Surgery for hallux valgus or bunion

Can bunion surgery be avoided by some treatment?

We are going to refer to what we know as conservative treatment of the hallux valgus or bunion. This basically consists in the use of orthopedic insoles because the discharge that we are going to place under the plantar vault will discretely lift the articulation of the big toe and it will be discharged so that the pain will be relieved. You can also perform treatments that are known as orthopedic procedures performed by a podiatrist that consist of applying silicones to discharge the most painful areas.

What is percutaneous foot surgery?

Percutaneous foot surgery is a minimally invasive surgery used to treat deformities, basically, of the forefoot. Through small incisions of less than half a centimeter we will be able to introduce a series of special instruments -thought for this surgery- and with these we will perform all the necessary maneuvers to correct deformities of the forefoot. These corrections basically consist in the resection of the exostoses, which are these bulges that occur for example in the bunion, we will be able to correct the position of the big toe in the hallux valgus, through what we know as osteotomies , which consist of To cut a bone surgically, and we are even going to be able to introduce screws through these small incisions of the skin to be able to fix a bone in the position that we want. We can also perform procedures on the tendons, on the hammertoes and on the tailor's bunion.

What type of anesthesia will be used?

Our preferred anesthesia to treat foot deformities with percutaneous surgery is local anesthesia , always administered by an anesthetist. This local anesthetic is going to be inserted in the ankle, which will allow us to sleep all the way. To be able to do it without the patient having any discomfort, some drugs known as anxiolytics are administered through an intravenous injection, so that the patient does not suffer any kind of stress and is not nervous during the process. The local anesthetic administered in this way has a double advantage, first of all there is no need to administer the injection in the spine, the famous and feared epidural anesthesia, and at the same time as we are going to administer long-lasting drugs, the foot goes to be asleep or pain-free for at least 24 hours , which is a great advantage for the patient.

What is the recovery time after surgery?

Basically it is a process that lasts 1 month. In the post-operative period, the patient is immediately fitted with orthopedic footwear , a shoe adapted with velcro, and the patient is allowed to walk. The normal thing is that during the first week the patient makes a certain rest and from the second week you can go out to the street, you can wander calmly, but during this month you need the post-surgical shoe. From this month we will allow the patient to put on a comfortable shoe, which can be a sports shoe or sandal type, and with this you can normally wander and even rejoin your work. Always expect a little swelling that will gradually diminish.