While we do offer non-invasive methods of treatment for bunions here at our clinic, we offer surgical treatment of bunions as well! Bunion surgery doesn’t have to be scary. Here’s how you can recover quickly from your bunion surgery.
Manage Your Expectations
Your first few postoperative days will be when your swelling and pain at the surgical site are at their worst. You’ll want to elevate the operative foot, and follow your doctor’s directions on painkillers and cold compresses. Most swelling and muscle soreness after surgery or trauma happen somewhere between days two and three. Be ready for this and you can handle it with grace!
Your foot will be bandaged, and you may also be given a postoperative shoe or cast to protect it further. You should cover your foot with a plastic bag when bathing to make sure your dressings do not get wet, and keep an eye on your dressings for any signs of bleeding or drainage.
If your dressings get wet or come off, you should call your doctor for guidance.
Getting Back To Regular Activities
Although you will likely be able to walk a week or two after your surgery, you should try to keep your weight on the heel of the foot that’s been operated on and off your toes – according to your doctor’s instructions after your surgery. You may need to walk with a crutch or a cane for a week or two.
You should not resume full weight-bearing activities until your doctor advises it’s safe to do so.
Be sure to keep all of your follow-up appointments with your surgeon. Your bandages will need to be changed, stitches may need to be removed, and your surgeon will want to make sure that your surgical site and bones of the big toe operated on are healing correctly.
Pick The Right Procedure
We have recently begun offering lapiplasty procedures at our clinic! Lapiplasty is different from traditional bunion surgery, results in better long-term outcomes, and shorter recovery time. You can bear more weight than you would after traditional bunion surgery.
Read more: What Is Lapiplasty?
A conventional bunion surgery for a moderate to severe bunion will usually have a timeline that looks like this:
- 2-6 weeks of no or limited weight-bearing activity.
- 6 weeks you can return to weight-bearing activity, such as driving your car if you had surgery on your right foot.
- 8 weeks post-surgery, you can return to wearing your normal tennis shoes.
- After about 3-4 months, your surgical wound will fully heal, and you can return to strenuous athletic activities such as running without experiencing too much pain, if any.
The lapiplasty timeframe is much different: we generally allow weight bearing within a week and most people are back into regular shoes within 4-6 weeks.
A lapiplasty procedure is a minimally invasive option. At our clinic, we make a small incision at the top of the foot. Specialized tools are inserted to reposition the misaligned bone. Traditional surgery cuts the bone to remove the bump – but doesn’t correct the misaligned bone rotationally.
After the bone has been rotated back to its proper position, we solidify the unstable joint that caused the bunion with a pair of small titanium plates.
This minimally invasive surgery allows you to get back on your feet faster with less pain. To find out if you will be a good candidate for this procedure, click below to schedule your consultation today:
