Surgery for bunions

A surgery can be done to remove bunions as well. The surgeryinvolves an incision in the top or side of the big toe joint, after which thesoft tissue is removed and the bone is realigned in order to relieve pain andrestore normal alignment to the joint.

In cases where the joint is very severely deformed, doctorscould stabilize it with tiny wires, stitches or screws.

However, there is no absolute guarantee that this kind ofsurgery will relieve all of the pain caused by the bunion.

Sometimes sedatives are used during the procedure, butusually, only a local anesthetic is administered. Depending on the style of thesurgery, it could take up to an hour or more.

It is interesting to note that there are over 100 differentsurgeries for bunions. There is no research, however, indicating what the bestkind of surgery is for this condition. In some cases, more than one surgery can be done at thesame time.

What happens usually is that the part of the metatarsalhead, which is the part of the foot that bulges out when people have bunions,is removed.

The soft tissues, or ligaments, around the big toe joint arethen realigned. The small wedge of the bone or from the toe is then removedfrom the foot. The bone is removed from the end of the first metatarsal bone,which joins with the base of the big toe. At this joint, both the big toe andmetatarsal bones are then reshaped.

Then there is a fusion of the big toe joint, after which animplant is inserted as part of an artificial joint.

It usually takes in between six weeks and six months torecover from bunion surgery, depending on how much of the soft tissue and bonewas affected.

In order to completely heal, it might take up to a year.

It is important to cover the foot and keep the stitches drywhile showering or bathing.

The stitches are removed after seven to 21 days. If pinswere needed in the foot, they are removed after three to four weeks, but insome cases, they can stay in for six weeks.

A person’s ability to walk will likely improve after thesurgery, which means that there will be less pain in the big toe joint.

It is important to see a doctor first before considering surgery,because if the case is not that severe, the doctor might recommend non-surgicaltreatments that can help with the pain.

There is also a running risk of catching an infection of thetissues and bones during the surgery, though it is a fairly rare occurrence.