Bunion Surgery

If you need bunion surgery you should know that there are over 100 surgeries for bunions. More than one type of surgery may be beneficial for your condition.

Some Types of Bunion Surgery

• Exostectomy

• Bunionectomy

• Realignment of ligaments

• Metatarsal osteotomy

• Phalangeal osteotomy

• Arthrodesis

• Lapidus procedure

• Implant insertion

If all other treatments have failed to relieve your bunion pain, or if you are having a difficult time walking or doing normal daily activities, you may want to consider surgery.

A regional anesthetic that will apply directly to the foot is what is most used for bunion surgery. A sedative may also be given during the procedure. Depending on the type of surgery, it usually will take about an hour, and is done as an outpatient.

Your surgeon will make an incision on the top or side of your big toe joint and remove or realign the soft tissue and bone to help alleviate pain and restore normal alignment to your joint. If your joint is severely deformed, it may require tiny wires, stitches, screws or plates to stabilize it. There is no guarantee that your pain will be gone once you have bunion surgery.

Recovery from bunion surgery can take anywhere from 6 weeks to 6 months, depending on the amount of soft tissue and bone affected. And sometimes complete healing can take up to 1 year. After surgery, your foot needs be kept covered while showering or bathing so that your stitches will remain dry. Your stitches will be removed 1 to 3 weeks following surgery. Pins that stick out of your foot are removed 3 to 4 weeks after surgery. Walking casts, splints, special shoes may be used depending on the procedure. You probably won't be able to wear regular shoes for about a month and normal activities can be resumed between 6 to 8 weeks following surgery.

Your ability to walk and participate in other activities is likely to improve after surgery. Your big toe joint should be less painful and move better. Your toe might look more normal than before after the incision has healed and the swelling has passed.

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