How Much Pain am I Going to Have After Foot and Ankle Surgery?

Generally, foot and ankle surgery is not tremendously painful provided you follow postoperative instructions. A numbing medicine is placed around your ankle after surgery and you may not have any pain for four to 24 hours after surgery. Also, the more you have your foot elevated above heart level after surgery, the better you will feel. We give painkilling medications after surgery, but most people do not need to use these medications longer than a week.