Help! My Bunion Came Back!: Christopher Suykerbuyk, DPM: Podiatrist (2024)

FAQs

Help! My Bunion Came Back!: Christopher Suykerbuyk, DPM: Podiatrist? ›

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%.

This is why many people who have had traditional surgery have had their bunions return. In fact, 1 in 3 patients have been left dissatisfied with their surgical outcome in the past and up to 70% of those treated have had their bunion return.

Diagnosis and Treatment

A podiatrist may recommend these treatments: Padding and Taping: Often the first step in a treatment plan, padding the bunion minimizes pain and allows the patient to continue a normal, active life. Taping helps keep the foot in a normal position, thus reducing stress and pain.

A question I am often asked! One of the many reasons I carry out keyhole bunion corrections rather than traditional open 'scarf' surgery is due to the potential reduced bunion recurrence rates with a minimally-invasive technique. Recurrence rates for bunion surgery have been reported as high as 16%.

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.

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!

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.

This may also help to reduce the severity. Bunions are permanent without surgery, but surgery isn't always necessary. In general, bunions need surgery if the pain is severe and conservative treatments don't keep bunions from getting worse, or if it's affecting your activities or causing other foot concerns.

Caretras Bunion Corrector

If you're looking to help temporarily realign your bunion, consider using this corrector recommended by Sharkey. It helps relieve discomfort, pressure, and inflammation by constantly applying gentle pressure when on.

At what age should you not have bunion surgery? ›

There's no cut-and-dry rule regarding an age limit for bunion surgery. Seniors can visit a podiatrist serving the Sugar Land area to find out if the procedure might be right for them.

Bunions can't be reversed, and unfortunately, they don't go away on their own. Once you have a bunion, it will likely continue to grow over time. Luckily, many people don't need to have surgery to treat their bunions.

Going barefoot is ideal in the beginning stages of bunions. When barefoot, the joints of the toes will get stronger, an important part of good foot health.

Do bunion correctors really work? Research suggests that bunion correctors aren't effective at realigning your big toe or at getting rid of bunions. But they may help provide some temporary pain relief, while you wear them.

Sounds crazy, right? But, according to the NIH, menthol and camphor — two of the active ingredients in Vicks VapoRub — may help soothe inflamed joints and muscles by acting as a topical anesthetic. Treating bunions with Vicks may provide temporary, superficial pain relief.

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.

Bunions can recur because of medical conditions or non-healing of the bone after surgery.

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.