Top Secrets to Successful Bunion Surgery

You might wonder what a bunion is, well, it’s a bony bump that can form on your big toe’s base. With a bunion, the big toe will point inwards to your second toe. It’s a deformity of your foot which consists of soft tissue and bone. It can be extremely painful, especially if you wear the wrong shoes that are too narrow or small over the front area of your foot.

These are usually the cause of developing bunions and you will require bunion surgery to fix it. It’s a fact that more women than men will develop bunions. The procedure to remove bunions will be done surgically to correct the area of your foot that is deformed close to your big toe.

When to choose bunion surgery?
Many patients might find relief from the pain by wearing shoes that are wider over the toe area. To relieve the pain some can even wear athletic shoes as an alternative to high heels. You can also use protective pads to cushion your bunions. If you still experience pain after you made adjustments to your lifestyle, you will need surgery to remove your bunion ​effectively.
The following scenarios will make you the right candidate:
- When it’s difficult to straighten or bend your big toe.
- If your toe stays painful and swollen even after medication and resting.
- With walking even only a little way and you experience severe pain in your foot.
- Your pain prohibits or restricts your daily activities or routines completely.

You need to discuss your limitations and symptoms with the doctor so that he/she after X-rays can determine what bunion surgery you might need to correct your problem.

Preparing for Surgery
Your doctor will do some medical tests and check on your overall health prior to scheduling the removal of your bunion. These tests can include lung X-ray, a cardiogram for heart function, as well as testing blood and urine for any other illnesses.

The doctor can ask you to stop using any medications prior to the surgery, especially if you use any blood-thinning drugs or aspirin. Normally this procedure can be done as an outpatient. It means you can go home soon after the procedure is completed, as long as general anesthesia has worn off.

Bunion Surgery Procedure
Some patients might not need to get a general anesthetic with bunion surgery because a local anesthetic that is also called an ankle block will work. This will numb you under your ankle, and you will stay awake during the surgery. After you are numb completely, your surgeon then removes your bunion. The most common procedures to remove bunions are arthrodesis, osteotomy, and exostectomy.

With arthrodesis, the surgeon replaces any damaged joints with metal or screws plates in order to correct your deformity. Through an exostectomy, the surgeon only removes the bunion out of your joint and doesn’t perform the alignment. Using osteotomy, the surgeon cuts the joint of your big toe to realign it into its usual position.

Recovery After Surgery
Recovery time when you had bunion surgery can take between 6 -8 weeks, although for full recovery when you had a bunion removal surgery will be on average between 4 -6 months. You will wear a cast or surgical boot for 2 weeks just after the surgery for the protection of your foot, and you also need to be careful that stitches don’t get wet. After this, you will need to wear a foot brace for support while it’s healing. Crutches will be provided to assist you because you can’t put any weight on them in the beginning.

Slowly, with the crutches or a walker as support, you might try to put weight on the foot. To speed up the healing process as well as reduce inflammation, you should use ice on the foot and try to stay off it as much as possible. When your foot feels stronger and it’s necessary, you can start to drive. After the bunion is removed you can expect swelling to remain up to a degree still for some months.

Shoes that you wear should have ample space to lessen your pain. Avoid high heels until about 6 months after your surgery. The doctor can recommend physical therapy to learn different exercises for strengthening your lower leg and foot.

Bunion surgery is frequently extremely successful. Your doctor can recommend certain measures to follow and make sure the foot will heal correctly. Remember to avoid shoes that will not be good for your feet and prevent any future problems with bunions.