Aesthetic Foot Surgery Results: What Toe Shortening and Foot Narrowing Realistically Change

The photograph on her phone was taken from above, bare feet on a bathroom floor, second toe reaching a good half inch past the big one. She had cropped her feet out of beach pictures for years. Now a friend had mentioned that toes can be shortened and feet made narrower, and the question that kept her up was not whether it could be done but what it would actually look like afterward.

That is the honest heart of any conversation about aesthetic foot surgery results. The procedures exist, and they are real orthopedic operations with bone cuts, pins, and months of healing. What they deliver is a change in alignment, not a different foot. The gap between what a person imagines and what a surgeon can realistically produce is where most disappointment lives.

This explainer walks through what toe shortening and foot narrowing physically do, who tends to be a reasonable candidate, what the first weeks are like, and which risks can quietly reshape the outcome. None of it replaces a consultation; every decision belongs with the treating team.

What aesthetic foot surgery results actually mean

When surgeons talk about results, they measure angles, not attractiveness. A foot X-ray taken standing lets the team draw lines along the metatarsals (the five long bones behind the toes) and record how far the bones have drifted. Foot narrowing aims to bring those lines closer together. Toe shortening aims to change the relative length of one toe so its tip lines up with the others. Everything else people hope for, smoother skin, a smaller shoe size, an end to blisters, sits outside what an osteotomy can promise. An osteotomy is a controlled cut through bone that lets the surgeon shift or shorten it before fixing it in a new position.

That distinction matters because most of the public conversation about aesthetic foot surgery results comes from marketing photographs, taken in good light, at a flattering angle, often many months after the operation once swelling has gone. The clinical literature is far more restrained. Mainstream sources such as Mayo Clinic and the NHS frame forefoot surgery as a treatment for pain, deformity, and shoe problems, and both are explicit that operating for appearance alone is not the usual reason to proceed.

A realistic way to think about it: the surgery changes the skeleton by millimeters. A toe shortening removes a small segment of bone, often from the middle of the toe or the metatarsal behind it. A bunion correction shifts a bone a few millimeters sideways. On an X-ray, that is a clear, measurable change. On a foot in a sandal, the difference is real but subtle, and it competes with swelling, scar, and the way the other toes settle around the new alignment.

The rest of this article treats appearance as one outcome among several, alongside function, comfort in shoes, and the risk of trading one problem for another.

What is Cinderella toe surgery?

Cinderella surgery is a marketing name, not a medical procedure. The phrase is used loosely for any combination of forefoot operations done with the stated aim of fitting into narrower or higher shoes: bunion correction, bunionette correction on the little-toe side, shortening of a long second toe, and sometimes fat grafting or removal of small bony bumps. Because the label has no fixed definition, two people who both had Cinderella foot surgery may have had very different operations with very different recovery paths.

Underneath the name, the components are standard orthopedic and podiatric procedures that have been performed for decades to treat painful deformities. A bunion, medically hallux valgus, is a drift of the big toe toward the second toe with a bump forming on the inner side of the foot. A bunionette, sometimes called a tailor’s bunion, is the mirror-image bump on the outer edge behind the little toe. A long second toe that projects past the big toe is often described as Morton’s toe, although the length is usually in the second metatarsal rather than the toe itself.

The fairytale framing has a cost. It implies a transformation and a guaranteed fit into a particular shoe. Neither is something a surgeon can offer. The NHS, in its guidance on bunions, notes that surgery is not usually carried out for cosmetic reasons alone and that pain and difficulty with footwear are the usual triggers. Mayo Clinic similarly lists surgery as an option when conservative measures have not relieved pain.

So when someone asks what Cinderella toe surgery is, the fair answer is: a bundle of real operations wrapped in a name designed to sell them. Judging the bundle means unpicking it and asking about each part, its specific risks, and whether a symptom rather than a shoe is driving the decision.

How toe shortening surgery works

Toe shortening is a bone operation, and the mechanism is simpler than most people expect. A long second or third toe is shortened by removing a small wedge or cylinder of bone and then holding the two remaining ends together while they knit. Where the bone is taken from depends on where the excess length lives.

When the extra length is in the toe itself, the surgeon typically works on the proximal phalanx (the first of the three small bones in the toe). A segment is removed and the ends are pinned, most often with a thin metal wire called a K-wire that passes down the center of the toe and pokes out the tip, or with a small internal screw or implant. K-wires are usually pulled out in the clinic after a few weeks; internal implants stay.

When the length is in the metatarsal, which is common in a true Morton’s toe, the shortening happens further back in the foot through a metatarsal osteotomy. This is technically closer to hammertoe or metatarsalgia surgery than to a cosmetic tweak. Mayo Clinic describes hammertoe surgery as involving removal of a piece of bone or fusion of a joint, and both approaches change how the toe bends afterward.

Two consequences follow from the mechanism. First, shortening a toe also shortens the tendons and small joint capsules around it, so the toe may stiffen or sit slightly differently once healed. Second, the weight that toe used to carry has to go somewhere. Shortening a second metatarsal shifts load toward the first or third, which is why surgeons plan the new length against the whole row of metatarsals rather than one toe in isolation.

The toe that results is shorter and, once swelling clears, usually straighter. It is not a new toe; it is the same toe with a small piece of bone missing and a healed cut.

How foot narrowing surgery works

Foot narrowing is almost always bunion and bunionette correction under a different name. The forefoot looks wide because the first and fifth metatarsals have splayed outward, pushing bumps against shoe leather. Narrowing the foot means moving those bones back toward the middle.

For a bunion, the common approach is a metatarsal osteotomy: the surgeon cuts the first metatarsal, shifts the head of the bone sideways toward the second toe, and fixes it with small screws. The prominent bump is shaved, and tight soft tissue on the outer side of the big toe joint is released so the toe can sit straight again. MedlinePlus describes bunion removal as a combination of bone realignment, removal of the bony bump, and repair of the tendons and ligaments around the joint. Cleveland Clinic notes that many different techniques exist and the choice depends on how severe the angle is.

Bunionette correction mirrors this on the outer edge, with a smaller osteotomy of the fifth metatarsal. Doing both sides in one operation is what produces the visible narrowing in advertising photographs, and it also doubles the number of healing bones.

Minimally invasive techniques use small incisions and burrs guided by X-ray rather than an open cut. The bone work is similar; the scar is smaller. Whether the long-term alignment holds as well is an area the evidence is still filling in, and mainstream sources describe these approaches as options rather than as superior.

The narrowing achieved is measured in millimeters of metatarsal shift. Bone width, heel width, and the soft tissue of the foot do not change. A foot that was broad because of a large frame will still be broad after a bunion correction; what changes is the bump and the angle of the toe.

What toe shortening and foot narrowing realistically change

The most useful thing a candidate can do before a consultation is separate what bone surgery can alter from what it cannot. The table below draws that line, using the way mainstream orthopedic sources describe these operations.

Feature	Toe shortening	Foot narrowing (bunion or bunionette correction)
What physically changes	A segment of toe or metatarsal bone is removed; the toe ends up shorter and usually straighter	The first or fifth metatarsal is cut and shifted inward; the bony bump is reduced and the toe realigned
Typical visible outcome once healed	Toe tips line up more evenly	Less prominent bump at the side of the forefoot; big or little toe points forward rather than inward
What does not change	Skin texture, nail shape, the length of other toes, foot length or shoe size	Heel width, arch height, overall foot size, skin quality
Function trade-off to discuss	Possible toe stiffness, a toe that sits slightly raised, load shifting to neighboring metatarsals	Reduced big-toe joint motion in some techniques, altered push-off, recurrence of the drift over years
Hardware	Temporary wire or small internal implant	Small screws, usually permanent

Two honest observations sit behind that table. First, aesthetic foot surgery results are judged on a foot that stands, walks, and bears weight thousands of times a day, so any change in alignment is tested constantly in a way a facial procedure is not. Second, the visual gain is often smaller than the functional change. A person may notice a toe that no longer rubs before they notice a toe that looks different in a photograph.

If the main goal is a specific shoe, it helps to say so plainly in the consultation, because the surgeon can then explain whether the bone change being proposed is likely to affect that fit at all.

Who aesthetic foot surgery is usually for, and who is usually asked to wait

Orthopedic and podiatric practice tends to reserve forefoot surgery for people with a symptom: pain over a bump, a toe that rubs raw against shoes, a corn that keeps returning, or a deformity that is clearly progressing. The NHS describes surgery for bunions as an option when pain is not controlled by simpler measures and states that surgery is not usually carried out for appearance alone. Mayo Clinic frames surgery the same way. An appearance concern can sit alongside a symptom, and often does, but it rarely stands as the sole reason a surgeon agrees to operate.

People who are usually reasonable candidates share a few features. They have a measurable structural problem on X-ray, they have tried footwear changes or padding without relief, they understand that healing takes months, and they can arrange the time and support that recovery demands. They also tend to have realistic goals: a toe that no longer catches, a bump that no longer presses, rather than a particular shoe size.

Others are commonly asked to wait or reconsider. Smokers face slower bone healing and higher wound problems, and many surgeons ask for a period without smoking first. People with poorly controlled diabetes or with reduced blood flow to the feet have a higher risk of wound breakdown and infection, and the treating team may want those conditions managed before any elective foot operation. Adolescents whose bones are still growing are often advised to wait, since a bunion corrected before growth ends has a higher chance of returning.

A surgeon may also decline when the expectation does not match the procedure. Someone hoping surgery will let them stand for long hours in narrow shoes is likely to be disappointed, and a candid team will say so.

None of this is a checklist for self-selection. It is a picture of how clinicians think, so the consultation feels less like a gate and more like a shared assessment.

What the first days after foot surgery usually look like

People searching for the worst day after foot surgery are usually bracing for the right thing. Most patients and surgeons describe the second and third days as the hardest, when the local anesthetic that numbed the foot during and immediately after the operation has fully worn off and swelling is at its peak. The first night is often surprisingly manageable for exactly that reason; the difficulty tends to arrive once the block fades.

Pain in this window is managed with a plan from the prescribing clinician, usually combining regular non-opioid pain relievers with a short course of something stronger if needed. What each person is given, and for how long, is a decision for the treating team based on the operation and their health. The two things a patient controls are elevation and rest: keeping the foot above heart level for most of the day in the first week is the single most effective non-drug way to limit swelling and throbbing.

Bed rest, in the strict sense, is not usually prescribed. The instruction is more often to stay off the foot except for short trips to the bathroom, wearing the stiff post-operative shoe or boot provided. Prolonged immobility increases the risk of a blood clot in the leg, and the CDC lists recent surgery and reduced movement among the main risk factors for deep vein thrombosis. Gentle ankle pumps and getting up briefly every hour or two while awake are commonly advised for that reason.

The dressing is typically left untouched until the first clinic visit. Toes may look bruised and puffy, and a K-wire tip may be visible at the end of a shortened toe. That appearance is expected and is not a preview of the final result.

Daily routines shift around the foot: a shower with the foot wrapped or a bath with the leg propped outside the tub, meals brought to the sofa, and a lot of sitting.

How long does it take to walk normally after foot surgery?

The honest answer is that walking comes back in stages rather than on a date. Most forefoot procedures allow weight through the heel in a rigid post-operative shoe within the first days. What they do not allow is normal walking, with the foot rolling through and pushing off the toes, because that motion loads exactly the bones that have just been cut.

MedlinePlus and Mayo Clinic both describe bunion surgery recovery as taking several weeks to a few months, with the bone typically needing around six weeks to knit firmly enough for ordinary shoes and a longer period for swelling and strength to settle. Toe shortening follows a similar arc, and if a K-wire is used it is usually removed in clinic after a few weeks, after which the toe can begin to move.

A typical progression looks like this, with the caveat that the treating team’s instructions override any general timeline:

• Weeks 1–2: heel weight only in the surgical shoe, foot elevated most of the day, dressing in place
• Weeks 2–6: gradual increase in walking indoors, stitches out, wire removed if present, swelling still obvious
• Weeks 6–12: transition into a wide, soft, flat shoe once X-rays show healing, longer walks, return to desk work if not already back
• Beyond 12 weeks: gradual return to impact activity and to narrower shoes if the surgeon agrees, with residual swelling common

Toe shortening surgery recovery is often shorter in weight-bearing terms but longer in flexibility terms; the shortened toe can stay stiff and slightly swollen for months while its neighbors move freely. Driving depends on which foot was operated on, the type of car, and the ability to brake hard without hesitation, and the treating team should confirm it.

The phrase walking normally hides a lot. Walking without a limp on a flat floor arrives well before walking two hours through a city in dress shoes. Planning the calendar around the second milestone rather than the first prevents most frustration.

Why the final aesthetic foot surgery result takes months to appear

Feet swell more, and for longer, than almost any other part of the body after surgery. The reason is gravity and distance: the foot is the lowest point of the circulation, the small veins and lymph channels that drain it have to push fluid uphill, and every step compresses freshly healed tissue. Mayo Clinic notes that swelling after bunion surgery can persist for months, and many surgeons tell patients to judge the result at a year rather than at three months.

This has a direct bearing on aesthetic foot surgery results because the appearance people are paying attention to is exactly what swelling distorts. A shortened toe can look thick and sausage-shaped for months before it slims down. A narrowed forefoot may look no narrower at eight weeks because fluid fills the space the bone vacated. Photographs taken early are not a fair assessment, and neither is anxious comparison with online images taken at an unknown time point.

Scars follow their own timeline. Incisions on the top or side of the foot generally heal into fine lines, but the skin here is thin, and the scar is often red and raised for several months before fading. Sun exposure on a fresh scar can darken it permanently, which matters for a body part that spends summers in sandals. Sunscreen or covering the scar once the wound is fully closed is standard advice.

Toe position also shifts as tissues settle. A toe that is pinned straight may relax slightly upward or drift a little once the wire comes out and tendons reassert their pull. Surgeons expect some of this and plan for it, but it means the alignment at six weeks is not necessarily the alignment at a year.

The practical lesson is patience with a purpose: keep follow-up appointments, ask what the team expects at each stage, and reserve judgment on the look until they say the foot has settled.

Cosmetic foot surgery risks that shape the outcome

Every foot operation carries the general surgical risks: infection, bleeding, wound healing problems, blood clots, and reaction to anesthesia. Forefoot surgery adds a specific set of complications that matter more when the goal was partly appearance, because several of them alter how the foot looks as well as how it works.

Nonunion is a bone cut that fails to heal, leaving a painful, unstable segment. It is more common in smokers and in people with conditions that slow healing, and it may need a second operation. Malunion is bone that heals in the wrong position, which in a shortened toe can mean a toe that angles sideways or points upward.

Floating toe describes a toe that no longer touches the ground after shortening or metatarsal surgery. It happens because the tendons that pull the toe down have lost their tension once the bone is shorter. The toe may look slightly lifted and can catch on shoe uppers.

Transfer metatarsalgia is pain under a neighboring metatarsal head that now carries the weight the operated bone used to bear. Someone who had a second toe shortened may find the third metatarsal becoming sore and callused within a year. This is one of the main reasons surgeons are cautious about shortening a single toe in isolation.

Stiffness of the operated joint is common and sometimes permanent, particularly after fusion procedures. Nerve injury can leave numbness or a patch of burning skin on the toe or the top of the foot. Recurrence is a real possibility after bunion correction; the NHS and Mayo Clinic both note that bunions can return, especially if footwear habits do not change.

Finally, there is the risk of dissatisfaction: an alignment that is technically corrected but does not match the picture in the patient’s mind. Discussing that possibility openly beforehand is part of informed consent.

Alternatives to toe shortening and foot narrowing surgery

Because the visual gain from surgery is modest and the recovery is long, mainstream guidance treats non-surgical measures as the first step for the symptoms that usually accompany a long toe or a wide forefoot. None of these change the shape of the bones, but several change how the foot feels and how it fits a shoe, which is often what the person actually wanted.

Footwear with a wide, deep toe box and a soft upper removes the pressure that makes a bunion or a long toe painful. The NHS lists wearing wide shoes with a low heel and soft sole as the primary self-care measure for bunions, and Mayo Clinic gives the same advice for hammertoes. It is unglamorous, and it works for a large share of people who thought they needed an operation.

Padding and spacers, including gel sleeves over a long toe, silicone spacers between the first and second toes, and bunion pads, reduce friction and rubbing. They do not straighten a toe permanently despite what packaging may suggest, and no mainstream source supports the claim that splints reverse a bunion in adults.

Insoles or orthotics can redistribute pressure across the forefoot, which helps metatarsalgia and calluses. Custom devices are sometimes recommended when off-the-shelf versions have not helped.

Regular removal of corns and calluses by a podiatrist addresses the most visible skin change on a rubbing toe, and for many people that is the aesthetic complaint in disguise.

Where pain rather than appearance is the driver, a clinician may discuss simple pain relievers or, for an inflamed joint, an injection. These treat symptoms, not shape, and the choice belongs with the prescribing clinician.

The one thing conservative care cannot do is shorten a bone. If a person has tried these measures, still has a symptom, and understands the trade-offs, that is the point at which a surgical consultation makes sense.

What people often get wrong about aesthetic foot surgery results

A handful of misunderstandings recur in consultations, and correcting them early saves a great deal of regret.

The first is that surgery changes shoe size. It does not. Toe shortening removes a few millimeters from one toe; the foot’s length is set by the heel and the longest remaining toe, and its width by the whole forefoot. Bunion correction removes a bump and shifts a bone slightly; it does not shrink the foot. People who go in expecting to drop a size are almost always disappointed.

The second is that minimally invasive means minor. The scar is smaller. The bone is still cut, still needs six or more weeks to knit according to MedlinePlus and Mayo Clinic, and still swells for months. The recovery restrictions are largely the same.

The third is that a straight toe stays straight forever. Recurrence after bunion surgery is well documented, and toes that have been realigned can drift. Footwear after surgery has a strong influence, which is inconvenient for anyone whose motive was to wear the shoes that contributed to the problem.

The fourth is that the early look is the final look. Feet swell for months, and a toe that appears thick at eight weeks is not a failed result. Judging too early leads to unnecessary anxiety and occasionally to requests for revision that would have been unnecessary.

The fifth is that shortening one toe is a small, isolated job. The forefoot shares load across all five metatarsals; shorten one and its neighbors carry more. Transfer pain is a real and frequent consequence, which is why surgeons think about the whole row.

The sixth is that fewer visible bones equals a healthier foot. A long second toe or a mild bunion that causes no pain and no rubbing is a normal variation, not a disease. Operating on a symptom-free foot exposes a person to every risk on the list above in exchange for a change that may be barely visible.

Questions to ask your care team before toe shortening or foot narrowing

A good consultation about aesthetic foot surgery results should feel like an exchange of specifics. These questions help steer it that way, and the answers are worth writing down.

• Exactly which bones will be cut, and where will the incisions be?
• What angle or length change are you aiming for on the X-ray, and what will that look like on the foot once healed?
• What will not change after this operation?
• How will the weight my second toe carries be redistributed, and what is the risk of pain under the neighboring toes?
• Will a wire come out through the toe, and when is it usually removed?
• Which hardware stays in permanently, and does it ever need removing?
• How many weeks do you expect before I can wear a regular flat shoe, and when might I try a narrower one?
• What is your plan for pain relief in the first week, and who do I contact if it is not enough?
• What steps will reduce my clot risk while I am less mobile?
• What signs of infection or healing problems should prompt a call?
• How likely is stiffness or a floating toe with this technique, and how would that be treated?
• If the alignment drifts back over the years, what are the options?
• When will you consider the result final, and how will we assess it together?
• Is there anything about my health, smoking, or medicines that you would want changed or paused before surgery?

Two further questions concern process rather than anatomy. Ask who will be operating and who will see you at follow-up, and ask what the plan is if the wound is slow to heal or if the bone has not knitted on the six-week X-ray. Teams that answer these plainly are giving a realistic picture of the road ahead.

The last question is one to ask yourself: if the foot ends up straighter but no different in the shoes I care about, would I still consider this worthwhile? The treating team can help weigh that, but the answer is personal.

When to call your doctor after foot surgery

Some discomfort, swelling, and bruising are expected for weeks. Certain signs are not, and they need the same-day attention of the surgical team or, for the most serious, emergency care.

Call the surgical team promptly for pain that is escalating rather than easing after the third day, or pain not controlled by the plan you were given. Contact them for fever or chills, spreading redness or warmth around the incision, a foul smell, or cloudy or increasing fluid soaking through the dressing. A wound edge that opens, a K-wire that has moved or is loose, or a toe that has visibly changed position also warrants a call.

Look for problems with circulation and nerves: a toe that turns white, blue, or dusky and stays that way, or numbness that spreads rather than settles. A dressing or boot that feels far too tight after swelling increases should be checked rather than tolerated.

Seek emergency care without waiting for a callback if you develop calf pain, swelling, or warmth in the operated leg, which can signal a deep vein thrombosis, or if you have sudden shortness of breath, chest pain, or coughing up blood, which can signal a clot that has traveled to the lungs. The CDC describes these as the key warning signs of venous thromboembolism, and recent surgery with reduced mobility is a recognized risk period.

Later in recovery, new pain under a neighboring toe, a lump forming over hardware, or a toe that drifts after the wire is out are not emergencies but should be raised at the next appointment, or sooner if they interfere with walking.

When in doubt, call. A brief conversation about a normal bruise costs little; a delayed infection or missed clot can undo the entire operation. Every judgment about what a particular symptom means, and what to do about it, rests with the team that knows your foot.

Frequently asked questions

What is Cinderella toe surgery?

Cinderella surgery is a marketing term, not a defined medical procedure. It usually refers to a combination of bunion correction, bunionette correction, and shortening of a long second toe, done with the stated goal of fitting narrower shoes. Each component is a standard bone operation with its own healing time and risks, and mainstream sources such as the NHS note that forefoot surgery is not usually carried out for appearance alone.

What is the worst day after foot surgery?

Most patients describe days two and three as the hardest. The local anesthetic block that numbs the foot during and just after surgery has worn off by then, and swelling reaches its peak. Keeping the foot elevated above heart level for most of the day and following the pain plan from the prescribing clinician are the main ways to get through this window. Pain that escalates after day three should be reported.

How long does it take to walk normally after foot surgery?

Heel weight in a rigid post-operative shoe is often allowed within days, but normal walking with push-off through the toes usually waits until the bone has knitted, commonly around six weeks according to MedlinePlus and Mayo Clinic. Walking without a limp on flat ground tends to come before comfortable long walks in ordinary shoes, which can take a few months. The treating team’s instructions override any general timeline.

How long is bed rest after foot surgery?

Strict bed rest is rarely prescribed. The usual instruction is to stay off the foot except for short, necessary trips in the surgical shoe during the first one to two weeks, with the foot elevated most of the day. Prolonged immobility increases clot risk, which the CDC lists as a recognized concern after surgery, so gentle ankle movement and brief periods of getting up are generally encouraged rather than lying flat all day.

What does toe shortening surgery recovery involve?

Recovery centers on protecting the healing bone cut. Expect a rigid shoe, elevation, and limited walking for the first weeks. If a wire was used, it is typically removed in clinic after a few weeks, after which the toe can begin to bend. The shortened toe often stays stiff and swollen longer than its neighbors, sometimes for months, and the final position may shift slightly as tendons settle.

Does foot narrowing surgery change my shoe size?

No. Foot narrowing surgery shifts the first or fifth metatarsal inward by a few millimeters and reduces the bony bump, but it does not change heel width, arch height, or the overall length of the foot. Shoe size is set by those features. Some people find shoes more comfortable because the bump no longer presses, but that is a change in fit at one spot, not a smaller foot.

What are the main cosmetic foot surgery risks?

Beyond general surgical risks such as infection, bleeding, and blood clots, forefoot operations carry specific complications: bone that fails to heal or heals crooked, a toe that no longer touches the ground, pain under neighboring toes that now carry more weight, permanent stiffness, nerve numbness, and recurrence of a bunion over time. Several of these directly affect how the foot looks, which is why they matter especially when appearance was a goal.

Can a long second toe be shortened without surgery?

No. Bone length can only be changed surgically. Non-surgical measures such as a deep toe box, gel toe sleeves, and regular care of corns address the rubbing, pressure, and skin changes that usually cause the complaint, and Mayo Clinic and the NHS recommend these as first steps for toe deformities. They change comfort and appearance of the skin, not the length of the toe itself.

When can I judge the final result of aesthetic foot surgery?

Most surgeons suggest waiting until swelling has fully settled, which Mayo Clinic notes can take months after bunion surgery and which many teams place closer to a year. Early photographs show puffy toes and a forefoot still filled with fluid, so they underestimate the change. Scars also fade over many months. The treating team can say when they consider the foot settled enough for a fair assessment.

Will a bunion come back after foot narrowing surgery?

It can. Both the NHS and Mayo Clinic note that bunions may recur after correction. Footwear habits after surgery have a strong influence, and returning to narrow, high-heeled shoes raises the chance that the toe drifts again. Recurrence is more likely when surgery is done before bone growth is complete. Ask the surgeon how the chosen technique is expected to hold over the long term.

References

• NHS: Bunions
• Cleveland Clinic: Bunions (hallux valgus)
• CDC: About venous thromboembolism (blood clots)

This article is for general information only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult a qualified doctor about your individual situation.