Say Goodbye to Bunions With Minimally Invasive Bunion Surgery

Your toes are important to help your feet as you walk, run, or most things while upright, and conditions that affect them can compromise them and make everything harder. Bunions, also known as hallux valgus, are a common foot deformity that causes a bump on the side of your big toe. 

They affect one in three Americans and can form on one or both feet. Bunions are more frequent among women and older people. While there are some remedies you can use at home to relieve the pain of the condition, it can severely impact your quality of life if left untreated.

There are many options for managing bunions, including surgical solutions, but there is a minimally invasive way to treat the problem that can help. To explore this option, let’s examine what bunions are, the common causes and signs of this deformity, and the specific options that can help with minimal surgical work.

If you live in the Fort Worth, or Weatherford Texas, area and you’re struggling with bunions or other foot deformities, Drs. Gary Driver, Glen Beede, Gary Jaryga, and the skilled medical staff at Trinity Foot & Ankle Specialists can help.

Understanding bunions

Your toes are part of the forefoot and consist of a total of 14 bones referred to as the phalanges. The phalanges are connected to the metatarsals which extend from your midfoot, and your big toe is supported by another bone known as the sesamoid bone that reduces stress on the tendon. 

Bunions are the bony lumps that form at the base of your big toe, and result from some of the bones in your foot moving out of place. The condition leads to your big toe being pulled toward your smaller toes and forces the base of your big toe to poke out from the side of your foot.

Common causes and signs

Several things can lead to bunions, including inherited foot structure problems, flat feet, flexible ligaments, injuries, and abnormal bone structure. Arthritis, wearing ill fitting shoes, high heeled shoes, and standing for extended periods of time can exacerbate existing problems with bunions. If the condition is not treated, it can lead to permanent deformity, hammertoe, metatarsalgia, bursitis, chronic pain, and stiff toe.

The bump on your foot and the positioning of your big toe are common signs. Other indications of bunions include red, inflamed skin on the affected area, thick skin on the underside of your toe, calluses, foot pain, and difficulty moving the toe.

Minimally invasive surgery advantages

When your bunion reaches the point where it severely hinders your ability to get around, the typical surgical option consists of removing some of the bone to correct the position of the big toe and clearing away any swollen tissue affecting the joint. It takes up to two months to fully heal, and you’re likely to be able to walk on that foot right after surgery. 

The Arthrex Minimally Invasive Bunionectomy® helps your bunion with less incisions, a faster surgery, decreased risk of tendon and neurovascular injury, and fewer wound complications from the procedure itself. This complete system starts with a percutaneous cut to the bone, followed by precise shifting of the bone to reposition it where it needs to be. This is followed by guidewires inserted to help with screw placement and beveled screws are fixed into place. The result leaves the ligaments and joint capsule that holds everything in place alone, and helps this procedure heal faster than traditional surgeries.

Each bunion has to be examined and treated according to its own needs. If your condition requires surgery and you want to examine the possibility of a minimally invasive option, make an appointment with Drs. Driver, Beede, Jaryga, and Trinity Foot & Ankle specialists today.