Intro Copy:
Two of the most common worries I hear around bunion surgery are having to have a general anaesthetic and pain after surgery. In this month’s blog post, we aim to put our patient’s mind at ease on both these concerns.
Main Copy:
Two of the most common worries I hear around bunion surgery are having to have a general anaesthetic and pain after surgery.
General Anaesthetic
It often comes as a surprise to patients when I say that keyhole bunion surgery does not need a general anaesthetic. We can always avoid a general anaesthetic with bunion correction surgery as we use advanced anaesthetic techniques in order to keep you comfortable and pain-free throughout surgery and also during recovery.
This is done via a technique known as ‘sedation’, which my anaesthetist can tailor to your needs. This can range from being completely wide awake (where I can even talk you through the surgery!), to being lightly sedated but rousable, to being deeply sedated and completely unaware with no recall of the surgery at all.
Pain
In addition to the sedation discussed above, we also use a local anaesthetic ankle block. This is a series of ankle injections around the nerves that numb the foot. This ankle block is performed in the anaesthetic room, alongside the sedation so the injections are not painful. Once we have checked that your foot is entirely numb, you are then transferred into the operating room and surgery is performed with a completely numb foot and without any pain whatsoever.
It's also very unusual for patients to be in pain after keyhole bunion surgery, as the ankle block lasts six or more hours. Even once home, most of my patients are surprised at how little pain they had, if any. Every patient is prescribed appropriate painkillers for their recovery period however many of my patients find they don’t need to use them at all.
So please don't be fearful of bunion surgery nor your recovery, in terms of pain and anaesthetic choices. We will discuss everything together during your consultation with me and also on the day of surgery with my anaesthetist.
Please contact my office on 020 7993 2373 or email info@thebuniondoctor.com for any further information or to book an appointment. We also run regular free Bunion Patient Information Webinars. Find out more and book your place here.