The miniBunion Procedure is a minimally-invasive technique to repair painful bunions and get patients back to activity as quickly as possible. The miniBunion technology requires an incision 2 to 4-times smaller than standard techniques and is more gentle to the soft-tissues. Minimally-invasive techniques have been shown to allow a faster return to activity, less pain and a smaller scar than traditional procedures.
A bunion looks like a bony bump on the inside of the foot at the big toe joint. But in reality, the bump forms when pressure on the big toe joint causes the big toe to lean toward the second toe, forcing the joint of the big toe to get bigger and stick out. A bunion (or hallux valgus) is a progressive disorder in which the deformity gradually increases and the big toe joint may become stiff and painful.
If conservative treatment doesn’t ease your pain, your doctor may recommend surgery. Usually, bunion surgery can be done as an outpatient procedure without a hospital stay and is typically covered by most insurance company policies.
Open bunion surgery requires one or multiple incisions ranging from 2-6 inches in length. During surgery, the surgeon will cut and dissect quite a bit of soft tissue before cutting the bone for realignment. After securing screws and/or plates onto the bone, the surgeon stitches up the soft tissue and skin incision. Due to the extensive soft tissue dissection, the recovery requires six to eight weeks of rehabilitation. A complete recovery can take four to six months.
