Does anyone else have this problem

Hi! I have had pain in the big right toe for many years, but in the last 5 years it has gotten worse. I went to several othopedic surgeon who specialize in feet and got everal opinions. As it was they seemed to think that I should wait and see if the pain gets worse I did. Finally last April it was getting so bad I went to a different orthopedic surgeon at a major teaching hospital(Harvard Medical School) in Boston. This dr. gave me 2 options and said I was between the two. I chose the lesss invassive of the two knowing it might not work. The surgeon removed 2 bone spurs I had on my big toe. Unforantely the arthritis is still there and the pain is still there. The surgeon wants me to wait at least a year from the surgery to do the fusion(but I don't think that they feel i am a good candidate for that. The other option I had was to have my toe fused(a pin is inserted so that the joint doesn't move). This requires a really long recovery - about 10-12 weeks. I would go to at least 2 different orthopedic surgeons ad/or podiatrists and see what they say. I hope this information helps
Andrea

Dear Andrea,
It sounds like they performed what's called a joint salvage procedure, that means your surgeon tried to clean up the joint to see if that alone would alleviate your symptoms. Sometimes surgeons will also perform a joint decompression procedre as well. However, if that procedure fails the next step is to perform one of the following procedures 1) joint fusion 2) implant 3) joint arthroplasty or Keller procedure. The choice is made based on a number of factors....I will go through a few with you... Age, bone stock (seen on X-ray), activity level, occupation, extent of arthritic damage (seen on X-ray), prior surgical procedures, pain....
If you are unsure about the type of procedure that is to be performed get a second opinion and inform yourself of the other options....