A bunion is a deformity that affects the feet of some people. When examining the foot, one can see that the inner most toe of each food is the largest toe. There is a bone present immediately behind this toe on the body of the foot. Patients who experience bunion problems will note that this bone tends to grow abnormally. This will lead to the formation of a visible bump on the foot. Bunions will also cause the alignment of the toe to be damaged. Patients suffering from bunion problems will find that their big toe tends to point outwards, that is, towards the other toes on the foot. At the initial stage, a bunion problem will not cause much pain to the individual. However, over time, the individual will suffer from pain in the joint and this will affect this or her ability to walk, run and wear closed footwear.
A bunion surgery can be performed to ease this pain and to realign the joint. In many cases, the doctor will also prescribe changes that an individual may need to make in terms of exercise and diet to ensure that the bunion does not form again. An individual will go through a process of bunion surgery recovery after the procedure. During this time, the patient will be advised to take certain steps to ensure the speedy and correct bunion surgery recovery. After the bunion surgery, the affected foot will be placed in a hard cast to ensure that it heals without any hindrance.
During the initial phase of bunion surgery recovery, the patient will not be able to walk on the affected foot. At this time, it is best to use crutches and to ensure that a caregiver is available in case of any requirements. One of the other bunion surgery recovery tips is that the foot should be placed as elevated as possible during this stage of the bunion surgery recovery period. After this initial week has passed, the patient will probably have to visit the doctor to have the cast removed and changed to a bandage. Another aspect of bunion surgery recovery is to ensure that the foot does not get wet during bathing and that it remains moisture free. This will ensure that infections do not develop in the area as the wound heals.
The bunion surgery recovery time varies from patient to patient. In most cases, normal walking can resume within 3 weeks of the procedure but complete bed rest would be required during the entire bunion surgery recovery timeline.