of the most painful areas.  

Just wondering if anyone else has had this happen.  

Thanks in advance!

Heidi 

[April Weber]

Yes! I had my 4 surgery for subtalar fusion in Aug 2018. I was put on gabapentin and it did NOTHING for. After a few months of pills and creams, I decided to give CBD oil a try and it is the only thing that has helped immensely. I still have neuropathy, but I found when I go without the CBD oil, my discomfort increases. 

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[Heidi Bliss]

Thank you April, I am putting THC/CBD oil on my foot daily, were you also ingesting CBD?  I don't take it PO (by mouth) but maybe I should.  

[April Weber]

I do the tincture so it is ingested. I have found a the group "cbd oil users" group on Facebook and I have learned a lot about how to take it. I have been using the attached brand and dose for a few years now.

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[Kayla Galway]

Hi Heidi,

I also had terrible neuropathy after my ankle fusion surgery to the point where I begged them to take the cast off. The worst portion of pain started fading about 6-8 weeks after my cast was taken off. My PT said that the cast was probably pressing on the already damaged/irritated nerves and your body takes time to adjust once the cast is off, so the pain doesn’t leave right away.

I also tried gabapentin and lyrica and lyrica helped, but it also made me a bit out of it. The thing that also made a huge difference for me was a CBD/THC balm that I applied directly to the nerve pain area. I was taking an oral CBD as well, but I don’t know if that helped much. 

I am about 10 months out now and still have some tingling when pressure is applied in that area, but no more pain! The pain went away about 3-4 months out from the surgery with PT and applying the THC/CBD balm every day.

Good luck!

Kayla

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[Heidi Bliss]

Thank you!!  

[Heidi Bliss]

Thank you ladies so much for the information.  I’m going to get CBD this week.  Also started PT.  I think I’ll ask about switching to 
Lyrica also.  Another question for you.  What kind of shoes are you able to wear?  I love my Birkenstock’s, will this be an option in your opinion?  I’ve hear rocker shoes are good but I’m really hoping I can stick with what I like.  I live in AZ so it’s hot here, sandals are a must!  

Thank you!  

Heidi

[April Weber]

I hope you start feeling better soon! And I don't do any sandals that go between my toe. But I do birkenstocks! I also have birkenstock slippers I wear around the house. For shoes I only get brooks brand. The one I wear if I know I'm going to do alot of walking is the Brooks Addiction. But I had a subtalar fusion not an ankle fusion. I also recommend getting custom orthotics. Good luck to you in your recovery. Just be patient!

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[Kayla Galway]

I too am a Birkenstock’s lover, but they are still too hard in the heal for me to wear at this point. If you’re only in the first few months of recovery, it’s worth prioritizing what is most comfortable for your ankle. Hoka recovery sandals are a godsend and strangely they are in style right now, so you won’t look totally lame in them :) You can always just wear them around the house too for cooking and cleaning and such.

https://www.hokaoneone.com/womens-recovery-sandals/ora-recovery-slide/1099674.html

Good luck!

Kayla

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[Heidi Bliss]

You ladies are so helpful!  Thank you!  

[jjfc...@gmail.com]

You won’t need rocker bottom shoes and Birkenstock’s should be fine. Initially, I was only comfort in running shoes and recovery flip flops. Those are the sandals made of a rubber or foam type of material that a lot of athletes like to slip into after competition or training. I lived in them and kept having to order new ones because my dog kept chewing them up! My fusion was not successful in the end, but I’m still able to wear most types of flat or low heeled shoes.

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On Apr 18, 2021, at 12:14 PM, Kayla Galway <kayla....@gmail.com> wrote:



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[Tracy Craft]

Yes I Have had three surgeries on my ankle first  one 22 years ago I still have nerve pain and chronic pain I now have osteoarthritis in that foot with bone spurring

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On Apr 18, 2021, at 10:52 PM, jjfc...@gmail.com wrote:

You won’t need rocker bottom shoes and Birkenstock’s should be fine. Initially, I was only comfort in running shoes and recovery flip flops. Those are the sandals made of a rubber or foam type of material that a lot of athletes like to slip into after competition or training. I lived in them and kept having to order new ones because my dog kept chewing them up! My fusion was not successful in the end, but I’m still able to wear most types of flat or low heeled shoes.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/ankle-fusion-support/E14DFDFE-B0C9-42BE-9408-A6489DEA5D38%40gmail.com.

[thraps...@gmail.com]

Hi I had ST fusion 10yrs ago.  I have tried many brands of shoes/trainers including Hoka rocker sole.  I a now at the point that a rocker sole causes more harm than good. Any Air filled sole seems to work for me.  I have tried many meds including Co-Codamol, Gabapentin, Morphine patches. I have now switched to Duluxetine 30mg X2. The side effects for the 1st few weeks are very bad, sickness, dry mouth, laziness. But pain releif is by far the best I've had, so going to try for a few more weeks.

[carolin...@gmail.com]

Hi,

It's been 3 years since my last foot/ankle fusion, my 3rd since 1991.  I've been overusing that poor foot and am having a lot of pain.  Does anyone know how I can avoid a 4th fusion?  Elevation?  Wearing sneakers instead of my Easy Spirit comfy clogs?  Rest?

I almost can't bear making the apt. with my foot/ankle surgeon. 

Thanks,

Caroline