A brand-new procedure at Mount Sinai relieves patients who are suffering from bunions, with little downtime and promising results.
Thousands of people (one in three to be exact) in America have bunions. These annoying (not to mention ugly), protruding bumps are not only visually displeasing, they often cause a lot of pain and make everyday activities more difficult. Anything from finding stylish shoes to being able to participate in their favorite fitness activities can become a stressful part of life for those living with bunions.
But what causes bunions, and how do you treat them? They are usually genetic and can get much worse over time — especially for women who love to wear narrow-toed high heels.
Surgery may be a last resort for some. But thanks to a new procedure being performed at Mount Sinai Medical Center Florida, patients can easily have their bunions addressed with a minimally invasive surgery that has them walking again much sooner than traditional surgeries.
In fact, Mount Sinai pioneered this type of minimally invasive (percutaneous) foot and ankle surgery in Florida and is amongst the highest volume institutions in North America. Orthopedic surgeon Ettore Vulcano, MD, specializes in foot and ankle surgery and limb lengthening and reconstruction. Dr. Vulcano was the first to perform modern percutaneous surgery in North America. He pioneered new minimally invasive techniques to address neuromas, Achilles tendonitis, foot and ankle arthritis, flatfeet, high arches, and more.
When it comes to the common bunion, Dr. Vulcano believes that correcting said deformity should not involve a long road to recovery or unpleasant scars left behind from surgery. This new advancement in bunion corrective surgery decreases recovery time and keeps feet looking great.
In a traditional bunion procedure, the surgeon makes a larger incision over the top or side of the foot, cutting through or repositioning the first metatarsal bone — the long bone in the foot that connects to the big toe — and then fixing it in place with screws.
It’s an involved procedure that can require significant downtime, decrease mobility, and leave scars. The new approach, called Pecaplasty, avoids the big toe joint, making tiny incisions on the side of the foot. This means less disruption to soft tissue, resulting in reduced swelling, greater range of motion in the joint, and a quicker, less painful recovery. In addition, patients are allowed to walk on the operated foot immediately after surgery.
“This new surgery promises a quicker return to sports and wearing shoes with heels, if desired. In addition, higher-risk patients, such as diabetics and smokers, are less likely to develop surgical complications, thanks to the very tiny incisions used to perform this revolutionary procedure,” explains Dr. Vulcano.
Dr. Vulcano pioneered modern minimally invasive surgery in the United States, allowing patients to recover more quickly than surgeries that are more traditional. Learn more here.
