If trauma, a chronic medical condition, or a foot problem you’ve had since birth has caused severe foot deformity, conservative care often isn’t enough to treat the problem. Luckily, reconstructive surgery can fix any foot deformity and bring back your mobility.
Before getting reconstructive surgery at Podiatry Hotline Foot & Ankle in Mission Viejo, California, it’s important to be aware of the lengthy recovery timeline needed to fully repair your feet. Podiatrists Thomas Rambacher, DPM, FACFAS, FAPWCA, and Amber O’Connor, DPM, explain what timeline you can expect from reconstructive foot surgery and recovery.
Your exact recovery after surgery depends on how extensive your surgery was, whether it was a traditional or minimally invasive surgery, and your body’s individual healing process. Generally, though, you won’t be able to put weight on your foot for weeks, and a full recovery can take several months to a year.
Throughout the recovery process, you can expect regular appointments with our team to track your progress. This is a typical timeline for reconstructive surgery recovery:
A reconstructive foot survey can take place at the hospital or a surgical center. Often, you spend the first night at the hospital and go home the next day. If you go home for your first night, you can expect us to advise you to be on complete bed rest as the initial effects of surgery wear off.
You need to remain in bed, with your foot elevated, for about two weeks after surgery. You can only leave bed for essential body functions and can’t put any weight on the foot. Your foot might be in a hard cast.
We remove surgical stitches 10-14 days after surgery. A hard cast is also often removed at that time.
You can usually get out of bed after a couple of weeks, but you still won’t be able to put any weight on your foot. You need to use crutches or a wheelchair anytime you need to move around.
At the 6-8 week mark, you can start to put weight on your foot in limited situations.
Between six and 12 weeks, you can slowly start to put more weight on your foot and do more activities. At roughly three months, many people can walk and normally bear weight on both feet.
You can expect to transition to wearing regular shoes again when you can fully bear weight. Be aware that you need to stick to comfortable, supportive shoes and possibly wear medical-grade custom orthotics.
Once you can walk normally again, regaining full strength and mobility is the highest priority. Our team recommends regular physical therapy appointments and maintaining a program of prescribed exercises and stretches to maximize healing.
Getting your foot back into top shape takes a minimum of several months. You can expect to make a full recovery within a year.
The long recovery process from reconstructive foot surgery is well worth it for anyone with significant foot abnormalities that are not fixable by other methods. It can prevent severe alternatives like permanent loss of mobility and amputation.
If you have major foot problems or disability, our team evaluates you to determine if you’re a good candidate for reconstructive surgery or another intervention. Contact us to start the evaluation process toward healthy feet.
