“Is the recovery after bunion surgery painful?”
I want to fix my foot bunion. Is the recovery after bunion surgery painful?
7 Answers
Podiatrist(FootandAnkleSpecialist)Podiatrist
Bunion surgery can be painful. Some patients have minimal pain, some have more pain. It all depends on your healing potential and the procedure chosen by your surgeon. Dr. Eastman
Thank you for your question. I perform hundreds of bunion surgical procedures each year. Every surgery has some degree of pain and I am always looking for ways to diminish post operative pain. My protocol involves a nerve block from anesthesia which provides 2 days of signification pain relief. In addition, I provide oral pain medication prescriptions.
Bunion surgery is bone surgery. Depending on your pain tolerance it can be mildly to moderately painful, or it can be severely painful for 2 to 5 days. Obviously your surgeon should provide you with sufficient opioid medication to reduce the pain significantly so that you are comfortable during the initial recovery period.
There is always surgical pain to be expected. We manage pain with long acting anesthetics and sometimes with a marcaine pump delivery. If pain is not controlled, then there may be a complication that needs to be addressed. The bandage may be too tight or a hematoma, but these are rare. Post op infection occurs about 2-3 days after the surgery and is important to treat effectively. The value of the surgery should outway the discomfort, so each patient will discover that for themselves. Thank you, Dr. Liddy
Hi! you will experience pain after any surgery and everyone's pain tolerance is different. It would be best to follow your post op instructions and take any medications as directed for the best possible outcome.
Recovery is usually not painful. I recommend you schedule an appointment with a foot and ankle surgeon (podiatrist) to discuss cause and treatment options for your condition