No Scar / Painless Bunion Surgery

A lot of patients who suffer from bunions try to steer away from surgery, thinking that the procedure would cause a lot of pain and swelling and leave them on crutches for weeks or even months.

Painful Bunion Surgery of The Past

 Well this is in fact true. In the past, bunionectomies involves a very large incision to expose the protruding bone of the bunion and other structures that need to be fixed during surgery. Then the bone is cut and aligned. There is a lot of manipulation involved and in some cases, some bone is removed especially for very large bunions. This manipulation, bone cutting and bone removal is the cause of severe pain, swelling and lengthy recovery periods in traditional bunionectomy.

Fortunately, with today’s innovative techniques like minimally invasive bunion surgery, recovery from bunion surgery is no longer as debilitating as it used to be. With the use of implants and well-placed medical pins, the bones are properly immobilized and held in place, allowing some surgeons to let their patients walk after surgery. Also, the incision done in minimally invasive bunion surgery is small, about 5mm, which is barely visible when healed.

Bunion Surgery Healing Time

Bunion surgery typically involves cutting the metatarsal bone and realigning the big toe. Once alignment is achieved, the bones are pinned into place until the bone mends itself, which takes about 6 weeks. Any bone in particular that is cut or fractured takes about 6 weeks to heal, this is the way our body handles injured bones and process cannot be hastened. However, the healing process could take longer if the patient is a smoker or has diabetes.

Walking after Surgery

With minimally invasive bunion surgery, patients are able to walk on the ball of their foot or with a special boot after surgery. Walking after surgery is actually beneficial for healing because it increases blood circulation on the foot and prevents muscle wasting.