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Helps to reduce pressure on bunion and relieve pain
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- Readily available
- No side effects or complications
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- Not always effective
- Does not improve appearance of foot
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In a procedure called a bunionectomy, the bony lump is removed
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- Can correct a mild bunion deformity and improve appearance of the foot
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- Will not correct more significant bunions
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This is called arthrodesis. Two bones in the big toe are fused together, improving stability and alignment of bones, and reducing pain
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- An effective treatment for people who also have arthritis or a severe deformity
- If fusion occurs, the deformity will not come back
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- Loss of movement in the big toe, which could affect walking
- Long recovery time
- Can result in post-operative infection, DVT, pain, loss of feeling in the foot and failure of the bones to join properly
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Known as Keller’s arthroplasty, half the bone in the toe joint is removed. The remaining bones are straightened
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- May be effective in treating severe deformities in elderly people
- May be an effective treatment for people with associated infection
- Shorter recovery time than other types of surgery (six weeks)
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- Not recommended for active and younger patients
- Inability to move the big toe properly
- Inability to put the soft part of the toe on the ground when walking (known as a ‘cock-up deformity’)
- Can result in post-operative infection, DVT, weakness, recurrence of the deformity and pain under the ball of the foot
- Always results in shortening of the big toe
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In a procedure known as an osteotomy, the bone is cut to allow it to be placed in a certain way to help correct the deformity (sometimes a small wedge of bone is removed)
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- Can relieve pain
- Improves appearance of the foot
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- Long recovery time – it can take three to six months for the foot to settle down
- Bunion can return
- Possible complications are infection, small breaks in the bones that were operated on, loss of feeling in the big toe, stiffness, swelling and shortening of the big toe (which can cause pain in nearby parts of the foot)
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Less invasive surgery, where only small incisions are made near the big toe so that bone-cutting instruments can be inserted to correct the deformity
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- A relatively new procedure, so not much evidence available regarding its safety and effectiveness
- Potential risks include nerve injury, infection, toe stiffness, tendon injury, recurrent deformity and DVT
- Availability on NHS is limited
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