The human foot has its fair share of unique maladies and conditions, from flat feet to athlete’s foot to toes being broken. One particularly common ailment is the common bunion, and this area of foot health is well-known. Studies have shown that anywhere from 215% to 33% of American adults suffer from bunion deformities, and women are ten times as likely to develop them as men are, often due to wearing too-small shoes. Bunions can also develop when a person has different leg lengths, and the uneven gait and uneven pressure can form bunions on the foot of the longer leg. Around 85% of people have different-length legs, making for a large pool of people susceptible to this type of foot pain. Treatment for bunions is available, however, and foot surgery can address foot problems for any patient. Bunion pain does not have to be a lifelong affliction, and recovery time after bunion surgery can be managed.
Adults are dedicated walkers. By age 50, most Americans will have traveled 75,000 miles on their feet, and on average, an adult takes 4,000 to 6,000 steps per day, and this number can be much higher among those with outdoor jobs, such as police officers, letter carriers, and game hunters and other outdoors workers. This constant bipedal movement can add up on the feet and wear them out; 19% of the U.S. population will have an average of 1.4 foot problems per year, and one out of ten Americans will suffer Plantar Fasciitis sometime in their life. Bunions, however, can be treated with surgery, and recovery time after bunion surgery does not have to be painful or difficult if the right steps are taken.
Bunions and You
According to Health Line, a bunion is a bony bump that will form at the big toe’s base, and it will form a union with a foot bone known as the first metatarsal. The big toe points inwards toward the second toe, and this foot deformity consists of bone and soft tissue alike. There are some son-surgical methods for treating or preventing bunions, according to Mayo Clinic, such as changing shoes (for more room for the foot), padding or taping toes to reduce pressure and strain and bunion pain, taking medication, using shoe inserts, and even applying ice to the afflicted area.
If surgery becomes necessary, a person can go in for bunion removal, sometimes called a bunionectomy. During this procedure, local numbness is applied below the ankle of the afflicted foot, and the big toe joint may cut and realigned, or the afflicted area may even be removed and replaced with metal plates and screws to correct the deformity. This is an outpatient procedure, meaning the patient may return home a few hours afterwards.
Recovery time after bunion surgery can be managed. The feet always have pressure placed on them, and this can hurt even after bunion surgery. However, according to Northwest Surgery Center, recovery time after bunion surgery can be fairly short, especially since nothing invasive such as needles in the arm or tubes down the throat are involved. Recovery time may not even involve crutches or scooters, nor adjustment to the diet. Instead, refraining from intense physical activity such as jogging, running, or most sports could be a good idea, to prevent aggravating the post-surgery foot. Overall, if handled responsibly, recovery time after bunion surgery can be short and relatively painless, and have minimal impact on daily life.