Did you know that around 13 million women suffer from this agonising foot complaint which can really only be treated by a painful, bone-crunching surgery.
But now there is a new keyhole procedure which is quick, almost pain free and leaves no scars.
Bunions are usually hereditary so if your mother had them, then the chances are you will get them too.
Bunion surgery has a reputation for being very painful with a lengthy recovery period, due to the amount of tissue that had to be cut through during surgery.
However, although some keyhole procedures for this problem may have been around for a while, there was no guarantee that the bunion would not return. But the latest keyhole procedure works like an open procedure leaving permanent screws to fit the joint, but through tiny incision.
This then means a minimal scar, performed as a day case and under local anaesthetic and with post operative pain and swelling greatly reduced.
After the operation the patient is still on crutches for six weeks and special shoes to be worn to keep your toes off the ground. But, once healed you should be able to get back in your high heels and even ran a marathon.
The long term impact of minimally invasive surgery for bunions is not yet known.
BACK PAIN BLOG UK... 
Did you know that anybody with feet can get bunions, not just women?
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Is it because of the kin of shoes we wear?My husband has a slight bunion but he wears flat shoes!
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I’m being naughty, and teasing Barmac for being a leetle bit sexist… 🙂
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you cheeky cheeky monkey walrus :)):)
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Guilty!
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Walrus is being a bit cheeky but yes a number of factors apart from being hereditory can be the shoes you wear etc and yes. men can have this problem as well, but unlike women who can’t fit in their fancy shoes, men will make do with anything that doesn’t hurt it.
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Oh, yes I did know that walrus but mainly us women 🙂
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It was a while ago, but it was so awful I thought it was gout! Diclofenac fixes it nicely.
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It is the same pain as gout but it is also the same pain as osteoarthritis of the big toe which is what I have. No bunion but the arthritis was so bad it was bone on bone, hence the surgery 🙂
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Yup, that would have to be fixed. No way anyone can tolerate that pain for long…
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It’s worked – cant feel any pain at all now, thank goodness 🙂 Hope yours never comes back 🙂
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It niggles me from time to time, but as it’s not gout, at least I don’t have to give up red wine, or anything awful like that…
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That’s a bit of an old fashioned thing now, my brother in law suffers from it a lot and just has to take some anti-inflammatory’s for a short time but he’s not a big drinker anyway.
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My dear Aunt Kathleen suffered terribly from Bunions. She wore the self-same shoes every since 1917. Two world wars later, she was till wearing those horrible button-up shoes that needed a buttoneer (a contraption) to button them up with. I used to get on my knees and do it for her. She would walk miles in those horrible things, with a medium high heel. I saw her bare feet and they were all gnarled and twisted out of alignment. Leather was at a premium thanks to those Wars, and I had to wear my own mother’s childhood shoes for the first seven years of my life. They were agony too, but my grandmother could do nothing about it.
I think poor Aunt Kathleen wore those damn-ned things until the day she died, many years later!
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I hope that doesn’t mean that you will suffer from them C. I met a lady while having mine done who’s mother did not have hers operated on until she was 90 but which stage it was so bad that they decided the only option was to amputate the big toe!!! hence the daughter was having her bunions done while she was young.
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Oh no! My Aunt Kathleen was a dear friend of my grandmother, because gran fostered her son, Bill, because ‘Aunt’ had to work in a factory. His father had been an Australian soldier who had to go back home after WW1. So, Nanna was best friends with her.
My arches broke down instead, from mother’s tiny shoes. My toes are all straight and I can use them like fingers! That is because I was given remedials for flat feet at ten, and I had to use my toes during therapy.
I have been lucky in some ways with my feet, but oh, how I wish I could have worn high heels. Can’t. The only shoes I can walk in are Easy Spirit walkers with laces, and I cannot walk too far barefoot. Too painful.
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My sister arches have broken down – I think women do suffer from foot problems due to shoes etc.
Use them like fingers!!!!!!!wow C, how clever is that :)You must be double jointed.
Take care, nice to have you back blogging again. x
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Also known as halux valgus, bunions can definitely make one’s feet look less appealing. Bunion surgery is indeed painful as complained by the patients I’ve worked with. Do you think this new technique advisable than the former?
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Yes, I saw two other ladies on my ward that had the other type of bunion surgery with wires sticking out and they will be using crutches for six weeks. It’s very difficult for a woman to use crutches for that length of time.
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very useful site for people all over the world
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Bunions are really painful i can tell since i had them too. But there are certain things you can do to ease pain like by wearing the right kind of shoes.Choose shoes that have a wide toe box and forgo those with pointed toes or high heels which may aggravate the condition, Padding: Pads placed over the area of the bunion can help minimize pain. You can get bunion pads from your podiatric surgeon or purchase them at a drug store. Activity modifications: Avoid activity that causes bunion pain, including standing for long periods of time. Medications: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen, may help to relieve pain. Icing: Applying an ice pack several times a day helps reduce inflammation and pain. Orthotic devices: In some cases, custom orthotic devices may be provided by the podiatric surgeon.
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