Yes, you are going to have bunion surgery, and you are are nervous. No matter if your bunion surgery is being performed by a Podiatrist or Orthopedic surgeon it is a nerve wracking process to go through. However, there are some easy tips that can make your bunion surgery less painful. Whether you are 15 or 65 everyone has bunions and everyone has bunion surgery. Fortunately there are some easy steps you can take to make your bunion surgery less painful.
1. This seems obvious but for some reasons patients do not like to do it. Take your pain meds, whatever your Podiatrist or Orthopedist prescribes. Too many patients try to tough out bunion surgery. Do not be one of those people. Remember you had your bone cut, repositioned and then a screw put in to stabilize it. This is not a minor surgery. Do not be a hero. Take your pain meds! Also, take them regularly for the first 72 hours or so. Do not wait for them to wear off and then take them. If the doctor says every eight hours take them every eight hours. Do not worry about getting hooked. You will probably not need them in a week.
2. Elevate the bunion. After the surgery one of the most important things you can do is to elevate it. This can be done simply with just two pillows. The elevation will keep the swelling down from where most of the pain comes from anyways. If you do not want to use 2 pillows to evaluate your legs, there are actually pillows you can buy to elevate your legs which are specifically designed for post surgical pain.
3. Practice on your crutches. Listen bunion surgery is an elective surgery. It is not going to sneak up on you. You can practice on crutches. Believe me it is easier to practice before your bunion surgery than after your bunion surgery. This alone will make the process go smoother and easier. If crutches are too hard there are simple roll abuts you can purchase that make the process simple and easy too. Also, if you are nervous about using crutches these are substitutions that are easy to use.
4. Ice, Ice Ice. Keep that bunion cool. Now you want to place the ice upwards on the ankle, not directly on the bunion. You also want to use the ice with 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off. I cannot recommend the importance of ice. Seriously, it is so simple but patients just don’t do it. If you do not want to, just use ice packs. There are special ice packs that you can use and make your life easier. These machines are simple and easy to use and will reduce your pain.
5. Now this is the most important thing you can do to make your experience less painful: listen to your doctor. Your doctor does these surgeries all the time. He probably has some tips and suggestions on how to make the surgery less painful. He also might have instructions specific to your surgery. Do what your doctor says and you will be fine.
If you are bored and want to watch some bunion surgeries, here you go: