Bunion Surgery

Bunion surgery generally involves an incision in the top or side of the big toe
joint and the removal or realignment of soft tissue and bone to relieve pain to restore normal alignment to the joint. If the joint is severely deformed, it may be stablized with tiny wires, stitches, screws, or plates. There is no guarantees that a bunion surgery will fully relieve the pain.

If the bunion is too severe, the big toe will crowd the second toe. This creates a hammertoe deformity which may also need to be corrected.

The most common complication of bunion surgery is a recurrence of the bunion months or years later. That said, if bunions are causing you problems in walking, it is certainly reasonable to consider surgical bunion treatment.

Some patients have a little arthritis in the joint at the base of the big toe. If the arthritis is too severe, the only way the bunion can be fixed is by fusing the joint (making the two bones grow together). Other patients have no arthritis and have very good motion of the joint to begin with. Because all surgery makes some scarring, it is possible to lose a little motion in the big toe following bunion surgery.

Most patients return to work within 3-5 days after the procedure. Some return on the same day of surgery.

Bunion surgery is not cosmetic surgery. Bunions may not be pretty, but cosmetic deformity is not a good reason to perform surgery. There are too many potential complications to perform a bunion surgery simply for cosmetic reasons.

An orthopaedic surgeon can help you decide if surgery is the best option for you.

Bunions