Can a bunion grow back after bunion surgery? - Dr. Blitz (2024)
“I had bunion surgery to shave down a bunion a few years ago, but it looks like it’s coming back. Is that possible, and how do I keep it from happening again?”
It’s not uncommon for bunions to come back, even if you’ve had a bunionectomy. In fact, they’re more likely to recur if your bunion surgery was simply to shave down the bone, as opposed to a procedure like a lapidus bunionectomy or other method of realigning the bones of the foot.
Why would a shaved bunion grow back after Bunionectomy?
The answer is simple: because bunion surgery isn’t just about getting rid of the bump. Many people believe a bunion is simply an overgrowth of bone, but it’s more than that.
A bunion forms because the big toe joint has shifted, and a bone called the metatarsal has slowly moved out of place and started pushing out against the skin. That’s what causes the bump. Shaving doesn’t fix the position of the bones, so the poor alignment (or “malalignment”) grows worse over time. That allows the metatarsal bone to start pushing against the skin again, making the bump reappear.
What is the right way to perform bunion surgery?
In order to properly correct a bunion, the surgeon needs to reposition the poorly aligned bones. In Dr. Blitz’s experience, it’s best to treat recurring bunions with the procedure called the lapidus bunionectomy, or lapidus arthrodesis. This lapidus procedure fixes the root of the problem in the underlying bone, returning it to its proper position.
Dr. Blitz usually recommends the lapidus bunionectomy as a “first line of defense” bunion surgery, simply because he finds that it has a low rate of recurrence. But the good news is that even when bunions do recur after a lapidus procedure, they can still be corrected successfully.
To help prevent recurrence of a bunion after bunion surgery, Dr. Blitz and his staff develop a treatment plan for each patient and their foot or feet.
Even in situations where the bones of the foot have been realigned to reduce the pain and deformity of the bunion, a person's foot structure can cause a bunion to reform later. It may be several years before bunions appear again but it can happen.
Suykerbuyk performs the Lapiplasty 3D Bunionectomy, which addresses the bunion at the unstable joint, preventing the bunion from returning in the future. With this technique, the recurrence rate for a bunion goes down to less than 4%.
That's because a revision foot surgery can be performed by a specialist experienced in bunion revision surgeries to help restore motion and anatomical alignment at the great toe while improving the foot's cosmetic appearance and relieving pain symptoms.
It's not uncommon for bunions to come back, even if you've had a bunionectomy. In fact, they're more likely to recur if your bunion surgery was simply to shave down the bone, as opposed to a procedure like a lapidus bunionectomy or other method of realigning the bones of the foot.
A botched bunionectomy typically is intolerable to the patient, causing inability to walk without pain, continuous inability to bend the big toe joint, or even inability to fit into shoes. Other cases of failed bunion surgery involve over-correction of the original deformity.
Since bunions are a 3-dimensional deformity a procedure that corrects all 3 dimensions is required. Osteotomies only correct 2 of the 3 dimensions. Lapiplasty surgery failures are reduced to only 3-5% according to current studies. Lapiplasty recovery time is also shorter!
So about 1 in 100 patients have their bunion return after 2 years. Whilst this percentage may increase over time, I have confidence that this is unlikely because of the power of correction possible when performing keyhole bunion surgery.
Lapiplasty offers a promising surgical treatment option. It involves a less invasive procedure, fewer complications, and a quicker recovery than traditional bunion surgery. It also addresses bunions at their root cause.
If you have bone loss or degeneration, are morbidly obese, or have a known sensitivity to implanted devices, you may not be a candidate for Lapiplasty surgery. Pediatric patients under 12 years old and adolescent patients with open growth plates may also not be eligible.
According to our Tarrant County podiatrist, chronic post-surgical pain after foot surgery can occur for a variety of reasons, including: Tissue damage and inflammation. Damage to a nerve or nerves. Formation of scar tissue.
Many prefer to be done with the surgery all at once instead of waiting to do one at a time. However, many doctors recommend waiting six to eight weeks between surgeries and having one bunion removed at a time.
Lapiplasty® is a new procedure using patented technology to correct not only the bunion, but its root cause. It straightens three dimensions of alignment of the metatarsal bone. First, it corrects the sideways lean of your metatarsal bone.
Revision surgery isn't right for every patient with bunion surgery failure, but it may be right for you if you experience post-surgical arthritis, bone necrosis, compromised foot function, or severe stiffness. Overcorrection and under-correction are also possible reasons for considering a bunion revision.
Studies have shown that bunion surgery has a failure rate of up to 40%. This means that in 40% of cases, the surgery does not provide the desired outcome.
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