How long does it take to recover from foot surgery?

You can prevent and treat many foot problems by choosing comfortable, well-fitting shoes. Moreover, you can catch most foot problems early, when they are most effectively treated. If surgery does become necessary, surgical techniques have improved to the point where most foot operations are now done on an outpatient basis. In some cases, recovery times have become shorter. Still, recovery is often a prolonged process, typically from three to six months -- and sometimes longer -- to regain full functioning after most surgical procedures involving the foot.

lf soft tissue surgery is performed, meaning that no bone work was required, the healing process should take no more than two to four weeks. lf bone surgery is performed you can expect that you will be unable to wear a closed shoe for a minimum of four to six weeks. Some foot surgeries that require the bones of the foot to be broken and realigned could require a patient to keep weight off the foot for up to six weeks and not wear a regular shoe for up to three months.

One must remember there are no shortcuts to foot surgery and sometimes a lesser operation will result in an unhappy patient in the long run, with additional surgeries needed in the future. You must always choose the best operation to deal with the problem, not the one that will get you back in shoes the soonest.