We have discussed many things to consider after foot surgery in the previous post. There are several other things of course to think about with narcotic pain medication. Number one is to respect the potential for narcotic addiction. As soon as your pain is much reduced, you should stop taking your narcotic pain meds. You have to plan on meals and food. Remember to take narcotic pain meds with food. Make sure you drink plenty of water. It’s also good idea to plan on taking a stool softener so that you don’t get constipated with a narcotic pain medication such as docusate (Colace). A fiber laxative may also be helpful. Buy the stool softener before your surgery so you are prepared. If things get too far along don’t forget to take a suppository as another option. The most critical thing is that you need to make sure that you have bowel movements daily and you don’t get behind on this.  You should keep track of your bowel movements along with your narcotic and post op medication log.  ust add the info to your medication log.

 

If you have questions about hallux valgus bunion surgery or bunion correction, please let us know if you would like a consultation. Give us a call today at 425-391-8666 or make an appointment online.

Bunions can be quite painful and difficult to manage. Most patients experience pain along with the bunion itself. However quite a few patients can have foot pains in other locations secondary to the bunion. We see a lot of patients that have strapping, bracing and using shoe gear accommodations all to no avail. These are hard modalities to maintain and do not do anything to correct the bunion deformity. The only long-term solution to fix of bunion is surgical. However there are some other options that can alleviate the pain and slow the progression of the deformity.

The surgical procedures available for bunion correction usually can be characterized as a head or base procedures. Head procedures are done at the metatarsal head or towards the toes. Base procedures are done at the base of the metatarsal towards the metatarsal cuneiform joint. The type of procedure that is best for the bunion itself is correlated with a radiographic examination and physical examination foot, the other factors to consider are lifestyles and age of the patient. I recommend anybody evaluating bunion surgery to make an appointment to be evaluated and make sure you have the best possible outcome.

There are many different types of bunion surgeries that can be performed. However the majority of bunion procedures are classified as either a head procedure or base procedure. Head procedures are all performed distally or at the tip of the first metatarsal. Procedures that are called base procedures are performed at the base of the metatarsal or at the metatarsal cuneiform joint. There are many different names for head procedures. However all of them involve some sort of cut in the bone or osteotomy. The osteotomy can be performed in many different fashions, however one of the most stable procedures is called an Austin or Chevron cut.

This cut performed exactly is prescribed in a Chevron type fashion. The bone is then shifted towards the second metatarsal reducing the large bunion. Often times screw fixation is performed and some additional shaving for burring of the bony prominence this time. There are many modifications you can perform to this type of bunionectomy that can help correct other pathologies of the first metatarsal as well. I recommend seeing somebody who performs a lot of bunionectomies as often times these procedures can be more complex than appreciated. If you have a bunion and are interested in surgical correction we are happy to help you schedule a consultation today. Give us a call at 425-391-8666 or make an appointment online.

Bunion surgery can be a complex surgery. It depends on the nature of the bunion deformity and the overall foot structure. There are many factors that go into bunion deformity correction. Complicating factors can include overall flatfoot for high arch foot or lesser digital deformities including hammertoes. However some bunions are straightforward and are easily corrected. It is important to see a foot and ankle specialist that does or has done a large number of bunion deformities.

I also recommend trying to find a physician that has a surgery center as this is a huge cost-savings and time-savings for the patient. The majority of bunion procedures can be divided into head procedure or base procedure. The larger bunion deformities require base procedure and a smaller bunion deformity can be corrected with a head procedure. I also recommend patients make a list of questions regarding their foot in the overall correction recovery process. It is very important that patients choose a physician that they are comfortable with. I currently have been practicing for about 15 years and have fixed too many bunions count. If you have a bunion deformity and are contemplating getting it corrected nursing once available for conservative measures give us call today at 425-391-8666 or make an appointment online.

If you have questions about bunions or bunion surgery, please come to our office for a consultation to see myself Dr. Timothy Young or my partner Dr. Brandon Nelson.

Do I need bunion surgery?

Quite a few patients ask this question. There are many factors that go into whether I think a patient should undergo surgery. Pain is the primary factor that I like to use for patients deciding whether or not they need bunion surgery. Another factor includes whether or not their second toe is affected from the bunion with something like a hammertoe occurring. Another important factor to consider is that a bunion is a progressive deformity and at some point usually requires to be fixed.

How long doesn’t take to recover from bunion surgery?

This is a much harder question to answer because there are many variables that play into this. The most important variable is the type of bunion surgery that was performed. It also depends on one's definition of recovery. Majority of patients we see are walking within 1 week and can return to normal activities as quickly as 6 weeks or as long as 3 months.

Doesn’t hurt to have bunion surgery?

I find this question very easy to answer yes bunion surgery can be uncomfortable. However, at our office we typically perform 3-5 bunion surgeries every week and are very well-versed in helping patients with pain management. Any type of surgery will typically produce pain as this is a normal an inflammatory response. The majority of people that we treat typically will take pain medications for approximately 1-3 days.

Can I still Drive after having bunion surgery?

This question really depends on the type of bunion surgery that is performed. A large majority of bunion surgeries the patient can drive as soon as they feel comfortable. The majority of patients will drive in a stiff shoe however some patients with larger reconstructions may not be able to drive for approximately 4-6 weeks.

If you have a bunion and would like to discuss treatment options.  We recommend that you come into our clinic for consultation. Give us a call at 425-391-8666 or make an appointment online today. 

Contemplating bunion surgery can be an overwhelming task. Often times we see patients that have visited multiple practitioners. The best piece of advice I can give my patients is to be comfortable with the physician. There are many different types of bunion surgeries. The majority of bunion procedures can be broken up to either head or base procedures. The way to think about it is really large bunion deformities as base procedures and smaller bunion deformities can utilize head procedures.

The most common head procedures performed are the Austin bunionectomy or some form of a Chevron osteotomy. The most common of base type procedure is the Lapidus or arthrodesis of the metatarsal cuneiform joint. The procedure performed really dictates the postoperative recovery. The majority of patients we see are walking within the first week and usually do not take more than 3-5 days off of work. Another great things about Issaquah Foot and Ankle Specialists is we have an on-site surgery center which really reduces the cost and time. If you are contemplating bunion surgery we would happily discuss it with you and help you come up with the best available options.

Give us a call at 425-391-8666 or make an appointment online today.

The most common surgical procedure I perform by far is a bunionectomy. The bunionectomy procedure itself can be very rewarding for patients and physicians like. Often times patients come in with a significant amount of foot pain and a history of multiple conservative modalities have been attempted all to no avail. These people are obviously good candidates for surgical correction. Additionally I see a lot of patients that are currently not in pain however have a hard time fitting shoe gear or have a large bunion a family history of bunion deformities.

Surgical intervention is often warranted for patients that have a family history of bunion deformities or have a hard time fitting in shoes. A few patients come in with a large bunion that doesn’t have pain. Initially it is important to evaluate the patient from a clinical standpoint and radiographic standpoint. Often times on the x-ray we’ll see the beginning of arthritis and correcting the bony can help reduce the chance of long-term arthritic changes. I recommend patients that have a bunion to release be evaluated. That way we can at least implement conservative measures.