Bunions are a major discomfort that a large portion of the country must confront every year.
According to Intermountain Healthcare, “about 23 percent of adults aged 18-65 have bunions. And 35.7 percent of people over 65 have bunions.” Orthopedic issues can lead to a disruption in a patient’s life, with everyday discomfort constantly getting in the way of their routine. The conventional approach has always been to have bunions surgically removed. However, traditional bunion surgery can involve a lot of tests before it can even be done. It requires general anesthesia, and typically involves a 5-6 inch cut into one’s foot, and the recovery process is long and painful. But nowadays, surgeons and doctors have found an alternative: minimally invasive bunion surgery.
Minimally invasive bunion surgery differs from traditional surgery in a few key ways. For one, smaller incisions are made, with “specially designed instruments” being used to look at the affected area without needing larger incisions, such as x-rays and tiny cameras that are inserted during the initial incisions. Due to this, there are smaller chances of infection or bleeding, and the surgery takes less time to undergo.
In addition, the small size of the procedure means that there will be no visible scarring. Unlike traditional bunion surgery, which typically requires patients to either wear a cast or be completely immobilized as part of the recovery process. Patients will be able to continue walking around with almost full mobility.
In fact, after minimally invasive surgery, a patient’s foot will only be wrapped in a soft dressing, and they can usually return to wearing regular shoes by 4 weeks.
Operating on the foot can be one of the more difficult places on the human body for a procedure. Each foot has 26 bones, 33 joints, and over 100 interacting muscles, tendons and ligaments, each with their own purpose. As such, surgeries must be delicate in how they are handled. One wrong move can lead to side effects, so more traditional operations would usually be needed more to guarantee optimal results.
However, in most cases, minimally invasive bunion surgery is a much more appealing surgery for the reasons mentioned above.
Here at Alliance Orthopedics are one of the select few that are utilizing this new and advanced surgery. We have doctors that specialize in this area, including Dr. Ammar Saymeh, DPM, the Director of Foot and Ankle Services at Alliance Orthopedics. Alliance Orthopedics presents a wide range options to provide a range of foot and ankle treatments. If minimally invasive bunion surgery sounds like what you need, we are equipped to help you. Various patients have positive stories about our bunion surgeries, and we are more than ready to help you deal with yours. To reach out to Dr. Saymeh or to find out more about minimally invasive bunion surgery, feel free to request an appointment with us or call any of our offices!
Sources
HenryFordTV. (2019, June 27). Minimally Invasive Bunion Surgery. YouTube. Retrieved September 25, 2021, from https://youtu.be/mgKDuqDFTUo.
McCartan, B. L. (2021, March 9). Why Traditional Bunion Surgery Should be Avoided. Northwest Surgery Center. Retrieved September 22, 2021, from https://northwestsurgerycenter.com/avoid-traditional-bunion-surgery/.
Nagy Footcare. (2017, August 7). Traditional vs Minimally Invasive Bunion Surgery: Know Which is Best. Nagy Footcare. Retrieved September 22, 2021, from https://www.nagyfootcare.com/blog/traditional-vs-minimally-invasive-bunion-surgery-know-which-is-best/.
Nelson, H. D. (2018, November 15). Do High Heels Cause Bunions? Intermountain Healthcare. Retrieved September 22, 2021, from https://intermountainhealthcare.org/blogs/topics/live-well/2018/11/do-high-heels-cause-bunions/.