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...The ones who have chosen using a podiatrist over an orthopedist have actually had better success with less pain and complcations. Remember, this is just my opinion.....
It's my opinion too. I've had foot surgery performed by both -- the first time by an excellent orthopedic surgeon and the second time (a much more complicated procedure) by an excellent orthopedist. The surgery done by the orthopedist healed much better/faster and has given me no trouble since then.
I think it depends on the severity of the situation. I've had both feet done with major complications on the right foot. That said - I had what's called a "juvenile" bunion which means I've had it my entire life and basically had deformed bone structure. My big toes are still not straight but the severe pain I had is gone. So - I recommend, but know what you're getting into recovery wise.
Have you had bunion surgery and if so, are the results worth the pain, expense, and inconvenience of recovery time?
I can survive if I don't have it, but I have some downtime now and I think I should fix them. I want to know what I'd be getting into.
My mother had it and loved it. There are two ways to do it, I think - the fancy expensive medical doctor way (orthopedic surgeon?) and the simpler way (podiatrist?). She did the simpler one, which I believe may heal faster, and she was thrilled.
My husband is an Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle surgeon (Board certified General Ortho surgeon with specialized fellowship training for Foot and Ankle). He does bunions, though much less now than he used to- he prefers to stick to much more complicated work and leave bunions and soft tissue issues to podiatrists.
A couple of suggestions:
1. Only get bunion surgery if it really causes you pain and has started to interfere with your life. I have bunions on both feet, and my spouse has always advised me NOT to get the surgery. Ugly feet, not being able to wear heels etc are not good enough reason, in his opinion. He is pretty conservative on surgery, but believe me there are Orthopods and Podiatrists out there who will do surgery on everyone. Those people are to be avoided.
2. Podiatrists do bunions all the time. There are lots of good podiatrists. There are also a great many very bad ones. Remember they are not medical doctors/physicians. They call themselves "surgeons" and spend lots of $$ on convincing patients they are even more qualified than Orthopaedic surgeons when it comes to feet. That depends on what foot condition/issue you are talking about. They have limits to their scope of practice depending on state, but I would venture that all can do bunions. My husband spends an awful lot of his time doing what is tactfully called "revision" work on something a podiatrist has done (i.e. fixing something).
3. Having said #2 above, if you do see an Orthopaedic surgeon, be sure to see one who is fellowship trained in Foot and Ankle, and whose practice is almost all exclusively F&A. General Orthopaedic surgeons do not get a ton of exposure to the Foot during their training (it's hard for many academic centers to recruit Ortho F&A surgeons- they are in very low supply). In fact, I would rather go to a podiatrist over a General Ortho guy for a bunion any day.
At the end of the day, only you can decide if you have reached a point where surgery is necessary, and regardless of which practitioner you see, make sure they do lots of these procedures.
Good luck with your surgery, here my podiatrist doesn't even recommend having it unless it is completely necessary. Yours sounds completely necessary...I have bunions as well, but he told me to wait....fine with me. :O
This^ video actually shows the treatment as it is given.
I never developed bunions, perhaps because I never wore pointed shoes, but I found this video for those with bunions, because I would rather never go under the knife for anything either!
(There are other videos about non-surgery treatment of videos listed on that page, too.)
Last edited by 2Q&Lrn&Hlp; 09-21-2014 at 06:55 PM..
I know this thread is old.
Wondering if anyone still reads here.
I'm scheduled for bunion surgery in a week and am a bit nervous based on my first experience (other foot 10 years ago) and what I've read here.
Seems like recovery times vary. I'm hoping it's not too bad.
of course recovery time will vary, but as I said earlier when the subject came up, that was the only down side for me. I had expected it to be a little quicker. otherwise I am not at all sorry I had it done, wish I would have had the second done and I have had very little trouble with the one that was removed or I guess actually they don't really remove it, I am not quite sure what they do. I know my doctor broke my big toe and put a screw in it.
BTW to 2Q, pointed shoes can add to the bunion problem but everyone I have even known with them, it has been a generic problem. In our family almost everyone on my moms side has had bunions. The same with a few of my friends that have chosen surgery.
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Bunion Surgery
