Bunion removal is surgery to treat deformed bones of the big toe and foot. This deformity is called a bunion.

A bunion makes your big toe point toward your second toe. This causes a bump to form on the inside edge of your foot, next to the joint of your big toe. This bump is made up of bone and soft tissue.

Bunionectomy; Hallux valgus correction

Most people go home the same day they have bunion removal surgery.

First, you will receive anesthesia (numbing medicine) so that you will not feel pain during surgery. You will be awake but also receive medicines to make you relax. After that, your surgeon will make an incision (cut) in your skin to expose your toe joint and bones. Next, your surgeon will repair the deformed joint and bones. The surgeon will use pins, screws, plates, or a cast to keep the bones in place.

Procedures that the surgeon may use to repair a bunion are:

• Making certain tendons or ligaments shorter or longer
• Arthrodesis, which involves taking out the damaged part of the joints and then using screws, wires, or a plate to hold the joint together
• Shaving off the bump on the toe joint
• Removing the damaged part of the joint
• Cutting parts of the bones on each side of the toe joint, then putting them in their proper position. This is called an osteotomy.

Risks for any anesthesia are:

• Allergic reactions to medicines
• Breathing problems

Risks for any type of surgery are:

• Bleeding
• Blood clot
• Infection

Risks for bunion surgery are:

• Numbness in the big toe
• Problems with the incision not healing well
• Return of the deformity
• Nerve damage

Richardson EG. Disorders of the hallux. In: Canale ST, Beatty JH, eds.Campbell's Operative Orthopaedics. 11th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Mosby Elsevier; 2007:chap 78.