Are you toying with the idea of having surgery on your bunions? Well, don’t.
If you’ve done any research you know then that surgery has the following risks and possible outcomes.
1. Surgery, depending on the severity of the bunion can take up to a year to recover. (So you can put those running shoes away…)
2. Many times the bunion returns if the underlying problem is not corrected. (My grandmother is one of the lucky ones in this category)
3. Complication rates can fly as high as 55%!
Examples are infection, irritation from pins (Yes, that’s right, pins. Read on…) Risks are much higher for those with bad circulation, diabetes, and overall poor nutrition or health. Other issues that could surface include but are not limited to;
- Weakened big toe (We all need strong toes, even if we’re not ballerinas)
- Pain transferred to other parts of the foot including the ball of the foot
- Nerve damage
- Extensive physical therapy
- Continued swelling of the foot and let
- An increase in pain
- Terrible scarring
- CRPS (Complex Regional Pain Syndrome) – you can read up on this and other complications in this article also.
4. Studies reveal as many as 1/3 of patients express dissatisfaction with the results, even though the alignment was improved, you will not be able to wedge your tootsies into narrow 3″ heels like you did when you were 20. (Sorry ladies!)
5. For mild deformities the surgeon will probably elect to shave off the enlarged portion of the bone and then realign the muscles, ligament, and tendons. (Sound fun so far?…Wait, it gets better, this is a Bunionectomy for MILD cases)
6. For more serious cases you could be looking at a Osteotomy. A cut will be made at the base of the metatarsal bone. Then the surgeon will rotate the bone and secure it in place with pins or screws.
So what do you do if you don’t want to go through surgery?
Try the more less invasive solutions. Bunion Bootie is a gentle and 100% flexible support that will relieve the pressure on the toes to reduce the deformity and work to restore the natural and normal flexing action of the foot. It will work to improve your gait over time (it does not work not overnight, after all it did take it years to get to this point) but will maintain the anatomically correct position of the foot (even post surgery if you are trying to avoid going under the knife for the second time). Best of all, you can wear Bunion Bootie barefoot or in any shoe, including running and dress shoes!
Please share your surgery or recovery experience below. Anyone considering bunion surgery would benefit from your experience.
Oh and here’s a great article identifying a predictor in bunion recurrence after surgery!
Good luck!
Related articles
- Easy Exercises for Bunions (worldfromthisangle.wordpress.com)
