Dr Timothy Young Discusses Bunion Surgeries, Part 2 

Operating Room Preparation 

Dr. Young and his staff will prepare the operating room by ensuring that the required equipment is sterilized and ready for use. This includes special surgical instruments that Dr. Young utilizes specifically for bunion correctionsurgery along with other standard surgical instruments. Also, surgical drapes, and other materialsrequired for the surgery. Dr. Young and the surgical team will also put on sterile clothing and gloves to reduce the risk of infection

Surgical Procedure 

At the time of surgery, the correct surgical location is verified. IV antibiotics are administered by the anesthesia staff. The foot is prepped by a surgical scrub tech. Dr. Young will then do a final antibacterial scrub, in combination with sterile drapes placed around the foot isolated and protect the foot from infection.  

Dr. Young will then start by making incisions on the foot to access the bunion. Dr. Young is careful and meticulous going down through the soft tissue layers over the bunion. Enlargement of the bunion itself (bone) is removed. Dr. Young then performs the bunion realignment surgery. You can think of this as resetting the bones like a surgical fracture. Just like a fracture, once the new position is exactly where Dr. Young wants it, he then uses any needed combination of pins screws and plates to maintain the correction. The hardware (screws plates and or pins) is used to hold the bones in place during the healing process. 

This is also where the art of surgery comes in. For example, after realigning the first metatarsal, if the great toe is still out alignment, then additional correction is necessary. This needs to be done at the time of surgery. Additional release of lateral soft tissue structures can be done. An additional procedure called an Akin can be done. There are several options, and this is where it is critical to make sure that the foot is fully corrected before the dressings go on and the surgery is complete. Dr. Young will also use intraoperative fluoroscopy (which is a form of x-rays) to verify the bones and correction are exactly where he wants them. When our patients first see their bunion correction after surgery. We want to make sure that they are happy, and that the bunion is fully corrected. This also helps to minimize the risk of recurrence of a bunion. 

If you are experiencing foor or ankle pain, give us a call at 425-391-8666 or make an appointment online.