Bunions and Surgery

What is role of surgery?

When all the above non-surgical treatments fail, surgery may be the only other alternative. Surgery involves removal of the swollen tissues and realigning the toe.

However, surgery is not always successful and bunions can recur. Recovery after surgery can take a few weeks and the course is also marked by difficulty in ambulation. Moreover, surgery requires time off from work, there is significant pain afterwards and the results are not guaranteed. More often than not, you will be worse off than what you started off. Finally, a number of orthopedic surgeons who do bunionectomy have poor technical skills. If you do decide to go for surgery, choose your surgeon well. There are no refunds for cock-ups., which are common in bone surgery.

Physical therapy includes wearing splints, ultrasound or whirlpool baths can help soothe the pain and assist in ambulation. There are a variety of splints available and they do help relieve pain. Often shoe inserts can help control abnormal movement of the foot. Shoe inserts can be acquired with or without a prescription

To prevent recurrences one should wear proper shoes and avoid high heels. The best advice for patients with bunions is to rest, limit activity, which worsens the symptoms, and obtain proper shoe wear.