Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsHow It WorksWhy It’s NeededPreparationWhat to ExpectRecovery
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
How It Works
Why It’s Needed
Preparation
What to Expect
Recovery
Bunion surgery fixes a bony outgrowth at the base of the big toe. The growth is called a “bunion” orhallux valgus, and it forces the toe inward. Surgery for a bunion can involve cutting and realigning bone, repositioning muscles, tendons, and ligaments in the foot; and fusing or replacing a joint.
Bunions only need to be treated if they’re causing discomfort or if the skin has non-healing ulceration when someone has diabetes. Surgery for a bunion is not usually the first treatment option. For example, wearing wider shoes with a toe box, a bunion cushion, or a special foot insert in your shoe is sometimes enough to deal with a bunion.
If you’ve tried otherbunion treatmentsbut symptoms are getting in the way of your activities (like affecting your ability to walk), you might consider having bunion surgery.
This article will go over the different kinds of bunion surgery, what to expect from the procedure, and how to handle recovery from having a bunion removed.
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How to Deal With Bunion Pain Without Surgery
What Is Bunion Surgery?
Bunion surgery is done to restore the affected toe to its normal position with the goal of reducing pain and improving function.
Bunions form along the big toe. Outgrowths on the other side of the foot just below the pinky toe are calledbunionettes. These growths can also be fixed with bunion surgery.
Usually, you can have bunion surgery as a same-day outpatient procedure and won’t need to be admitted to the hospital.
You might think that bunion surgery is just shaving off the bunion, but that usually does not work because the bunion can come back. Instead, bunion surgery involves removing the bony outgrowth and cutting and straightening the affected toe bone.
The surgeon will also reposition thetendonsandligamentsin the foot. This can include tightening the ligaments on the outside of the toe and loosening the ligaments on the inside to create the tension needed to get the toe back in the right position.
If the toe position is moved, it can be stabilized and held in place with metal plates, screws, or wires while it heals.
How to Shrink Bunions Naturally
Open vs. Minimally-Invasive Bunion Surgery
Bunion surgery can be done in a couple of ways. One is a traditionalopen approach, which requires a bigger incision to be made in your skin of your foot.
The other option isminimally invasive surgery, which uses small keyhole incisions, special surgical instruments, and an imaging technique calledfluoroscopy.
This method doesn’t require any big cuts to be made and also tends to have a faster recovery time and lower risk of infections and other complications compared to open surgery.
However, people with more severe bunions might need to have open surgery because the less invasive option might not provide enough surgical access to fix the problem.
Even though bunion surgery is usually quick, it requires a skilled surgeon who understands theanatomy of the footand has experience with bunions.
Do You Need Surgery for a Bunionette?
Types of Bunion Surgery
There are over 150 types of surgeries for bunions. These are the most common types of bunion surgery used today:
In all types of bunion surgery, the soft tissues around the joint, including tendons and ligaments, are also rebalanced to keep the deformity from coming back. This is called soft tissue repair.
The type of bunion surgery that’s right for you will depend on the severity of the bunion (mild, moderate, or severe), whether you havearthritisin the toe joint, and the surgeon’s experience.
Your surgeon will take factors like your age, activity level, overall health, and the severity of the bunion into account when deciding on which bunion surgery (or combination of surgeries) would benefit you the most.
What Is an Osteotomy Procedure?
Who Cannot Have Bunion Surgery?
Some people cannot have bunion surgery because they have health conditions or circumstances that would make it unsafe (contraindications).
You may not be able to have bunion surgery if you have:
Can I Have Cosmetic Surgery to Fix a Bunion?Bunion surgery is not done if a person does not have symptoms related to the bunion and only wants to have surgery to change how their foot looks (cosmetic surgery).
Can I Have Cosmetic Surgery to Fix a Bunion?
Bunion surgery is not done if a person does not have symptoms related to the bunion and only wants to have surgery to change how their foot looks (cosmetic surgery).
What Are the Risks of Bunion Surgery?
Any surgery has risks. There are also some specific risks of having bunion surgery that you should know about.
Potential risks of bunion surgery include:
What Are Different Types of Bunions?
Why Bunion Surgery Is Done
Bunion surgery is generally considered if you have one or more of the following issues related to the bunion:
If you are considered a good candidate and want to move forward with bunion surgery, your surgeon will order special footX-raysto help them plan your procedure.
You will also need to see your primary care provider for tests to make sure that it would be safe for you to have surgery.
For example:
Why Bunions Happen
How to Prepare for Bunion Surgery
If you’re considering bunion surgery, you’ll want to find out how much it will cost to remove a bunion. The first step is to contact your insurance provider and ask how much they will cover. Then, you can get an idea of what theout-of-pocket costsfor bunion surgery might be.
Once you are scheduled for bunion surgery, your surgeon will give you instructions on how to prepare for the procedure.
You need to follow the instructions carefully because they are meant to help avoid problems before, during, and after the surgery. If you have questions, make sure you get in touch with your surgeon to ask them before the day of your appointment.
Early Signs of Bunions: What to Do Once You See Them
Where Is Bunion Surgery Done?
Your surgeon will want you to arrive at the location about one to two hours early on the day of your operation.
Food and Drink
You willnot be able to have anything to eat or drinkeight to 12 hours before surgery (fasting). The exact timing will depend on the type of anesthesia you will be having during the procedure.
Medications
You may need tostop taking certain medications, like NSAIDs, a few days before having bunion surgery.
Tell your surgeon about all the medications you take, including prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medications, herbal products, supplements, vitamins, and recreational drugs.
Are There Risks of Having Surgery on a Bunion?
What to Wear and Bring
You will change into a hospital gown when you arrive for your surgery, so wearing something loose-fitting and easy to take off will make the process go faster and also help you feel more comfortable after surgery. Do not wear any jewelry, including anybody piercings.
A special boot will be placed on your foot after surgery, so it can help to wear stretchy sweatpants that can easily fit around it. You could also bring shorts to change into before you go home.
You’ll need a supportive, non-slip shoe with a rubber sole to wear on the foot that was not operated on.
On the day of your surgery, make sure you bring these things with you:
You will need a family member or friend to come with you on the day of your procedure because you will not be able to walk or drive after. You will need someone to take you home after your surgery is done.
Pre-Op Lifestyle Changes
If you have a health condition, likediabetesorhigh blood pressure, it’s important that you manage them leading up to your surgery.
If you smoke, you will be asked to stop for at least a few weeks before your operation.Smoking increases your risk of wound and bone healing problems after surgery.
What to Expect on the Day of Surgery
On the day of your bunion surgery, you get to the hospital or office a few hours before your surgery is scheduled. You will check in, your insurance will be verified (if you have it), and you willsign consent forms.
Before the Surgery
You will be taken to a pre-operative room to change out of your clothes and into a hospital gown. A nurse will go over your medication list, take your heart rate, blood pressure, temperature, and othervitals. and put an intravenous (IV) line into a vein in your arm so you can get fluids and medications.
Your surgeon andanesthesiologistwill come to say hello and talk to you about the operation and answer any questions you have. Then, you will be wheeled into the operating room on a gurney.
During the Surgery
Bunion surgery can be done under local, general, or spinal anesthesia.
Once the anesthesia has taken effect, a surgical assistant will clean the skin on the surgical foot with an antiseptic solution that kills bacteria.
What happens during the surgery will depend on your case, but these steps are part of most surgeries for a bunion:
How Long Does Bunion Surgery Take?The operation time for bunion surgery is usually less than one hour, but it can take longer based on what procedures are being performed.In most cases, only one foot is operated on during the procedure. If you need to have a bunion on your other foot removed, a second surgery can be scheduled.
How Long Does Bunion Surgery Take?
The operation time for bunion surgery is usually less than one hour, but it can take longer based on what procedures are being performed.In most cases, only one foot is operated on during the procedure. If you need to have a bunion on your other foot removed, a second surgery can be scheduled.
The operation time for bunion surgery is usually less than one hour, but it can take longer based on what procedures are being performed.
In most cases, only one foot is operated on during the procedure. If you need to have a bunion on your other foot removed, a second surgery can be scheduled.
After the Surgery
In the recovery room, a nurse will monitor your vital signs. Once you are awake—around one to two hours after surgery, or longer if you had general anesthesia—you will be allowed to go home.
What Do Bunions Look Like on an X-Ray
Recovery From Bunion Surgery
As you recover from bunion surgery at home, you will have instructions to follow including:
Since you won’t be able to move around much in the first couple of weeks after bunion surgery, be sure to arrange for someone to help you with shopping and chores.
Finding a comfortable way to sleep after bunion surgery may take some trial and error. You don’t want to put pressure on your healing foot, which could interfere with healing and cause pain. You might find that elevating your foot in bed helps decrease the swelling and keeps you from moving it too much during the night.
Your surgeon may recommend daily foot andtoe stretching exercisesduring your recovery to help you regain strength andrange of motion in the footafter surgery.
Physical Therapy After Bunion Surgery
You’ll go back to see your surgeon about one to two weeks after you have bunion surgery. At this appointment, your dressings will be changed and your stitches will be removed.
Even if your surgeon allows you to remove your boot at a follow-up appointment, you will likely still have to wear a foot brace or splint for four to 10 more weeks.
When to Call Your SurgeonIf you have these symptoms during your recovery from bunion surgery it could be a sign of a complication.Call your surgeon if you have:Fever or chillsRedness, swelling, bleeding, or pus-like drainage from the incisionIncreased pain around the foot or incisionSwelling in the calf of the leg on the side where you had surgeryTrouble breathing
When to Call Your Surgeon
If you have these symptoms during your recovery from bunion surgery it could be a sign of a complication.Call your surgeon if you have:Fever or chillsRedness, swelling, bleeding, or pus-like drainage from the incisionIncreased pain around the foot or incisionSwelling in the calf of the leg on the side where you had surgeryTrouble breathing
If you have these symptoms during your recovery from bunion surgery it could be a sign of a complication.
Call your surgeon if you have:
Long-Term Care
You can expect to begin placing weight on your post-surgery foot around two to six weeks after surgery, but you will still need to use an assistive device for up to 12 weeks after your operation.
When the swelling fully resolves, you can start wearing and walking with an athletic or soft-leather shoe.
The width of your forefoot will not change much after bunion surgery. In fact, the average correction of forefoot width is just a fraction of an inch.
While some people are able to wear slimmer shoes eventually (at least six months after surgery), others are not.
Best Shoes for Bunion Support
Possible Future Bunion Surgeries
Future surgeries for a bunion might be needed if you have complications or if the hardware inserted In your foot becomes painful.
For example, you might need a second bunion surgery if the bones do not heal after anosteotomyand realignment. If a new problem develops because of the surgery—for example, if the deformity is overcorrected and the big toe points outward—you might need to have revision surgery.
The causes of bunions are not always things you can control—for example, the way your feet are shaped or developing joint conditions. You might be worried that a bunion will “grow back” after surgery or that you’ll develop more bunions.
Surgical correction of bunion recurrence can be challenging and require a lot of skill. Bunions can come back months or years after surgery, especially if the first attempt to fix it does not work well—for example, just shaving off the bunion without correcting the soft tissues of the foot.
Lifestyle Adjustments
Your surgeon will tell you that it’s important to avoid smoking while you recover from bunion surgery because smoking can affect wound healing.
Toprevent your bunionfrom recurring or from forming in the other foot, you need to wear shoes that are comfortable and have a wide toe box. Your toes should have enough wiggle room and good arch support. If you have to wear shoes with a narrower toe box, only do so for a short time.
Some studies have shown thatmaintaining a healthy body weightfor your height also helps prevent bunion recurrence.
What’s a Tailor’s Bunion?
Summary
Bunion surgery can be helpful if a bunion that’s causing you pain or affecting your ability to walk. The type of bunion surgery you need will depend on how serious the bunion is.
It can take some time to heal from bunion surgery, and you’ll need to take steps to help prevent the bunion from coming back. Sometimes, you might need to have a second bunion surgery if the first one didn’t fix the problem or if you get another bunion.
Food Problems That Can Look Like a Bunion But Aren’t
10 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Bunion surgery.Singh MS, Khurana A, Kapoor D, Katekar S, Kumar A, Vishwakarma G.Minimally invasive vs open distal metatarsal osteotomy for hallux valgus - A systematic review and meta-analysis.J Clin Orthop Trauma. May-Jun 2020;11(3):348-356. doi:10.1016/j.jcot.2020.04.016Harvard Health Publishing. Harvard Medical School.What to do about bunions.Edwards WHB.Avascular necrosis of the first metatarsal head.Foot Ankle Clin. 2005 Mar;10(1):117-27. doi:10.1016/j.fcl.2004.11.001Ahmad, J. American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society.How to Prepare For Foot or Ankle Surgery: Day of Surgery.Beahrs TR, Reagan J, Bettin CC, Grear BJ, Murphy GA, Richardson DR.Smoking Effects in Foot and Ankle Surgery: An Evidence-Based Review.Foot Ankle Int.2019 Oct;40(10):1226-1232. doi:10.1177/1071100719867942Johns Hopkins Medicine.Bunion Surgery.Cleveland Clinic.Bunion Surgery (Bunionectomy).Raikin SM, Miller AG, Daniel J.Recurrence of hallux valgus: a review.Foot Ankle Clin. 2014 Jun;19(2):259-74. doi:10.1016/j.fcl.2014.02.008Chen JY, Hui Lee MJ, Rikhraj et al.Effect of Obesity in Outcome of Hallux Valgus Surgery.Comparative Study Foot Ankle Int.2015 Sep;36(9):1078-83. doi:10.1177/1071100715581449
10 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Bunion surgery.Singh MS, Khurana A, Kapoor D, Katekar S, Kumar A, Vishwakarma G.Minimally invasive vs open distal metatarsal osteotomy for hallux valgus - A systematic review and meta-analysis.J Clin Orthop Trauma. May-Jun 2020;11(3):348-356. doi:10.1016/j.jcot.2020.04.016Harvard Health Publishing. Harvard Medical School.What to do about bunions.Edwards WHB.Avascular necrosis of the first metatarsal head.Foot Ankle Clin. 2005 Mar;10(1):117-27. doi:10.1016/j.fcl.2004.11.001Ahmad, J. American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society.How to Prepare For Foot or Ankle Surgery: Day of Surgery.Beahrs TR, Reagan J, Bettin CC, Grear BJ, Murphy GA, Richardson DR.Smoking Effects in Foot and Ankle Surgery: An Evidence-Based Review.Foot Ankle Int.2019 Oct;40(10):1226-1232. doi:10.1177/1071100719867942Johns Hopkins Medicine.Bunion Surgery.Cleveland Clinic.Bunion Surgery (Bunionectomy).Raikin SM, Miller AG, Daniel J.Recurrence of hallux valgus: a review.Foot Ankle Clin. 2014 Jun;19(2):259-74. doi:10.1016/j.fcl.2014.02.008Chen JY, Hui Lee MJ, Rikhraj et al.Effect of Obesity in Outcome of Hallux Valgus Surgery.Comparative Study Foot Ankle Int.2015 Sep;36(9):1078-83. doi:10.1177/1071100715581449
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Bunion surgery.Singh MS, Khurana A, Kapoor D, Katekar S, Kumar A, Vishwakarma G.Minimally invasive vs open distal metatarsal osteotomy for hallux valgus - A systematic review and meta-analysis.J Clin Orthop Trauma. May-Jun 2020;11(3):348-356. doi:10.1016/j.jcot.2020.04.016Harvard Health Publishing. Harvard Medical School.What to do about bunions.Edwards WHB.Avascular necrosis of the first metatarsal head.Foot Ankle Clin. 2005 Mar;10(1):117-27. doi:10.1016/j.fcl.2004.11.001Ahmad, J. American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society.How to Prepare For Foot or Ankle Surgery: Day of Surgery.Beahrs TR, Reagan J, Bettin CC, Grear BJ, Murphy GA, Richardson DR.Smoking Effects in Foot and Ankle Surgery: An Evidence-Based Review.Foot Ankle Int.2019 Oct;40(10):1226-1232. doi:10.1177/1071100719867942Johns Hopkins Medicine.Bunion Surgery.Cleveland Clinic.Bunion Surgery (Bunionectomy).Raikin SM, Miller AG, Daniel J.Recurrence of hallux valgus: a review.Foot Ankle Clin. 2014 Jun;19(2):259-74. doi:10.1016/j.fcl.2014.02.008Chen JY, Hui Lee MJ, Rikhraj et al.Effect of Obesity in Outcome of Hallux Valgus Surgery.Comparative Study Foot Ankle Int.2015 Sep;36(9):1078-83. doi:10.1177/1071100715581449
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Bunion surgery.
Singh MS, Khurana A, Kapoor D, Katekar S, Kumar A, Vishwakarma G.Minimally invasive vs open distal metatarsal osteotomy for hallux valgus - A systematic review and meta-analysis.J Clin Orthop Trauma. May-Jun 2020;11(3):348-356. doi:10.1016/j.jcot.2020.04.016
Harvard Health Publishing. Harvard Medical School.What to do about bunions.
Edwards WHB.Avascular necrosis of the first metatarsal head.Foot Ankle Clin. 2005 Mar;10(1):117-27. doi:10.1016/j.fcl.2004.11.001
Ahmad, J. American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society.How to Prepare For Foot or Ankle Surgery: Day of Surgery.
Beahrs TR, Reagan J, Bettin CC, Grear BJ, Murphy GA, Richardson DR.Smoking Effects in Foot and Ankle Surgery: An Evidence-Based Review.Foot Ankle Int.2019 Oct;40(10):1226-1232. doi:10.1177/1071100719867942
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Bunion Surgery.
Cleveland Clinic.Bunion Surgery (Bunionectomy).
Raikin SM, Miller AG, Daniel J.Recurrence of hallux valgus: a review.Foot Ankle Clin. 2014 Jun;19(2):259-74. doi:10.1016/j.fcl.2014.02.008
Chen JY, Hui Lee MJ, Rikhraj et al.Effect of Obesity in Outcome of Hallux Valgus Surgery.Comparative Study Foot Ankle Int.2015 Sep;36(9):1078-83. doi:10.1177/1071100715581449
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