Bunion surgery is one of the most common surgeries performed in the United States.  It is something like 250,000 operations annually, that is a lot of bunions!  Well, how can you maximize your results, get back to activities early and heal faster?  I will give you some insight on these questions.    

Maximizing bunion results, when I think about what this question means I think it would pertain to how you get the best outcomes.  This means to me how you make the foot more functional and get a good cosmetic result.  This would be best done through appropriate procedure selection.  There are a lot of different bunion operations that are used to fix different sizes of bunions and different foot structures.  To me the most important thing here is to select a bunion surgeon that does a lot of bunions. 

How do you get back to activities earlier?  The main point here is to follow your surgeon's protocol.  Do not listen to your neighbor or friend, they might have had a different operation than you.  Your surgeon really knows best in this case.  Most of us have taken years to perfect our post-op protocol and do not deviate from following them to the letter.  But if you have questions or concerns ask to let us know.

Healing faster can mean a lot of things, the skin, the bone, when one can walk.    The skin is the first thing to heal. I always recommend collagen and zinc supplements.  These seem to speed things along and once the incision is closed there are some great products to minimize scar appearance.  Next is the bone, a good bone healing supplement is essential and if available a bone stimulator can shave weeks off healing.  Weight bearing is a different story, often this depends on other procedures that were done.  I try to get all my patients moving and bearing weight within a couple days if appropriate.  The minimum is to start a range of motion exercises.    

If you would like a consultation on your bunion, I can help.  Call to make an appointment with me at 425-391-8666 or schedule an appointment online. 

Sincerely,

Dr Brandon Nelson

American College of Foot & Ankle Surgeons

Bunions are primarily a genetic foot structure that is inherited from mom or dad.  We see that it can skip generations as well.  There seems to be a misconception that the bunion is just a growth on the side of the foot.  However, this is not true.  The bunion is a misalignment of the first metatarsal.  It occurs when the first metatarsal separates or begins to deviate from the second metatarsal towards the other foot.  This in turn causes the big toe to deviate or point towards the second digit.  The growth or bump that one sees is the first metatarsal pointing out of the joint.  This concept is important to understand as it will make sense when I discuss bunion correction. 

Bunion correction refers to removal or reversal of the bunion.  Well now that you understand it is a deviation, more correctly a progressive deviation of the first metatarsal, you can see why certain things will not correct a bunion.  I have seen all sorts of strapping, taping and splinting techniques to correct a bunion.  Now that it is clear this is a movement of a bone you can clearly see why none of this works.  It is not possible to move the first metatarsal back into place once it has deviated via any sort of appliance or device you apply to the outside of the foot.  Once the bone has moved the only option to correct the bunion is surgical. 

Surgical correction of the bunion is the only way to reverse this misalignment.  This is the only avenue we have to bring the big toe back into the correct orientation.  There are many different techniques based on the size of the bunion and the rest of the foot structure.  If you have a bunion and need help please schedule an appointment. Give us a call at 425-391-8666 or make an appointment online today.

Sincerely,

Dr Brandon Nelson

Bunion surgery is one of the most common procedures performed in the United States.  It is almost exclusively done in an outpatient setting and the majority of procedures can be completed in less than 2 hours.  Most patients will experience pain that lasts a few days and can begin weight bearing fairly soon.  There are many different types of bunion surgery and not all are equally effective. 

There are a few things that will help patients get a better outcome with bunion surgery.  I will discuss these tips that can be helpful along with selection of the surgeon.

#1. The most important thing after having any type of surgery is to follow postoperative protocol.  There are many tips that can improve your outcome after bunion surgery and careful adherence to postoperative protocols is essential.

#2. Bone healing supplementation, there are many different types of bone healing supplementation that are not all created equal however some of them can be highly effective in decreasing healing times.  I have a brand that I recommend for all my patients that often shaves weeks off of healing time.

#3. Couch potato for your first week, set yourself up for success.  During that first week just really take it easy, take your medications as prescribed, ice and elevate your foot.

#4. Surgeon selection, the majority of us have very similar training and most foot and ankle physicians are highly trained in this procedure.  One question I would ask any surgeon is how many bunion surgeries they perform annually.

I hope this is helpful and can be utilized by you in the future.

Sincerely,

Dr. Brandon Nelson

Bunion surgery is by far the most common surgical procedure that I perform. That is why I developed the Washington Bunion Center. We use state of the art equipment, the latest techniques all to provide the best possible patient experience and outcomes. We have advanced protocols for pain control after surgery and to decrease healing time. Additionally, I minimize surgery time for a better patient outcome, reducing things like post-operative nausea and grogginess regardless of the type of bunion surgery needed.

The average bunion surgery requires cutting of the bone or fusion of a joint. These are the two most common bunion surgeries to date. Regardless of the procedure needed I can make sure patients are walking immediately after surgery or within a few days by utilizing special techniques and weight bearing options. This had taken years to develop and the reason I am able to do this is related to years and years of experience.

This experience is what sets me apart from other bunion surgeons. I have fixed so many bunions over the last 15 years that is has provided me with invaluable skill and knowledge that results in excellent outcomes. I feel that by combining these two attributes’ patients have the best possible results. If you are thinking about fixing your bunion schedule an appointment today so I can help.

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

I try to let my patients know that I understand how scary or nervous it can feel to think about surgery. I think as surgeons sometimes we can forget that for us this is routine, however for the patient it can seem overwhelming. Bunion surgery itself is relatively straight forward and can provide great results. I have thought it could be helpful to have a few questions to ask your surgeon.

I think one of the most important questions to ask your surgeon is, “How many bunion surgeries you have done and how often you do them?”. I think most likely you are seeing a Podiatrist and we perform the most bunion surgeries out of any other specialty. I can tell you in residency alone I probably did over 500 and now into private practice for over 10 years I am sure the number is over 1000.

Another important question is, “What are some of the most common complications that occur?”. Every surgery has complications this is part of practicing medicine. The most important aspect of this is how they handle it and how quickly a surgeon responds to these. One of the most common is probably infection and this is rare, the literature state about 3% of all patients will experience this.

Additional question could include, “Why did you select this procedure?” There are numerous different bunion procedures and why we select a particular one is important. This is because they all have different correction abilities and time frames for healing. The majority of bunion procedures can be categorized as head or base procedures. Lastly, “What is my recovery time?”, be specific are you talking about back to exercising or just into a normal shoe.

I hope this was helpful, please feel free to schedule an appointment with me if you would like a consultation of second opinion. Give our office a call at 425-391-8666.

What is a bunion?

A bunion is a genetically inherited foot structure that leads to migration of your 1st metatarsal. The bunion itself is where the 1st metatarsal begins to protrude out the medial or inside of the foot. Nothing actually grows or forms new bone, but it is the deviation of the normal bone that creates the bunion. The bunion can continue to rotate and get larger until it creates hammer toes of the other digits. The bunion eventually causes pain and deformity that needs to be addressed surgically.

Bunion surgery:

One of the most common bunion surgeries is a head procedure. This involves cutting the metatarsal bunion and the end closest to the toe. The bone is then shifted back into place and held with a screw. This procedure works well for mild to moderate bunions and has a fairly quick recovery. The patient can walk the entire time and return to activities much sooner than other procedures.

Outcomes:

The typical bunion surgery has a 5% recurrence rate. The majority of the bunions that return are from not following post-op instructions or other foot factors. It is important to have your surgeon address all other components of your foot and procedure selection should be based on these findings. An x-ray is vital for procedure planning and an overall foot exam to help determine what other pathologies are present.

If you are suffering from bunion pain make an appointment today and I can help you get back to the activities you enjoy!

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

What is a bunion?

A bunion is a genetically inherited foot structure that leads to migration of your 1st metatarsal. The bunion itself is where the 1st metatarsal begins to protrude out the medial or inside of the foot. Nothing actually grows or forms new bone, but it is the deviation of the normal bone that creates the bunion. The bunion can continue to rotate and get larger until it creates hammer toes of the other digits. The bunion eventually causes pain and deformity that needs to be addressed surgically.

Bunion surgery:

One of the most common bunion surgeries is a head procedure. This involves cutting the metatarsal bunion and the end closest to the toe. The bone is then shifted back into place and held with a screw. This procedure works well for mild to moderate bunions and has a fairly quick recovery. The patient can walk the entire time and return to activities much sooner than other procedures.

Outcomes:

The typical bunion surgery has a 5% recurrence rate. The majority of the bunions that return are from not following post-op instructions or other foot factors. It is important to have your surgeon address all other components of your foot and procedure selection should be based on these findings. An x-ray is vital for procedure planning and an overall foot exam to help determine what other pathologies are present.

If you are suffering from bunion pain make an appointment today and I can help you get back to the activities you enjoy!

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