Feet are at the foundation of most types of physical activity, which makes the prospect of foot surgery a daunting one for most athletes: how long will you need to be “off your feet?” Will you need to “hold back” when training? Will you lose your recent gains while recovering?
These questions are particularly common when discussing bunions among athletes. Fortunately, orthopedic surgery is advancing quickly. Many of the latest developments in bunion correction now allow for shorter recovery times and more effective pain relief. So whether you are a professional athlete or a “weekend warrior,” there’s a good chance that you can find a type of bunion surgery that won’t land you on the couch for months.
Detangling the knot of bunions in athletes
Clinically known as hallux valgus, bunions are a degenerative foot condition that progressively disrupts the forefoot’s natural tripod structure, pushing the base of the first toe (the first metatarsal bone) outwards. Left unchecked, bunion deformities can compromise your gait and balance, damage your joints, or cause a “crossover toe.”
That said, this process usually takes years to take hold. Most of the time, mild or early-stage bunions should be managed with non-surgical treatments first. These range from wearing shoes with a wider toebox to custom inserts, orthotics, or splints, and most of the time, these are enough to delay the condition’s progress and keep bunion pain in check.
Among athletes, bunions can be more complicated. The frequent strain from increased activity can make bunions progress faster. Eventually, they will begin to impact performance and even pose safety concerns. The result? You may be facing more invasive treatment options sooner than your sedentary peers.
Why are bunions an obstacle for athletes?
As the bunion progresses, obstacles may include:
- Losing the range of motion in your big toe joint
- Progressively larger issues with balance
- Lasting pain and soreness after training
- Altered foot mechanics
If you’re an athlete, any of these can hinder your training schedule or even keep you from reaching your next set of goals. This is particularly true for high-impact sports that require your feet to constantly “beat” the ground, like running, basketball, or soccer. Often, the repeated impact will cause swelling around the base of the big toe, but the resulting foot pain can easily be intense enough to cause you to cancel a workout.
Bunions and sports safety
Severe bunions affect the foot’s ability to distribute pressure evenly. They often push the other toe joints, cramping your second toe into a hammertoe, shortening the surrounding ligaments, and changing your center of pressure completely.
If your chosen discipline relies on good balance — such as dancing, gymnastics, climbing, or hiking —untreated bunions can sharply increase your risk of injury. At the professional or competitive level, many athletes are often toeing the line between pushing themselves harder and the possibility of a career-ending injury.
What is the best bunion surgery for athletes?
Foot and ankle surgeons have several surgical options available for bunion corrections. These include lapiplasties and traditional bunionectomies such as the Lapidus procedure (which repositions the affected foot joints) to more invasive osteotomies, which require removing part of the bone.
With that said, there is no single procedure designed specifically for athletes or that can promise a faster return to sports — and in our view, this may be the wrong priority entirely.
If we focus on sustainable performance gains, we have to think long-term. This is particularly important when dealing with degenerative foot problems, as they are more likely to come back than a regular one-time injury. This means the right type of bunionectomy will offer the best shot at permanent recovery, not just a quick one.
Nevertheless, when working with athletes, we try to avoid the older Lapidus or Chevron procedures unless we’re dealing with a very severe case or a “hypermobile” joint. Instead, we generally try to balance the following three principles.
Favoring a minimally invasive approach
Minimally invasive procedures have become the standard of care across most specialties, and foot and ankle surgery is no exception. Minimally invasive bunion surgery (bunionplasty) offers several key advantages for athletes.
First, it uses much smaller incisions than traditional bunion surgery. A smaller opening of the skin will preserve the soft tissues of the foot better.
In turn, this means:
- Faster healing, as the body will have less to “knit together”
- Lessen post-op pain
- Pose a lower risk for infection or post-op complications
- Likely bleed less and require fewer sutures
These factors also mean that most patients can be back home on the same day. The recovery time for minimally invasive procedures is also significantly shorter: instead of the two or three weeks in bed that follow an “old school” Lapidus procedure, a minimally invasive bunionectomy can have you bearing weight after just 7 to 10 days.
With that said, the full recovery will take about six weeks, and during this period, you will need to progressively build back your mobility and range of motion.
Avoiding the use of metal parts
Many traditional types of bunionectomy rely on pins and screws to realign the joints and bones of the toe. While this may sound like a sturdy solution, it rarely brings the same benefits for athletes or anyone who is used to being physically active.
Metal parts and implants tend to increase immediate post-op pain and carry a higher risk of infection. Often, patients report feeling the implants as “sore” or “cold” for months.
These screws may also move or shift around, even years after the surgery, and in that case, we may need to remove them. This means a new surgery — and with each new surgery, we’re increasing your total downtime, as well as the likelihood of damaging the foot’s structures or compromising your range of motion.
A good alternative for athletes is OssioFiber metal-free hardware. This high-tech “bio-integrative” material incorporates itself fully into the bone, progressively making it stronger.
Enlisting a good physiotherapist from the start
Ultimately, bone healing is a slow process for everyone. After a week in bed and a few weeks of “taking it slow,” it is unrealistic to expect to dive back into the gym overnight. We need to ensure the bones have enough time to heal properly, but we also want to preserve the muscles and conditioning you’ve worked so hard for as much as we can.
The best way to walk this fine line is with a customized and thorough physical therapy plan. Rather than generic exercises or stretches, it’s best to have a full consultation with a physiotherapist, who will work towards your sport’s specific needs from the get-go.
At UFAI, we have an on-site physical therapy team. Our therapists have direct access to your surgeons, know exactly what was done to your foot, and have ample experience with sports-oriented rehabilitation. Often, we start with range-of-motion exercises just five days after surgery and then build from there.
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UFAI – A top choice for athletes looking to fix bunion pain
The University Foot & Ankle Institute (UFAI) brings together an expert team of orthopedic surgeons, podiatrists, and healthcare professionals, under the leadership of Dr Bob Bavarian (DPM – Doctor of Podiatric Medicine). Our goal is to provide comprehensive diagnostic, management, and treatment for a variety of foot and ankle conditions, from moderate bunions to traumatic sports injuries or diabetic foot complications.
As one of Southern California’s largest and oldest podiatric healthcare practices, our facility offers on-site diagnostics, ranging from X-rays to specialized MRI scans, as well as nerve testing and operating rooms.
If you want to learn more about how UFAI can help you, please call (877) 736-6001 or make an appointment online now.
University Foot and Ankle Institute is conveniently located throughout Southern California and the Los Angeles area. Our foot and ankle surgeons are available at locations in or near Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, West Los Angeles, Sherman Oaks, the San Fernando Valley, El Segundo, the South Bay, LAX, Calabasas, Agoura Hills, Westlake Village, Valencia, Santa Clarita, and Santa Barbara. We accept over 1,000 PPO health insurance plans, including Medicare.
As a teaching institution, University Foot and Ankle Institute’s Fellowship Program is among the most advanced in the nation.
We at UFAI are driven to get our patients back to their normal activities with the highest level of function, in the least amount of time, using the least invasive treatments possible. From start to finish, we are with you every step of the way.
The UFAI Education Team works to help empower our patients and website visitors with the most up-to-date information about foot and ankle conditions, treatment options, recovery and injury prevention. Our goal is to pass on truly useful information to our readers.
We hope you enjoy our work and find it of value. Please let us know!
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