Living with severe bunions can feel like a nightmare. As bunions get worse over time, they can become annoying and quite painful. This makes early diagnosis and treatment all the more important. What’s more, dealing with bunions can be very time-consuming. Individuals who undergo traditional bunion surgery may not be able to return to “normal” activities for more than six months following the procedure. In order to help you avoid such a negative outcome, here are four tips that will help you speed up bunion recovery: 

Monitor Foot Health Closely

The larger and more painful a bunion is, the longer it will take to recover after its removal. As such, individuals should monitor their foot health closely and act quickly to schedule a bunionectomy if they notice redness or swelling around their big toe. Note here that the only way to effectively treat bunions is through surgery. Over-the-counter treatments like sleeves, cushions, or pads won’t reduce bunion size or reverse bunion growth. So waiting to have surgery will only prolong your eventual recovery period. 

Choose a Minimally Invasive Procedure

As mentioned above, traditional bunion surgery may require a patient to rest and rehab for months before they can return to normal daily activities. Thankfully, there is a viable alternative to conventional, open-foot surgery. 

Minimally invasive bunion surgery significantly reduces recovery time for our patients. Rather than spending weeks out of commission, patients who choose minimally invasive surgery can usually walk out of the operating room and drive themselves home after the procedure. Full recovery time may take anywhere from 1-5 weeks for most patients who undergo minimally invasive foot surgery. During that time, most will still be able to engage in light activities while wearing a postoperative shoe.

Avoid Strenuous Activity During Bunion Recovery

While minimally invasive bunion surgery does allow for patients to get back to their normal lifestyle sooner than traditional methods would, patients should avoid certain strenuous activities while they’re still in the recovery phase. For example, individuals who need to wear a postoperative shoe should not operate heavy machinery or engage in intense exercise –– like playing a sport. Additionally, your doctor may recommend that you abstain from activities like swimming in order to keep your bandages dry after the surgery. Bottom line: don’t try to rush your recovery, and ask your doctor before you resume intense activities. 

Look After Your Feet

For the most part, the best way to ensure a complete recovery after bunion surgery is to simply take it easy. Individuals who undergo minimally invasive bunion surgery shouldn’t have much trouble walking around or driving, though. If you should experience pain, discomfort, or swelling during your recovery period, you could consider icing down the affected area. Additionally, some patients benefit from wearing bunion splints after surgery. These devices may help to break apart scar tissue, increase range of motion, and maintain correct tendon and ligament alignment in the feet. Of course, if you experience severe pain following bunion surgery, don’t hesitate to reach out to your doctor for further instruction or assistance. 

Contact Us

Bunion surgery requires some recovery time, but at Northwest Surgery Center, we’re working hard to improve patient outcomes every day. We utilize advanced, minimally invasive techniques to solve foot-pain problems like bunions, hammertoes, and heel spurs. If you’re tired of dealing with painful bunions, but don’t want to struggle through months of prolonged surgery recovery, then contact us here for a free consultation.