Bunion surgery

[Lesslie]

I wanted to know if anyone is unhappy with thier bunion surgery. I regret that I did not have keyhole surgery. Instead they put a screw in my foot so the little toes lined up more with the big toes, and not facing the opposite direction. I now limp on my foot as its stiff. Also my foot is swollen. I had an xray as you have to, just so they can finalise it all,.and they said it was fine. I'm not sure who I can get to do a second opinion. Maybe I would have to go private ..I can't wear flops now which was my favourite to wear in the summer due to having wide feet and a bunion.

Sorry to hear that you are unhappy with the surgery. When did you have it done?
I had ops on both feet and found that they took a long time to become more normal again. I have a few issues with my feet though (flat feet, also had a bit of arthritis in one toe). Mine are okay now they are a bit bigger / thicker than they were before. I still wear orthodontics as they make shoes more comfortable. I used to love wearing flip flops but I don't wear them now. I reckon that the flip flops and slides made my bunions worse.
I suspect you would need to go to a private consultant if you want a second opinion. I had mine done privately.

Thank you for replying. I got mine done a couple of years ago now. Yes my big toe is thicker now as well. I guess I did not get the outcome I expected as it does feel strange sometimes when I walk as my toe is stiff from the screw they put in my foot. Is that the same as what you had done ? I could see the screw on the xray.

My left foot isn't as straight as I would have liked but it was pretty bad to start with so all things considered Im ok with it. My right foot looks really good. Your problems go way beyond this though. I'm really sorry it's turned out this way for you - uou definitely shouldn't be limping. . It does sound like it needs to be redone by A reputable surgeon. I didn't have key hole surgery but didn't turn out the way yours has

I had a bunion corrected at the same time as surgery to correct an incorrectly set broken foot. I did regret it for quite a while after getting out of plaster. But it all settled down after around 2 years, and I am now very happy with the result and don't regret it at all. I had a 15cm scar, and had several bones realigned and pinned and was in a slippery cast for 12 weeks with my procedure. I think patience is the key - I had to get worse to get better. GL

Thanks all for your replies. I shall look into seeing someone private and see what they say

Just to add that I had mine done at a private hospital but paid for by the NHS. I was very lucky in that regard.

I would definitely recommend seeing a private surgeon if you can afford it. There is a really good Facebook group by the way- a lot of Americans on there but also a lot of UK people and there's a lot of information about the surgery and what your feet should look like afterwards.

I recovered pretty quickly - certainly within three months but I had odd pains and twinges in my left foot for about a year, then that just disappeared.

https://m.facebook.com/groups/879667705436344/

Hi,
I cannot afford to go private yet , but I shall check out some.prices. I will look for the face book group as I did not realise there was one for bunion surgery. That would be really helpful to see how others have turned out. Thank you

Hi. Hope you are well. Im due to have my op on the 12/6 i’m wondering what to expect in the way of recovery i haven’t really been told very much, they did advise potentially 6/8 weeks off work, I’m wondering if i will have a pot or just bandaged and ehat the surgical boot is like (id it like a velcro shoe type? and how long before i can wear shoes/trainers. Thanks. X

@Christine1998 how did it go? Which type of surgery did you have?

I had both feet done 8 months ago. One is fab and back to normal, the other is stiff and thickened and still painful to walk any further than a few hundred metres. It's crap. Two different people did a foot each and it's very obvious.

@Tallisker sorry to hear. Was it open or keyhole surgery?
I saw NHS doctor and I am waiting for a keyhole surgery but they will only do one foot at the time.

@oreo2024 open I think, given the length of the scars 😁 bones broken, straightened and screwed. Forefoot is now much thicker and I'm going back next week to be xrayed to see if a correction is needed

I’m one week in and feeling ok in myself, i stopped painkillers after day 2 as they gave me bad stomach pains or made me feel sick. I coped better with the foot pain. The pain is easing now and isn’t constant. I’m struggling to walk in the boot they gave me to make me walk on my heel to avoid weight on the area where they operated on. Its so heavy and the heel block is high making me uneven, giving me hip and back ache, i’m resting mostly so not walking much, i’m trying to even the difference out with a wedge sandal lol. Check up in 2 weeks and hopefully the bandages off, tho still in the boot until 6 weeks post op. I’m sure it will all be worth it and at least i’ll be better prepared when i have the other foot done. I did ask for them both done together to avoid further time off work, i can see now why they don’t.

@Christine1998 thanks for sharing. Was it open or keyhole surgery? NHS or private?

@oreo2024 it was nhs and open surgery.

@Christine1998 thank you!

I have had two bunion ops on one foot and three on the other - 4 osteotomies and a chielectomy over a couple of decades - and I have never had any pain or side effects. The original ops in 86 and 90 had to be 'revised' in the 2000s because the foot functions deteriorated and the type of procedures had changed, but everything is fine now. The procedures were carried out by specialist podiatric surgeons on the NHS.
My feet will never be perfect - but they are not unsightly and I can wear more or less any shoes I like and walk barefoot without pain. I don't wear thong flip flops or ballerinas or very high heels, and I do wear Pedag Viva Mini half-insoles (amzn.eu/d/0dSWVBEG) in flimsy shoes, but Clarks, Marks, Teva Tirra, and Hotter are all perfectly comfortable. I was back in normal shoes within three months. (And I had to bin the pre-op shoes!) If your feet hurt, say so!

I believe keyhole surgery still requires screws..it's just they make very small incisions and have specialized equipment (small enough to get through the small incisions) to cut the bone and place the screws.
Surgical visualization is much less and more x-rays needed to ensure correct positioning of instruments and implants.

I've discussed this with a private surgeon. Currently the benefits are not that much more than open surgery and the technique is still being adapted ...basically if / when the technique and evidence is there that keyhole is significantly better..it will become more widespread.

I am actually surprised how my visit went at a bunion doctor at NHS. They said that they will perform open surgery. When I mentioned I would prefer keyhole as I have read the recovery is quicker, they went on saying "yes ok we can perform keyhole and it's actually more beneficial as you can also rotate bones as you do it". I was slightly confused why they didn't offer keyhole in the first place then....

I've been put on a waiting list (NHS) but I am actually very nervous about the whole thing.

Reading with interest. I'm starting to think about having mine corrected but the recovery time is a major concern. Mine are not so painful any more but I have so many foot issues I suspect they are probably related to having bunions in the first place.

Had mine today. Day surgery. 90 minutes and was back on the ward. Feeling a bit nervous about the local block wearing off. Never had codeine before so that will be interesting . They gave me senna for constipation too.

Open surgery: scarf osteotomy and loosening of some soft tissue to reduce the "pull" of the big toe over the second toe.

Bandage for 2 weeks, shoe for 6 weeks. Physio for on the couch. The surgeon was pretty emphatic about the first two weeks 'investing in the recovery" basically foot elevated for 50 minutes out of every hour I'm awake. Feet swell a lot and this hinders healing.

@Beebopwasthebest thanks for the update! Was it under GA or local? NHS? Was there an option to chose between open or keyhole? Did they put in metals or screws?
Wishing you a smooth recovery!

GA with a nerve block (still numb now). Two small scews in the osteotomy and some soft tissue reconstruction . Private through insurance. The hospital doesn't do keyhole, I discussed it with the surgeon (who treats premiership footballers the physio told me!) and his opinion was that keyhole didn't have significant benefits as it currently stands.

My best solution for the weeks after the op was to go to a non-top-end shoe store or supermarket in advance and buy two pairs of cheap trainers (or even strappy sandals in midsummer!), one in your normal size and one two sizes bigger. Thus you always appear to be wearing matching shoes. And if you save them carefully, you can reverse them for your next foot. I also had a zip fitted in the ankle of a pair of inexpensive black trousers for work, so I could get them over the bandage.