Bunion Surgery

Bunion surgery is one of the most common foot operations performed in the UK. Most people do not realise this as a problem until the joint becomes painful or they have footwear fitting problems as the foot begins to splay and spread. 

A bunion is not just a growth of bone but a gradual dislocation of the big toe joint due to failure of supporting ligaments and tendons around the big toe joint, therefore most modern treatments are directed towards correcting the overall alignment of the joint rather that ‘bumpectomy’ as the older techniques were often labelled.

Bunion surgery generally involves an incision on the top or side of the big toe joint and the removal or realignment of soft tissue and bone. This is done to relieve pain and restore normal alignment to the joint. Techniques and advancement in screw and plate technology allows early weight-bearing and minimally invasive techniques allow our foot surgeons to perform this operation with minimal trauma, thus allowing quicker recovery and return to normal life after the operation.

Facts About Bunions:

+ 1 in 3 women will suffer from a bunion complaint at some point in their lives
+ Women are more likely to have painful bunions than men
+ They are inherited but do not show up in every generation
+ They cause crowding of smaller toes and therefore hammer toe problems
+ They can not be straightened without bunion surgery