What you should do after bunion surgery (2024)

FAQs

What you should do after bunion surgery? ›

Elevating your foot for 55 minutes in each hour and taking regular painkillers for two weeks after surgery will help to keep pain at a minimum. Using extra pillows and cushions in bed and while resting on the sofa will help to keep your foot elevated.

You may need to refrain from driving for a week or more after surgery. Exercises or physical therapy may be recommended to help the foot recover its strength and range of motion after surgery. High heels should be avoided for at least 6 months after surgery.

Resting during your recovery

Keep your affected foot and leg elevated as much as possible, propping your foot up with pillows as needed. This reduces the overall amount of swelling and pain you have to cope with. Limit your walking as you recover after bunion surgery.

How long should you stay off your feet after bunion surgery? For every foot surgery, patients should stay off their feet and rest for the first two weeks. Typically, it is recommended that you keep the surgical area elevated 80% of the time during the first week and 50% of the time in the second week.

Weight-bearing in your boot with crutches or walker as tolerated for short distances in home, long distance a knee scooter is recommended. Patients will walk flatfooted on surgical side in boot, never advancing the good foot beyond the surgical foot. Think the traditional slow walk brides used to walk down the aisle.

Operation to two weeks

You should wear the postoperative shoe, day and night. You can wiggle the toes, but the aim of this fortnight is to rest and get the skin wounds soundly healed. If you are sitting raise the foot on a chair, or by sitting across a sofa – this will reduce the swelling.

Putting any weight on an operated foot or ankle can damage the repair that's been done. Bones need time to heal. Plates or screws that may have been added during surgery need the bones to heal around them. Adding weight too soon can interrupt this important internal healing process.

Keep Your Foot Elevated While Sleeping

This helps reduce swelling and pain and speeds up the healing process. The best way to elevate your foot is to prop it up on a pillow. You can also use a special bunion surgery recovery sock, which helps to keep your foot in the correct position.

Screws used in minimally invasive bunions surgery are not placed near the joint, they just hold the bunion correction. Patients will not be able to feel the screws as they are placed within the bone. Screws are titanium alloy which are inert to the human body in the vast majority of cases.

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.

How can I shrink my bunions naturally? ›

Crocs are considered to be a therapeutic shoe because they offer long-term relief of foot pain after surgery. Patients are encouraged to wear crocs after surgery especially when the feet have swollen.

After the first day or two you may take an over the counter anti-inflammatory. An average sized adult may take three 200 mg ibuprofen (Advil/Motrin) tablets every 8 hours, or Aleve two tablets twice a day, with food for a period of two weeks.

Prop up your foot and leg on a pillow when you ice it or anytime you sit or lie down during the next 3 days. Try to keep it above the level of your heart. This will help reduce swelling.

Is the surgery painful? The amount of pain experienced after bunion surgery is different from one person to the next. Most patients will experience discomfort for three to five days. If you closely follow your foot and ankle surgeon's instructions, you can help minimize pain and swelling after your bunion surgery.

The recovery period after bunion surgery can vary between individuals. You may have your stitches removed after a couple of weeks. The average patient may spend approximately six weeks wearing a post-operative shoe or using crutches. It is really important to not walk around the house barefoot during this time.

Fixation issue: Small screws are used during the bunion surgery to hold the toe in place. The body can reject these screws or they may move placement, there is a 2% risk of a fixation issue.

Yes, it is possible to elevate an injury too much. Elevation is a technique commonly used to treat many musculoskeletal injuries ranging from foot fractures to tendinitis in your knees. Elevating injuries in your legs or arms can encourage blood flow to inflamed tissue and reduce swelling.

After surgery, many podiatrists will recommend wearing a splint to help the bones learn to align correctly. This can help prevent a bunion from forming after it has been corrected. Wearing shoes that do not constrict your feet and have plenty of room in the toe box can help your feet learn to adjust properly as well.