Frequently Asked Questions

What do the patients want to know?

Do I need to have my foot in a plaster cast after bunion surgery?

In most cases, if contemporary surgical techniques and implants are used, it is not necessary to immobilize the foot in a plaster cast. Sometimes, a patient needs to wear a special shoe with the higher heel, which off-loads the forefoot.

Is bunion surgery painful?

Bunion surgery is performed under the anaesthesia, so during the procedure the patient does not feel any pain. During the postoperative period, the painkillers are used routinely, in order to minimize the patient discomfort.

Do the bunions tend to “regrow”?

With older treatment methods, the recurrence was estimated to be as high as 30%. Currently, with the contemporary surgical techniques used at our Clinic, this ratio is only approx. 5%. One should remember, that there is no bunion treatment to guarantee a complete lack of recurrence of the deformity.

Is there a single, universal type of bunion surgery?

There are over 150 types of hallu valgus surgery described in the literature. Obviously, most of them belong to the past. It means, however, that there is no “universal” treatment method, appropriate for each and every patient. When qualifying a patient for surgery, the following factors are taken into account: age, severity of deformity, the articular cartilage defects, concomitant deformities, patient’s physical activity and systemic disases (e.g. diabetes, RA). The following are the procedures performed the most frequently in our Clinic: Scarf osteotomy, Chevron osteotomy, Akin osteotomy, arthrodesis of the 1st metatarsophalangeal joint and Lapidus bunionectomy surgery.

Do I need to have my implants removed?

A vast majority of implants we use (screws, plates) are made of titanium rather than steel. This allows for a complete rehabilitation (including physiotherapy). Such implants do not interfere with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Allergic response to titanium implants is extremely rare (there are just few published reports of such allergy), so most patients do not need to have their implants removed.

How long does the patient have to stay in hospital after foot and ankle surgery?

Most procedures requires an overnight stay in the Clinic, for the patient health benefit and comfort. This means that the patient is admitted in the morning and has the surgery on the same day, and the discharge is on the next day. Longer hospitalization is required in exceptionally rare cases.

How long does the recovery take after bunion surgery?

On the next day postoperatively, the patient may walk in a special sandal with the wedge orthosis. In order to prevent excessive foot oedema, we recommend that the patients avoid keeping the foot not lifted up for a long time The sutures are removed within 2-3 weeks postoperatively. The patient may return to wearing normal, comfortable footwear usually after 5-6 weeks, and to sport activities usually after 3-4 months.

Are bunions merely a cosmetic problem?

Hallux valgus is a complex foot deformity. It is not, as most patients tend to think, just a problem of a ‘protruding bone’. It is usually associated with pes transversoplanus, which is the cause of so-called metatarsalgia, i.e. severe forefoot pain. In our opinion, the bunion which does not cause pain, is not a good indication for surgery.

Is there any conservative treatment of hallux valgus?

In not advanced cases (slight deflexion of the big toe, w/o pes transversoplanus, hammer toes and metatarsalgia) with mild pain, functional rehabilitation and anti-inflammatory drugs may bring some relief. There are also different types of inserts, orthoses, and separators available on the market, each of them can ease the symptoms. One should remember, however, that these methods do not reduce the deformity, and exert their effect only at the moment of use. There is no evidence to support their inhibitory effect of deformity progression. Nevertheless, we encourage our patients to try the abovementioned methods, before they make a decision concerning surgical treatment.

Should you have any additional questions, please send them to: rejestracja.poradniastopy@gmail.com