Giving and getting gifts is all part of the holiday season. White elephant gift parties, secret Santa exchanges, and regular family get-togethers this time of year are packed with presents for friends and family. For anyone who has suffered with persistent bunion pain, the best and most anticipated gift is relief—especially when you’re trying to enjoy holiday time with your loved ones. That’s where proper bunion surgery recovery comes into play.
Bunion surgery is a final way of addressing a painful and progressive bunion deformity. The procedure realigns the big toe and eliminates the bump on the side of the forefoot. This can involve repairing ligaments, cutting bones, excising excess bone tissue on the metatarsal joint, or other techniques to correct the deformity. However it’s handled, you have to take time to recover afterwards.
Recovering from bunion surgery is a process and partly determines how successful the results of the procedure will be. The more you let your foot rest and protect it while it heals, the more likely it will recover well. After the surgery, you’ll wear a special shoe or boot to keep your newly re-aligned toe in the right place. Ice the foot and keep it elevated to decrease the swelling and help with the discomfort.
In most cases, you’ll have to limit the weight you put on that foot at first. After a few weeks, you’ll be able to gradually begin walking more. You’ll still need to be careful with your footwear; stick to soft, cushioned shoes until the limb has completely healed. During this time, you’ll begin physical therapy to regain your range of motion and build up foot strength. This is important for being able to return to regular activities later.
Your complete bunion surgery recovery will take several months, though you may be able to walk again after just a few weeks for certain procedures. Don’t skimp on any part of your healing. Investing in it is the only way to regain your full foot strength and help prevent the bunion from returning later in life. Absolute Foot Care Specialists can help you through this entire process. If you’re sick of living with bunion pain, but nothing has helped, give yourself the gift of relief this holiday by seeing if surgery could be the answer. Just call our Las Vegas offices at (702) 839- 2010 or use the website to reach us.
