No Scar / Painless Bunion Surgery

Bad Reputation of Bunion Surgery is a Thing of The Past with No Scar Bunion Surgery

A bunion is probably one of the most common causes of foot pain. It is a frequent problem caused by weak structures of the foot. Due to this weakness, the joint of the big toe slowly protrudes outwards forming a bunion. If the joint of the small toe is involved, this is called a bunionette.

No one knows why we develop bunions. Some people are just prone to this condition while others are not, but there are unlucky individuals who inherit this condition, develop bunions and the associated pain at a very early age.

Supportive treatment is the initial treatment for bunions like using wider shoes, shoe padding and inserts. Eventually, surgery will be needed especially when the protruding joint is causing much pain.

Bunion surgery is a one of the most common types of foot surgery performed. In traditional bunion surgery, the bone involved in the deformity must be re-aligned towards the central part of the foot. This involves making a large incision to expose the whole joint, then cutting the metatarsal bone and aligning the big toe. Then excess bone is cut off to remove any bumps. When the first metatarsal bone has been carefully aligned with the second metatarsal bone, it is pinned in place. The wound is then closed up.

The reason why traditional bunion surgery has a bad reputation is due to its very long recovery time, which is about 4 to 6 weeks. Since there is a lot of bone removal and manipulation, post surgery involves a lot of swelling and can be really painful. Expect to use crutches the whole time during recovery.

Today, there is a new approach in surgically treating bunions called minimally invasive, no scar bunionectomy, or scarless bunion surgery. This approach is actually very simple and can be done in the safety of the office surgical suite. This involves making a very small incision around 5mm to access the first metatarsal bone and cut it. Then carefully aligning the bone using live X-ray, then a long pin is inserted to stabilize the bone. There is only minimal swelling and pain after surgery. You can be up and about in just a day or two, that’s how successful scarless bunion surgery compared to the traditional bunion surgery.