More common in women, bunions are a painful foot condition that is caused by an enlarged, bony bump on the joint at the base of the big toe. Many people who suffer from bunions experience a great deal of discomfort. Bunions occur when the big toe and second toe push against each other, causing pressure on your big toe joint.
Consequently, this can result in an abnormal-looking curve to your toes as well as cause soreness in your foot. While it can be a genetic condition that runs in the family, bunions can also be caused by wearing poorly fitted shoes or standing for long periods of time with poor posture.
Consulting with a surgeon to perform a bunion surgery is a recommended solution if your bunions are causing discomfort and pain on your feet. A minimally invasive bunion surgery can help women, and even men, find an appropriate bunion treatment when conservative measures are ineffective. Get in touch with our team of specialists in Singapore and find out how we can assist you.
Why is Bunion Surgery Minimally Invasive?
While bunions may not require medical treatments, it can be a permanent deformity to your foot unless surgically corrected. Bunions may also cause pain and make walking difficult because they put pressure on ligaments in the area. Additionally, having a bunion increases the risk of bursitis, hammer toe and metatarsalgia. When consulting our doctor in Singapore to treat your foot bunion, he may recommend a minimally invasive bunion surgery to relieve the symptoms associated with this condition before it gets worse.
For bunions, the surgeon will make small incisions to remove the enlarged part of bone, ligaments and tendons from the affected toe. As bunion surgery will be minimally invasive, it is an outpatient procedure with minimal scarring involved.
Book an Appointment Today for Your Bunion Treatment in Singapore
There are several things you can do to relieve bunion symptoms before considering surgery such as wearing properly aligned footwear. However, if this condition affects you regularly, consider speaking to our doctor in Singapore about the treatment options to alleviate the discomfort. Foot bunion surgery is minimally invasive, may relieve the pain and allow you to return to your normal activities, improving your quality of life.
Besides bunion, another common foot deformity is hammer toe, which develops when the middle toes bend up towards second or third toes. Having bunions may also make it more likely for you to develop hammer toes. If you're experiencing pain in your toe area, it may be time to visit an orthopaedic doctor who deals with these issues regularly for an examination. Get in touch with foot and ankle doctor, Dr. Gowreeson Thevendran, at Orthofoot MD today to find out more.
Frequently Asked Questions About Foot Bunion Surgery in Singapore
1. What can be confused for a bunion?
Bunions are a common foot deformity, caused by the big toe to move towards the other toes. There are several symptoms that may indicate you have a bunion including inflammation on or around your big toe joint, pain when wearing shoes and an enlargement on the side of your foot near your second toe.
However, these bunion symptoms can be confused for other conditions such as ganglion cyst, arthritis and misalignment in the feet. As such, it is advisable to consult and seek the relevant treatment with an orthopaedic doctor in Singapore.
2. Do all bunions eventually need surgery?
Keep a lookout for a bony bump at the side of your big toe. Once you have a bunion, try reducing the pressure on your foot by using supports in your shoe and switching to wider footwear. Your shoes may, however, rub against the bunion when the deformity grows bigger - further causing calluses and blisters. You can try conventional treatments to provide pain relief for your bunions.
When the pain starts to interfere with your day-to-day activities, a bunion surgery may be recommended by our doctor in Singapore to remove or reposition bunion bone tissue so it won't continue to press against other bones in your feet.
3. How can bunion surgery fix the feet?
When conservative measures do not relieve the symptoms of a bunion, your doctor may suggest bunion surgery as an appropriate treatment. Instead of one long incision, bunion surgery can be done through small incisions in your skin that require fewer stitches. As it is minimally invasive, patients, including those we have treated in Singapore, are more likely to get back on their feet quicker. Once the deformed area is corrected, you can focus on preventing foot bunion recurrence.
4. How long do you have to stay off your foot after bunion surgery?
While you have the option of a minimally invasive bunion surgery with Orthofoot MD in Singapore, you will still want to take it easy for the first two weeks. Keep your foot bandaged and avoid putting weight on your foot. Be sure to follow any additional instructions from your doctor in order to regain mobility. After up to eight weeks, you can resume normal activities.
That being said, do note that the period of recovery will vary, depending on the size of your bunion and the extent of surgery performed.
5. Can a bunion grow back after surgery?
Yes, bear in mind that bunions can still return. If you are looking for a way to prevent foot bunions, it is important to know what causes them. Foot bunion occurs when the big toe joint begins to lean in toward the other toes. Wearing tight shoes – such as those with pointed heels – that crowd your feet together can worsen this condition. Consider wearing comfortable shoes that fit properly to protect your feet from developing this problem again.
If bunions are hereditary in your family, be sure to monitor the shape of your feet to be aware of the condition early.
Should your bunions resurface, your doctor may look into why this happened and how it can be avoided in the next treatment plan.
6. Is bunion surgery worth having?
In general, bunion surgery is only recommended by our doctor in Singapore when the pain from the foot bunion prevents the patient from wearing shoes and performing their normal tasks everyday. If conventional treatments don’t work, undergoing a bunion surgery can be one of your options to relieve you from any pain and discomfort. It’s advisable to consult with your doctor for concrete medical guidance on what kind of bunion treatment is the right one for you.
Dr Gowreeson Thevendran is currently an orthopaedic surgeon with Island Orthopaedic, a one-stop care centre for orthopaedic health under Healthway Medical Group. He specialises in treating lower limb orthopaedic conditions, as well as trauma and fracture surgery of both the upper and lower limbs. Prior to establishing his private practice, Dr Gowreeson was Chief of Foot & Ankle Surgery at the Department of Orthopaedics at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH). Today, he continues to serve the Orthopaedic Department at TTSH as a visiting consultant.