If done properly, a patient would be able to weight bear the same day after surgery.
I give my post-op patients a special post-op surgical shoe, that allows the patient to fully weight bear and walk on, the same day of surgery. This is applicable to both open and keyhole technique correction. Skin stitches are usually removed at about 2 weeks post-op.
Internally, it takes about 3-4 months for the bones and soft tissues to heal. It also takes some time for the post-surgical swelling to come down.
I usually advice my patient to elevate their foot as much as possible. As the foot heals, patients are able to progressively do more things and physical activity. They would be able to walk more and more, and start doing brisk walking and progress on to light jogging and ultimately running and their usual pre-operative activity and sport.
For keyhole surgery, I also usually see my patients weekly after surgery. The post-operative dressing is especially important for keyhole correction, so that we can have optimal alignment and correction of the original deformity.
Here's an example of a MIS pre and post operative picture:
(Left foot) (Right foot)
