Bunion surgeries have been providing patients with comfort and pain-free living for decades, allowing people to resume their lives before developing unwanted bumps on the side of their feet. However, as rare as they are, bunion surgery complications can arise from time to time, and it’s best to know about them before heading into your surgery so that you may better prepare yourself, whether the complications occur during or after the operation.
Here are three common bunion surgery complications to be aware of.
The type of procedure done typically depends on the specific individual, as their body, age, weight, preexisting conditions, and more are taken into consideration. If the surgery selected is not strong enough, this can lead to an under-correction of the bunion, in which case a recurrence can happen and a slight deformity is at risk—not to mention the complete failure to fix the problem in the first place.
On the other hand, over-anticipating the angle of the bunion can lead to an overcorrection, in which the afflicted area is corrected too much. This is less common than the under-correction but can yield just as uncomfortable results that will require additional revision surgery to undo. However, these are less common when done by an experienced professional.
Being rare, but not impossible, malunion and nonunion issues are a potential hurdle to overcome during bunion surgeries. These cases result in complications in which the fractured bone which used to harbor the bunion isn’t healing properly or has healed in a misaligned position. These types of complications must be treated as soon as possible by a healthcare professional trained in correcting issues such as these.
Some bunion surgery complications don’t occur during the actual surgery itself but after the fact. Patients have been known to experience post-op complications such as stiffness, pain, bunion recurrence, infections, inflammation, nerve damage, and more. However, these complications are typically rare and the ones that do happen to arise generally dissipate within two weeks. If you happen to experience any of these post-op complications for longer than two weeks, it’s best to contact a professional, such as Northwest Surgery Center.
While bunion surgery complications can occur from time to time just like any other procedure, there’s a reliable way to minimize the chances: minimally invasive bunion surgery. With the help of a professional medical team like the kind at Northwest Surgery Center, you can undergo a minimally invasive surgery that leads to less slicing and dicing and a quicker, more comfortable recovery period.
To learn more about the steps you can take to get rid of your bunions once and for all and with the fastest recovery time possible, contact us at 720-924-7424 for a free consultation.