Bunion surgery is usually worth it if your bunion HURTS and gets in the way of your life, and you’ve already tried wider shoes and other simple measures. It’s usually not worth it if the main reason is how your foot looks.
Most people who have bunion surgery are happy with the result, and their pain eases a lot. But recovery takes months, the swelling can last up to a year, and a noticeable minority aren’t satisfied afterward. Bunions can also come back.
The best results come when the operation is done for pain, with realistic expectations about shoes and recovery time.
Who bunion surgery suits
- Pain is the main problem: the bunion aches when you walk, stand or wear shoes, even sensible ones
- It limits what you do: walking, work, exercise or sleep are affected
- Simple measures haven’t helped enough: you’ve given wider shoes, pads and pain relief a fair try
- You can take the time: you can manage several weeks with limited walking, and a few months before life is back to normal
- Your health allows it: good circulation, well-controlled diabetes if you have it, and ideally not smoking, because smoking slows bone healing
Who it usually doesn’t suit
- Mainly cosmetic reasons: the NHS says surgery is not done just to improve how your feet look. Surgery on a foot that doesn’t hurt can leave you with a stiff or sore toe you didn’t have before
- Hoping for narrow or high-heeled shoes: after surgery, most people still need roomy shoes. Tight, pointed shoes also make a bunion more likely to come back
- A stiff, painful big toe that isn’t drifting sideways: that’s usually arthritis of the joint rather than a bunion, and it’s treated differently. See hallux rigidus
- Poor circulation or healing problems: wounds and bone on the foot may heal slowly, raising the risk of problems
Surgery for a painful bunion often makes sense. Surgery for a bunion that only looks bad often doesn’t.
What to try first
None of these straighten the toe. They aim to ease pain, and for many people that’s enough.
- Wide, deep shoes: a roomy toe box, a low heel and a soft sole. This is the change that helps most people
- Bunion pads or toe spacers: soft padding stops the bump rubbing on your shoe
- Insoles: some people find off-the-shelf or custom insoles ease pressure. A podiatrist can advise
- Ice and pain relief: a wrapped ice pack on the sore bump for a few minutes, and anti-inflammatory painkillers if they’re safe for you
- Keep the foot moving: gentle big toe and foot exercises help some people with stiffness
What recovery really involves
Recovery depends on which operation you have, but the broad picture is similar.
- The first 2 weeks: foot up for most of the day, walking only short distances in a special post-op shoe or boot
- Up to about 6 weeks: still in the post-op shoe, with a check-up and often an X-ray around 6 weeks
- Time off work: anywhere from about 2 weeks for a desk job you can do with the foot up, to 12 weeks for a job on your feet
- Driving: often 6 to 8 weeks after surgery on the right foot. Check with your surgeon and insurer
- Normal shoes: roomy ones from around 6 to 8 weeks, if swelling allows
- Swelling: expect some for six months to a year. It’s the main reason shoes don’t fit for a while
See bunion surgery recovery week by week and swelling after bunion surgery.
Satisfaction and coming back, stated honestly
- Most people are satisfied, and pain drops a lot for the majority
- Not everyone is: common reasons are a stiff big toe, ongoing pain, slow healing, or shoes still not fitting the way they hoped
- Bunions can come back: how often varies widely between operations and depends on how “coming back” is measured. Ask your surgeon how often it happens with the operation they’re recommending
- Pain can shift: after surgery some people get pain under the ball of the foot, as pressure moves to the smaller toes. See metatarsalgia
Risks to ask about
- A stiff big toe: movement can be reduced after surgery, which is why toe exercises matter
- Numbness near the scar: small skin nerves can be stretched or cut, leaving a numb patch
- Infection or wound problems: more likely with smoking or diabetes
- Bone slow to heal: the cut bone may take longer to join, or occasionally fail to join
- Over or under correction: the toe can end up too straight or not straight enough
- Blood clots: less common after foot surgery, but possible
For more to ask, see questions to ask before orthopedic surgery.
See your doctor soon if
- The joint suddenly becomes red, hot and very painful: this can be gout or infection rather than the bunion
- You have diabetes and a sore, blister or broken skin over the bunion that isn’t healing
- Pain keeps getting worse despite changing your shoes
Mention it at your next review if
- The toe is starting to cross over or under the second toe
- You’re getting pain under the ball of your foot or hard skin there
- Your shoe choice is shrinking because of the bunion
Choose bunion surgery to fix pain, not to fit a narrower shoe.