How Foot Surgery Is Performed: Bunion Correction, Fusion and Tendon Repair Step by Step

The clinic corridor is quiet, and a woman in her fifties is holding a printout of her own X-ray, turning it sideways as if the angle might change the news. Her big toe has drifted so far toward its neighbor that her favorite shoes have been in a box for two years. The surgeon has said the word she was hoping to avoid. Now she has one question, and it is not really about the diagnosis. She wants to know how is foot surgery performed, in plain steps, before she signs anything.

That is a fair thing to want. Feet are small, but the surgery done on them is precise and surprisingly varied: a bunion correction cuts and shifts bone, a fusion deliberately removes a joint, and a tendon repair stitches a living cord back together. Each has its own rhythm in the operating room and its own calendar afterward.

This explainer walks through all three, from the moment you change into a gown to the day you take a normal-feeling step again, using what mainstream evidence actually shows.

How is foot surgery performed? The honest short version

Strip away the specialty vocabulary and most foot operations follow the same skeleton. You arrive fasted, a nurse checks your identity and marks the correct foot with a pen, an anesthesia clinician numbs you or puts you to sleep, and a tight cuff called a tourniquet is inflated around your calf or thigh to keep the surgical field nearly bloodless. A tourniquet is simply an inflatable band that temporarily stops blood flowing into the limb. Then the surgeon opens the skin, does the specific job, closes the wound, and wraps the foot.

The specific job is where the three procedures in this article part ways. In a bunion correction the surgeon cuts the first metatarsal, the long bone behind the big toe, and shifts it back into line. In a fusion, known medically as arthrodesis, the worn cartilage is scraped off both sides of a painful joint so that the two bones grow together into one solid piece. In a tendon repair, the frayed ends of a torn tendon are trimmed and sewn to each other with strong suture.

According to the NHS, bunion surgery is normally done as a day case, meaning you go home the same day once the anesthetic has worn off enough for you to be safe. Many fusions and tendon repairs are handled the same way, although a longer or more complex reconstruction may involve an overnight stay. That decision belongs to your surgical and anesthesia team, who weigh your health, the extent of the operation, and how you will manage at home.

What surprises most patients is how much of the work happens outside the operating room. The measurement of angles on the X-ray beforehand, and the weeks of protected walking afterward, matter at least as much to the result as the twenty to ninety minutes spent under the lights.

What happens during foot surgery before the first incision

Yes, you keep your gown on. That question shows up in search boxes far more often than surgeons realize, and the answer is reassuring: the gown stays, the sheets stay, and only the operative leg is exposed. Warm blankets are standard because operating rooms are kept cool to reduce infection risk and keep staff alert.

Before any of that, you will have met the anesthesia team. Foot surgery gives them more options than most operations. A regional nerve block, an injection of local anesthetic around the nerves behind the knee or at the ankle, can make the entire foot numb for many hours. A spinal anesthetic numbs everything below the waist. A general anesthetic puts you fully to sleep. Often a block is combined with light sedation or a general so that you wake up comfortable rather than in pain. Which combination suits you depends on your heart and lung health, medications, past reactions, and preference, and it is set by the anesthesia clinician, not by a checklist.

Once you are asleep or numb, the team positions your leg, cleans the skin with antiseptic, and drapes everything except the foot. The surgeon confirms the site marking, and the tourniquet is inflated. A drained, pale surgical field lets the surgeon see nerves, tendons and bone edges clearly, which is one reason foot surgery is far more delicate than its reputation suggests.

Only then does the first incision happen. Depending on the procedure it may be a single line a few centimeters long over the bunion, a curve over an arthritic midfoot joint, or a longitudinal cut beside the Achilles tendon. Some bunion techniques use several tiny punctures instead of an open incision, guided by a live X-ray machine in the room. The Johns Hopkins bunion surgery page describes both open and minimally invasive approaches as options a surgeon selects based on the deformity, not on marketing.

Bunion correction step by step: how the bone is realigned

A bunion is not a growth. It is the first metatarsal drifting outward while the big toe angles inward, so the joint at the base of the toe pokes out against your shoe. Mayo Clinic notes that no single technique suits every foot, which is why your surgeon talks about your specific angles rather than a brand-name operation.

Here is the sequence in a typical open correction of a mild to moderate bunion:

• The surgeon makes an incision along the inside of the joint and gently moves the skin, soft tissue and the sensory nerve that runs there out of the way.
• The joint capsule, the fibrous sleeve around the joint, is opened and any tight tissue on the outer side that is pulling the toe over is released.
• A small saw cuts the metatarsal. This deliberate cut is called an osteotomy. Its shape, whether a chevron, a straight cut, or a wedge, is chosen to let the bone head slide back toward the midline.
• The shifted bone is held with one or two small screws, or occasionally a plate. This hardware is usually made of titanium or steel and most people never feel it.
• The bump that remains is shaved smooth, the capsule is tightened like a hem, and the skin is closed with stitches.

A severe bunion, where the whole metatarsal has splayed away from the foot, may need the cut placed near the base of the bone or at the joint behind it, sometimes combined with a fusion of that joint. A bunion with an arthritic big toe joint may be treated by fusing the toe joint itself, which trades motion for reliable pain control.

The minimally invasive versions use percutaneous cuts through punctures under X-ray guidance, then screws placed through the same holes. Evidence comparing approaches is still evolving, and your surgeon should be able to explain which technique fits your foot and why.

Foot fusion surgery step by step: how a joint is locked in place

Fusion sounds drastic because it is: the surgeon removes a joint on purpose. The logic is simple. Cartilage that has worn down to bare bone hurts every time the surfaces grind, and a joint that no longer moves cannot grind. Arthrodesis, the medical word for fusion, converts two painful bones into one pain-free bar.

The technique follows a set order:

• An incision is made directly over the arthritic joint, commonly the big toe joint, a joint in the midfoot, or one of the joints under the ankle in the hindfoot.
• The remaining cartilage and the hard, polished bone underneath are removed with a curette, small chisel or burr until fresh, bleeding bone is exposed on both sides. Bleeding bone matters because that is where new bone will grow.
• The surgeon sets the bones at the exact angle the foot needs for walking. For a big toe fusion, a slight upward tilt lets the toe roll off the ground; for a hindfoot fusion, a neutral position keeps the heel under the leg.
• Compression screws, staples or a plate hold the surfaces tightly together. Tight contact and no movement are the two conditions bone needs to knit.
• Some surgeons add bone graft, either a small piece taken from the patient’s own heel or shin or a processed graft, to fill gaps.

After closure the foot goes into a splint or cast because, unlike a bunion correction where the hardware is holding a healed bone in a new position, a fusion is holding two bones that have not yet joined. Weight through an unhealed fusion can shift the surfaces and stop them uniting. That is why the early weeks of a fusion recovery are more restrictive, a point the recovery section returns to.

Patients often ask whether losing a joint will make them limp. Neighboring joints take over much of the motion in the big toe and midfoot, and a well-positioned fusion is generally walked on without a noticeable change in gait, though the treating team can speak to your specific joint.

Tendon repair step by step: how a torn cord is stitched

The Achilles tendon is the thick cord connecting your calf muscles to the heel bone, and a full rupture usually announces itself with a pop and the feeling of being kicked from behind. Mayo Clinic notes that some ruptures are managed without surgery in a boot with heel wedges, and that surgical repair is one option among several; the choice depends on age, activity level, the gap between the torn ends, and the person’s health.

When repair is chosen, the steps look like this:

• You lie face down. An incision is made along the inner side of the tendon rather than directly over it, which spares the sensory nerve and the thin skin at the back of the heel.
• The paratenon, the slippery sheath around the tendon, is opened. The ends usually look like two frayed mops.
• Ragged fibers are trimmed, then heavy sutures are woven through each end in a locking pattern and tied so the ends meet under gentle tension. The surgeon compares the tension with the uninjured side by watching how the foot rests.
• The sheath is closed over the repair, then the skin. A splint holds the foot pointing slightly downward so the stitched ends are not pulled apart.

Other foot tendon repairs follow the same principles. A torn or degenerated posterior tibial tendon, which supports the arch, is often repaired and reinforced by transferring a neighboring tendon to share the load. A tendon that is simply frayed may be debrided, meaning cleaned of diseased tissue, and re-attached to bone with small anchors.

Tendon tissue heals slowly because it has a modest blood supply. Mayo Clinic states that most people return to their former level of activity within about 4–6 months after an Achilles rupture, whether treated surgically or not, and that structured rehabilitation is essential either way. Surgery does not shortcut biology; it aligns the ends so biology can do its work.

Bunion, fusion or tendon repair: how the three operations compare

Seeing the three side by side makes the differences in logic, hardware and recovery easier to hold in your head. The ranges below are typical patterns drawn from the sources cited at the end of this article; your own plan may differ, and only your treating team can tell you where you sit.

Feature	Bunion correction	Joint fusion	Tendon repair
Main goal	Realign the first metatarsal and big toe	Eliminate motion in a worn, painful joint	Reconnect torn tendon ends so they heal
What is done to bone	Bone is cut and shifted	Cartilage removed, bones pressed together	Usually none, unless re-attaching to bone
Typical fixation	Small screws, sometimes a plate	Compression screws, staples or plate	Heavy sutures, sometimes bone anchors
Usual anesthesia	Nerve block with sedation or general	Nerve block, spinal or general	Nerve block, spinal or general
Hospital stay	Usually same-day discharge (NHS)	Same day or overnight	Usually same day
Early weight bearing	Often allowed in a stiff surgical shoe	Usually restricted until X-rays show union	Protected in a boot, progressed by the team
Protective footwear	Surgical shoe around 6 weeks (NHS)	Cast then boot for several weeks	Boot with heel wedges, gradually lowered
Return to former activity	Weeks to months (Mayo Clinic)	Several months, once bone has fused	About 4–6 months after Achilles rupture (Mayo Clinic)

Two patterns stand out. First, the more bone work an operation involves, the longer you wait before trusting weight through it, because bone that is still knitting can shift. Second, the operation with the least bone work, tendon repair, is often the slowest to reach full sport, because tendon heals more slowly than bone.

Neither pattern is a promise. Age, smoking, diabetes and how faithfully the protection rules are followed all move people along or hold them back, and the table is a map rather than a schedule.

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

Surgeons rarely operate on an X-ray. They operate on a person whose foot hurts enough to change daily life after simpler measures have been tried honestly. Mayo Clinic is explicit that bunion surgery is not recommended for cosmetic reasons alone, and the NHS lists wider shoes, padding and pain relief as first steps. The same principle applies to arthritic joints and tendon problems: activity changes, supportive footwear or orthotics, physical therapy, and sometimes injections come first.

People commonly offered surgery share a few features. Their pain persists most days despite those measures. Their deformity or weakness is causing secondary problems, such as a second toe being pushed out of place, an arch collapsing, or repeated falls from a tendon that no longer supports the foot. Their imaging matches their symptoms, meaning the joint that hurts is the joint that looks worn.

Others are usually asked to wait, and the reasons are protective rather than dismissive:

• Someone whose diabetes or blood sugar is poorly controlled, because wound healing and infection risk are strongly affected.
• A current smoker, since nicotine narrows small blood vessels and is associated with slower bone union and higher non-union risk after fusions; many surgeons ask for a period of not smoking before and after.
• A person with active infection, poor circulation in the leg, or skin that breaks down easily.
• Someone who cannot realistically follow weight-bearing restrictions, perhaps because of caregiving duties or home stairs, until support is arranged.
• A young person whose bones are still growing, where timing is chosen carefully.

Waiting is also normal when the pain is mild. A bunion that does not hurt does not need an operation, and Mayo Clinic notes that surgery carries no guarantee of eliminating symptoms. Being asked to wait is a clinical judgment about risk and benefit, and it can be revisited as circumstances change.

Is foot surgery painful, and is it a major surgery?

Two questions dominate the search results, so they deserve straight answers.

Is it painful? During the operation, no. A nerve block, spinal or general anesthetic means you feel nothing, and a block often keeps the foot numb well after you get home. The harder honesty concerns the first two or three days once the block fades. Bone that has been cut aches deeply, and a foot that hangs below the heart throbs. The standard toolkit is elevation above hip level, ice or a cold pack over the dressing, a splint that keeps the bone still, and a short course of pain medication chosen by the prescribing clinician. The pattern most people describe is a peak in the first days, then steady easing over the first two weeks. Swelling lingers far longer than pain; the NHS notes it can persist for months after bunion surgery, which is why some people cannot fit their usual shoes for a while.

Is it major surgery? It depends what you mean. In terms of physiological stress on the heart, lungs and body, a bunion correction under a nerve block is a modest operation, which is why it is routinely done as a day case. In terms of impact on your life, it can feel enormous: weeks in a stiff shoe or boot, no driving until you can brake safely, stairs on your bottom, and a shower that requires a plastic bag. A hindfoot fusion with grafting sits further along the scale in both senses. Surgeons tend to describe most foot procedures as intermediate: technically demanding, low in systemic risk, high in recovery discipline.

The mismatch between those two kinds of major is where frustration comes from. Planning for the lifestyle impact, rather than the medical one, is what most people say they wish they had done.

Recovery: what the first days and weeks look like for each operation

Day one is about elevation. Whatever the procedure, the foot spends most of its time above the level of your hip, resting on pillows, because gravity is the main driver of swelling and swelling is the main driver of pain and wound tension. The dressing stays dry and untouched. You will have crutches, a walker or a knee scooter, and a specific instruction about how much weight the foot may take.

For a bunion correction, that instruction is often heel or flat-foot walking in a stiff-soled surgical shoe from the start, because the screws are holding a bone in position while it heals. The NHS advises that the special shoe is generally worn for around 6 weeks, that you may be unable to drive for roughly 6–8 weeks, and that a return to normal footwear follows once swelling allows. Bunion surgery recovery time, as searched by thousands of people every month, is therefore best understood as three phases: about two weeks of wound healing, about six weeks of bone healing in protection, and a longer tail of swelling and stiffness that Mayo Clinic describes as weeks to months.

For a fusion, the early weeks are stricter. The two bone surfaces have not yet joined, so most people are kept non-weight-bearing or touch-weight-bearing in a cast or boot until X-rays show bone bridging across the joint. Foot fusion surgery recovery tends to unlock in stages: cast to boot, boot to gradual weight, then a supportive shoe once union is confirmed. Bone healing time varies with the joint, your age and whether you smoke, so your surgeon sets these checkpoints rather than a calendar.

For an Achilles repair, the foot starts pointed slightly down in a splint, then moves to a boot whose heel wedges are removed one at a time to bring the tendon gently to length. Physical therapy begins early. Mayo Clinic notes rehabilitation is central regardless of treatment, with most people back to former activity around 4–6 months.

In every case, stitches or staples come out around two weeks, and you will be shown how to care for the scar.

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

The honest answer has two parts, because walking and walking normally are different milestones.

Walking, in the sense of getting to the bathroom and kitchen, usually starts the same day or the next, with crutches and whatever protective footwear you were given. After a bunion correction that often means heel-walking in a surgical shoe. After a fusion it may mean hopping on the other leg with a walker while the operated foot stays off the ground. After an Achilles repair it means a boot and crutches with the weight the team allows.

Walking normally, meaning a smooth heel-to-toe stride in ordinary shoes without thinking about the foot, comes later. Several things need to happen first. Bone must knit or tendon must gain strength. Swelling must fall enough for a shoe to fit. The small muscles of the foot, which weaken quickly in a boot, must be retrained. And the brain must relearn a gait pattern it has been avoiding, sometimes for years before the operation.

The NHS places the end of the protective shoe phase after bunion surgery at around 6 weeks and notes full recovery can take several months. Mayo Clinic gives the same weeks-to-months range and adds that some stiffness or swelling can persist. For Achilles repair, Mayo Clinic’s roughly 4–6 month return-to-activity window is the closest published figure to normal walking and running. Fusion timelines depend on the joint and on X-ray confirmation of union, so surgeons generally describe them in stages rather than weeks.

Two things reliably shorten the gap between walking and walking normally: doing the home exercises the physical therapist gives you, and not testing the foot early. Loading a fusion before it unites or a tendon before it strengthens is the most common way a good operation becomes a disappointing one. The goal is a foot you stop noticing, and that takes patience more than heroics.

Risks and alternatives, explained without spin

Every operation carries risk, and foot surgery has a particular set worth naming plainly.

• Infection: the foot is far from the heart and close to the floor, so wound infection is a known risk, higher in people with diabetes, poor circulation or who smoke.
• Nerve irritation: the sensory nerves along the top and side of the foot lie directly under the skin, and numbness or tingling near the scar is common and often improves over months, though not always fully.
• Non-union or delayed union: a cut or fused bone may be slow to knit or fail to join, sometimes requiring a second procedure.
• Recurrence: a bunion can drift back over years, particularly if the underlying cause, such as a loose midfoot joint or tight footwear, is unaddressed. Mayo Clinic notes surgery does not guarantee symptom relief.
• Hardware problems: a screw head can become prominent or irritating and is occasionally removed later.
• Stiffness and transfer pain: neighboring joints can become sore as they take on new load after a fusion.
• Blood clots: less common than after hip or knee surgery but real, especially when the leg is immobilized; your team may advise movement, compression or clot-prevention measures.
• Re-rupture after tendon repair, and wound problems over the thin skin at the heel.

Alternatives deserve equal airtime. For bunions, the NHS and Mayo Clinic both describe wide-toe-box shoes, bunion pads, toe spacers, and pain relief as the non-surgical path, and note that these ease symptoms rather than straighten the toe. For arthritic joints, stiff-soled or rocker-bottom shoes reduce painful motion, and steroid injections may settle a flare. For Achilles rupture, Mayo Clinic describes non-surgical management in a boot as a recognized option with its own trade-offs, including a historically somewhat higher re-rupture risk that narrows with modern functional rehabilitation.

None of these is inherently better. The right one is the one that fits your foot, your health and your life, decided together with the treating team.

What people often get wrong about how foot surgery is performed

Myths gather around feet the way lint gathers in a pocket. A few are worth clearing out.

The bump is not shaved off. Many people imagine bunion surgery as filing down a bony lump. The lump is the end of a bone that has drifted sideways; smoothing it without cutting and repositioning the bone leaves the drift intact and the bunion returns. Modern correction is realignment, and the shaving is a minor finishing step.

Laser surgery is not a standard bunion procedure. Lasers cut soft tissue and are not used to cut and reposition bone in mainstream orthopedic practice. Minimally invasive techniques use tiny saws through small punctures, which is a different thing.

A fusion does not mean you will never move your foot. One joint is locked; the dozens of others keep working. Most people cannot tell where a big toe or midfoot fusion has taken place by watching someone walk.

Both feet at once is not routine. Surgeons generally stage bilateral bunion surgery so that one foot can bear weight while the other heals; the NHS notes the long recovery, and doubling it while unable to stand is rarely practical or safe.

Hardware does not usually need removal. Screws and plates are designed to stay. Removal is reserved for the minority whose hardware causes irritation.

Surgery is not a quick fix. Mayo Clinic’s weeks-to-months recovery window is often the part people skim past. The operation takes an hour; the recovery takes a season.

Lastly, foot surgery is not something you have because a picture looks wrong. Mayo Clinic advises against operating for appearance, and surgeons weigh pain and function above angles. A bunion that does not hurt is, from the standpoint of evidence, a bunion that is allowed to exist.

Questions to ask your care team

The consultation goes better when you arrive with questions that expose the reasoning, not just the plan. Consider taking a written list; most surgeons welcome it.

• Which exact procedure are you proposing, and why this one for my foot rather than the alternatives you considered?
• What would happen if I chose not to have surgery now? Is anything likely to get worse, or is this a quality-of-life decision I can time?
• What kind of anesthesia do you expect, and will a nerve block be part of it? How long should the numbness last, and what should I do as it wears off?
• Will I go home the same day, and what should be set up at home before I arrive: stairs, shower, someone to help for the first days?
• Exactly how much weight may I put through the foot, in what footwear, and for how long? What is the sign that I can progress?
• When will I have X-rays, and what will you be looking for on them?
• What are the specific risks in my case, given my health, medications and habits? Is there anything I can change beforehand to lower them?
• Will there be hardware, and is it likely to stay in for life?
• When might I drive, return to desk work, return to standing work, and return to sport or hiking?
• Who do I call at night or on a weekend if something worries me?
• How will my regular medications be managed around the operation, and who makes those decisions?

Notice that none of these ask for a promise. Good answers will come with ranges and caveats, because that is what the evidence supports. A team that explains its uncertainty is showing you respect, not doubt. Write the answers down; the anesthetic and the anxiety of the day tend to erase details you will want later.

When to call your doctor

Most recoveries are uneventful, but a small number of problems need prompt attention, and the sooner they are seen the simpler they are to handle. Contact your surgical team the same day, or seek urgent care if you cannot reach them, for any of the following red-flag signs:

• Pain that escalates sharply after the first few days rather than easing, or pain the prescribed plan no longer touches.
• Redness spreading from the wound, increasing warmth, pus or a foul smell, or the dressing becoming soaked through.
• A fever or chills in the days after surgery.
• Toes that turn white, blue or gray, feel cold, or lose feeling in a way that is new or worsening after the block has worn off.
• Calf pain, tenderness or swelling in either leg, which can signal a blood clot.
• Sudden shortness of breath, chest pain, or coughing up blood, which can signal a clot that has traveled to the lungs. This is an emergency: call emergency services.
• A cast or splint that feels far too tight, or that you have gotten wet or damaged.
• A sudden pop, a fall onto the foot, or a feeling that something has shifted, especially after a fusion or tendon repair.
• Wound edges pulling apart or stitches coming out early.
• Persistent nausea, inability to keep fluids down, or drowsiness beyond what you were told to expect.

Lesser concerns still deserve a call rather than a guess. Persistent swelling after several weeks, numbness that is not improving, or a screw you can feel under the skin are all things the team would rather hear about early. Recovery decisions, including when to progress weight, change footwear or return to work, sit with the treating team, and this article is background for that conversation rather than a substitute for it.

Frequently asked questions

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

Walking with support usually begins within a day, but a normal stride in ordinary shoes takes weeks to months. The NHS places the end of the protective-shoe phase after bunion surgery at around 6 weeks with full recovery taking several months, Mayo Clinic gives roughly 4–6 months after Achilles repair, and fusion timelines depend on X-ray confirmation that bone has united. Your surgeon sets your milestones.

Is foot surgery painful?

Not during the operation, because a nerve block, spinal or general anesthetic means you feel nothing. The first two or three days afterward, once a block fades, are typically the sorest, with deep aching from cut bone eased by elevation, cold packs, a splint and pain relief chosen by the prescribing clinician. Pain usually eases steadily over the first two weeks, while swelling can linger for months.

Is foot surgery a major surgery?

Medically it is usually intermediate: technically precise but low in stress on the heart and lungs, which is why the NHS notes bunion surgery is normally a day case. Practically it can feel major, with weeks in a boot or surgical shoe, no driving for a period, and help needed at home. Larger reconstructions such as hindfoot fusions with bone graft sit further along the scale.

Do they remove your gown during foot surgery?

No. You keep your hospital gown on throughout, and only the operative leg is exposed. The rest of your body is covered with warm blankets and sterile drapes, since operating rooms are kept cool. If you have a spinal or general anesthetic you will be asleep or heavily sedated for the positioning anyway, and staff are trained to preserve dignity at every step.

What happens during foot surgery from start to finish?

You are checked in, the correct foot is marked, and the anesthesia team numbs you or puts you to sleep. A tourniquet is inflated on the leg, the skin is cleaned and draped, and the surgeon makes one or more incisions. Bone is cut and fixed for a bunion, joint surfaces are removed and compressed for a fusion, or tendon ends are stitched for a repair. The wound is closed and the foot is bandaged or splinted.

What is the typical bunion surgery recovery time?

The NHS describes bunion surgery as a day case followed by around 6 weeks in a special surgical shoe, with driving often not possible for roughly 6–8 weeks and full recovery taking several months. Mayo Clinic gives a similar weeks-to-months window and notes swelling and stiffness can persist. Individual timelines depend on the technique used, your health and how consistently protection rules are followed.

What does foot fusion surgery recovery involve?

Fusion recovery is usually stricter early on because the two bones have not yet joined. Most people are kept non-weight-bearing or touch-weight-bearing in a cast or boot until X-rays show bone bridging the joint, then progress to a boot, gradual weight and finally a supportive shoe. Smoking, diabetes and early loading all slow bone union, so surgeons set checkpoints based on imaging rather than a fixed calendar.

Can foot surgery be done with a local anesthetic only?

Some smaller procedures can be done under a local or regional nerve block alone, with the patient awake or lightly sedated. Many teams combine a block with sedation or a general anesthetic so you are comfortable during and after. The choice depends on your heart and lung health, medications, past reactions and preference, and is made by the anesthesia clinician after assessing you.

Will the screws and plates need to come out later?

Usually not. Hardware used in bunion correction and fusion is designed to remain permanently, and most people never feel it. Removal is reserved for the minority in whom a screw head becomes prominent or irritates a tendon or shoe. That is a separate, generally smaller procedure decided with your surgeon once the bone has fully healed.

Can both feet be operated on at the same time?

It is possible but not routine. Surgeons generally stage bilateral surgery so one foot can bear weight while the other heals, since the NHS notes recovery takes weeks to months and being unable to stand on either foot is rarely practical or safe at home. Your surgeon will weigh your home setup, support, and health before advising on timing.

References

• NHS: Bunions
• MedlinePlus: Bunion removal

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.