How Are Bunions Erased?

“Erasing” is a new name for a 40-year-old technique called “minimal incision or mini-bunionectomy”. A small opening is made and the bunion is reduced. This is a one or two stitch procedure.

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The erasing procedure is characterized by the following:

It is performed sterilely under local anesthesia in the doctor’s office.
The doctor will give you a prescription for a tranquilizer that will relax you.
The incisions are very tiny (actual size o ). One or two sutures only. NO screws or pins are necessary. You will not need crutches or a wheelchair.
A prescription for a tranquilizer and antibiotic is given to you before you go home.
After surgery, only Advil or ibuprofen may be necessary for pain. Many people have no pain.
The patient rests the feet for 48 hours except to going to the bathroom or kitchen. Bathing and showering can be done with certain instructions.

Depending on the procedure, the feet are bandaged for seven to ten days for a simple bunion and two to three weeks for more complex cases. Meanwhile, patients can often walk shortly after the procedure.

Sometimes, physical therapy may be necessary to return to normal shoe gear.

The procedure involves removing the bump, straightening the big toe, and narrowing the feet to prevent a recurrence. The bump is polished off the bone with a powerful instrument in a fashion reminiscent of an “erasing” motion, hence the name. The foot is narrowed in some cases by cutting the metatarsal bone and displacing it to narrow the foot. This takes 10-15 days to heal. This is not done in cases where foot width is not a problem and high heels are not necessarily critical to one’s lifestyle. Post-operative care is briefer and less disability is involved thereby.

At what point one returns to work varies greatly depending on the type of procedure done (whether a bone is cut to narrow the foot) and the type of job one has. For a sitting job without narrowing the foot, many patients return to work in a matter of days. For a standing job especially when the bone is cut to narrow the foot, a few weeks or more may be necessary in order to tolerate standing 8-10 hours daily.

For more information, call us at our office listed above. Our consultations are free and we accept assignments on traditional Medicare.

We will answer all of your questions, give you a diagnosis and treatment plan, and even determine your cost while the doctor examines you. What could be easier and less costly?