By 2 months post surgery, I was walking long distances. Barely any pain and swelling in my 1st MTP joints. Now at 3 months, I hardly think about my feet anymore. I am happy that I moved forward with my surgery.
In the larger studies I have read, most patients who are good candidates for a cheilectomy have positive results. Good candidate = still have a decent amount of cartilage in the joint. This is a well studied surgical procedure with a proven track record. If you are a good candidate for the procedure and suffering from a fair amount of pain, I think that this surgery is a no-brainer. Just make sure to vet and chose and a good surgeon.
On the question of doing a bilateral surgery: I am also happy that I did both feet and got it all over with at once. My doc said that he would make a rare exception for me, since my case was very clear-cut and I was obviously a good candidate for the procedure. If there are any doubts about whether or not this is a good procedure for you, probably best to do one foot first and let several months pass before you decide to move forward with the other.
Conclusion: Cheilectomy of MTP joints worked great for me.
My final words are very specific to my case and thus probably not relevant to most who would come across this blog. I had debridement done on the IP (interphalangeal) joints of my big toes as well (where I actually had the greatest amount of pain). According to my surgeon, this is much rarer, and I could not find any academic research on this procedure. Often when this joint presents problems, the bones are simply fused. These joints have been more problematic and slower to recover, quicker to swell up post surgery. They also lost quite a bit of mobility post surgery. Still, the pain and swelling in these joints is slowly disappearing, and I hope that in a few more months, I will no longer notice them, as I no longer notice the MTP joints where I had the cheilectomy.
Good luck to all those with upcoming surgeries! Michael
