Post by robertisaacs on Nov 5, 2008 18:29:22 GMT
What say you?
Pain-free surgery cured my bunions in just minutes
By Angela Brooks
Last updated at 10:21 PM on 01st September 2008
Comments (5) Add to My Stories Around 15 million Britons suffer from bunions, painful bony swellings at the base of the big toe.
Traditionally, the only treatment has been painful surgery with a lengthy recovery, but Sharon Mobsby, 55, from Worthing, West Sussex, underwent a new, faster procedure.
Here, she tells ANGELA BROOKS about her experience and her surgeon explains the procedure.
Sharon Mosby, 55, suffers from bunions after doing a lot of ballet as a girl
THE PATIENT
When I was in my 20s, my mother-in-law warned me I'd have trouble with bunions when I got older. I did a lot of ballet and tap in my early childhood - a common cause of bunions if you have a genetic tendency, as I later discovered.
This is because of the constant pressure on the toe joints. As my 20s wore on, I could see I had the start of bunions, but I kept wearing high heels as I didn't know they would make them worse.
By my mid-40s the bunions had taken hold and my feet were sore. I swopped the 3in heels I wore almost daily for kitten heels, but I was still in constant pain.
I was reluctant to go to my GP because I knew he'd recommend surgery. I'd heard it was very painful and that I'd be in plaster for weeks. I couldn't face that, so I decided just to get on with things.
But about two years ago, the bunions really began affecting my life. I've always enjoyed the half-mile walk into town and back each day, but slowly I found that if I did this one day, I'd barely be able to walk the next because of my painful feet.
I finally went to my GP in November 2006, and he referred me to an orthopaedic surgeon. As expected, the surgeon said I needed bunion surgery but I could probably wait a bit longer.
I tried special insoles, which helped a little, but then a friend told me about a German orthopaedic surgeon, Dr Dieter Nollau, at Goring Hall Hospital in Worthing, who was carrying out a new, far less invasive, procedure on bunions.
I saw Dr Nollau in September 2007; he said my left foot was bad enough to warrant treatment but I could probably hold off a year or so on my right. However, I only wanted one recovery period, so I chose to have both feet done at the same time.
The operation he did would take just a couple of minutes on each foot and be done under local anaesthetic. It would involve one tiny incision, so there would be less damage and pain. He would also put a thin piece of wire through the length of my foot, which would be removed a month later, to keep it stable while it was healing.
I went into hospital as a day patient in November. After three injections of anaesthetic in each foot, I turned my personal stereo up to drown out the drilling sound. I didn't feel any pain, just a bit of yanking as they were lining my big toes up.
After the op, I was given special sandals to support the arch of my feet - this helps reduce pressure on the ball of the foot during the recovery period. I had to wear these for a month - and you begin walking around immediately to encourage flexibility in the feet.
I was home a couple of hours after the operation. I felt fine but made sure I took the strong painkillers they'd given me before I went to bed. I had no discomfort from the swelling, but this is probably because I religiously applied the ice packs as recommended.
Dr Nollau phoned to check on me that first night and he came to visit the following morning. Then he phoned me over the weekend to monitor my progress. My final appointment was a month after my surgery, where the wire was removed. I was apprehensive but it wasn't sore at all.
Just six weeks later, I wore high-heeled boots and my feet felt fine - although I would only do this occasionally for the first three months. Now my feet look and feel brilliant. I can wear heels whenever I like.
People I know had the old procedure and couldn't face having the second foot done because the first was so painful. I'm delighted with my experience. It's given me a totally new lease of life.
THE SURGEON
Dr Dieter Nollau, is consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Goring Hall Hospital, Worthing.
He says... Around 85 per cent of women over the age of 45 have bunions. Many of them get them because they have a genetic predisposition which makes their soft tissue -muscles, tendons and ligaments - more lax.
Female hormones also soften this tissue, which is why women are prone to bunions.
With bunions, because the big toe is no longer firmly in place, it starts drifting towards
the little toe. It's this that gives rise to the prominent bunion lump at the base of the big-toe joint.
Dancers, people who wear heels continually and those on their feet all day are more prone to bunions - but again, genetics will play a part in how soon these develop.
Treatment includes the use of specially made insoles, but these can only be worn in flat shoes and will just help ease the pain. To get rid of the bunion completely, surgery is the only option.
This is needed when the big toe slants more than 30 degrees inwards; at this stage people are likely to find their bunions pretty painful.
The normal incision for these operations is 5-7cm. Ours by comparison is 2mm - the advantage of this is that we cause far less tissue damage so patients can be on their feet immediately with very little pain.
The procedure can be carried out either under local anaesthetic or under local with some sedation to make the patient feel completely relaxed.
First, I make an incision through the skin just below the bunion. Then, using a special drill, I cut through the bone cleanly - but not the surrounding skin or soft tissue. I pull the toe free from the bone it is attached to in the foot, rotating it slightly so it can be realigned to the right position - an angle of 15 degrees, or less.
All the toes are joined by ligaments which we don't touch, but shifting the toe into the correct position has the effect of tightening the ligaments and restoring the natural foot arch.
Contrary to what people think, a bunion is not extra bone, it's just the part of the foot known as the metatarsal head, which sticks out because the big toe has drifted outwards. So it is not necessary to shave off the bone - that would just be removing healthy bone.
Once we were satisfied with the big toe's position, we stabilised Sharon's foot with a long titanium wire which we pushed through the tip of the big toe, curving a small bit of it externally around the big toe to return it to the right position.
We then closed the skin with a single stitch and, after operating on the other toe, Sharon had a dressing pad put over the skin and compression bandages - with a toe aligment split put around the ball of her pad to keep the toe in place.
With the bandage on, patients can stand up and walk out of the operating theatre with no crutches, no brace, no cast or anything. :oThey get special sandals to wear and they can go home an hour later.
Patients get painkillers before leaving hospital and we want them walking around immediately to keep their joints flexible. The wire makes immediate weight-bearing on the foot easy because all the bones are held in place.
Patients also need to use ice-packs on the foot regularly to help reduce swelling and they will be in their sandals for a month. It takes six to eight weeks before they can wear their normal shoes.
Bunions really affect people's quality of life, so I am delighted that the operation has been so successful for Sharon.
• The two-minute bunion operation costs £3,986 for both feet including all follow-up visits. At present this procedure is only available privately. Contact the European Foot Institute on 01903 261 593 for more information.
By Angela Brooks
Last updated at 10:21 PM on 01st September 2008
Comments (5) Add to My Stories Around 15 million Britons suffer from bunions, painful bony swellings at the base of the big toe.
Traditionally, the only treatment has been painful surgery with a lengthy recovery, but Sharon Mobsby, 55, from Worthing, West Sussex, underwent a new, faster procedure.
Here, she tells ANGELA BROOKS about her experience and her surgeon explains the procedure.
Sharon Mosby, 55, suffers from bunions after doing a lot of ballet as a girl
THE PATIENT
When I was in my 20s, my mother-in-law warned me I'd have trouble with bunions when I got older. I did a lot of ballet and tap in my early childhood - a common cause of bunions if you have a genetic tendency, as I later discovered.
This is because of the constant pressure on the toe joints. As my 20s wore on, I could see I had the start of bunions, but I kept wearing high heels as I didn't know they would make them worse.
By my mid-40s the bunions had taken hold and my feet were sore. I swopped the 3in heels I wore almost daily for kitten heels, but I was still in constant pain.
I was reluctant to go to my GP because I knew he'd recommend surgery. I'd heard it was very painful and that I'd be in plaster for weeks. I couldn't face that, so I decided just to get on with things.
But about two years ago, the bunions really began affecting my life. I've always enjoyed the half-mile walk into town and back each day, but slowly I found that if I did this one day, I'd barely be able to walk the next because of my painful feet.
I finally went to my GP in November 2006, and he referred me to an orthopaedic surgeon. As expected, the surgeon said I needed bunion surgery but I could probably wait a bit longer.
I tried special insoles, which helped a little, but then a friend told me about a German orthopaedic surgeon, Dr Dieter Nollau, at Goring Hall Hospital in Worthing, who was carrying out a new, far less invasive, procedure on bunions.
I saw Dr Nollau in September 2007; he said my left foot was bad enough to warrant treatment but I could probably hold off a year or so on my right. However, I only wanted one recovery period, so I chose to have both feet done at the same time.
The operation he did would take just a couple of minutes on each foot and be done under local anaesthetic. It would involve one tiny incision, so there would be less damage and pain. He would also put a thin piece of wire through the length of my foot, which would be removed a month later, to keep it stable while it was healing.
I went into hospital as a day patient in November. After three injections of anaesthetic in each foot, I turned my personal stereo up to drown out the drilling sound. I didn't feel any pain, just a bit of yanking as they were lining my big toes up.
After the op, I was given special sandals to support the arch of my feet - this helps reduce pressure on the ball of the foot during the recovery period. I had to wear these for a month - and you begin walking around immediately to encourage flexibility in the feet.
I was home a couple of hours after the operation. I felt fine but made sure I took the strong painkillers they'd given me before I went to bed. I had no discomfort from the swelling, but this is probably because I religiously applied the ice packs as recommended.
Dr Nollau phoned to check on me that first night and he came to visit the following morning. Then he phoned me over the weekend to monitor my progress. My final appointment was a month after my surgery, where the wire was removed. I was apprehensive but it wasn't sore at all.
Just six weeks later, I wore high-heeled boots and my feet felt fine - although I would only do this occasionally for the first three months. Now my feet look and feel brilliant. I can wear heels whenever I like.
People I know had the old procedure and couldn't face having the second foot done because the first was so painful. I'm delighted with my experience. It's given me a totally new lease of life.
THE SURGEON
Dr Dieter Nollau, is consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Goring Hall Hospital, Worthing.
He says... Around 85 per cent of women over the age of 45 have bunions. Many of them get them because they have a genetic predisposition which makes their soft tissue -muscles, tendons and ligaments - more lax.
Female hormones also soften this tissue, which is why women are prone to bunions.
With bunions, because the big toe is no longer firmly in place, it starts drifting towards
the little toe. It's this that gives rise to the prominent bunion lump at the base of the big-toe joint.
Dancers, people who wear heels continually and those on their feet all day are more prone to bunions - but again, genetics will play a part in how soon these develop.
Treatment includes the use of specially made insoles, but these can only be worn in flat shoes and will just help ease the pain. To get rid of the bunion completely, surgery is the only option.
This is needed when the big toe slants more than 30 degrees inwards; at this stage people are likely to find their bunions pretty painful.
The normal incision for these operations is 5-7cm. Ours by comparison is 2mm - the advantage of this is that we cause far less tissue damage so patients can be on their feet immediately with very little pain.
The procedure can be carried out either under local anaesthetic or under local with some sedation to make the patient feel completely relaxed.
First, I make an incision through the skin just below the bunion. Then, using a special drill, I cut through the bone cleanly - but not the surrounding skin or soft tissue. I pull the toe free from the bone it is attached to in the foot, rotating it slightly so it can be realigned to the right position - an angle of 15 degrees, or less.
All the toes are joined by ligaments which we don't touch, but shifting the toe into the correct position has the effect of tightening the ligaments and restoring the natural foot arch.
Contrary to what people think, a bunion is not extra bone, it's just the part of the foot known as the metatarsal head, which sticks out because the big toe has drifted outwards. So it is not necessary to shave off the bone - that would just be removing healthy bone.
Once we were satisfied with the big toe's position, we stabilised Sharon's foot with a long titanium wire which we pushed through the tip of the big toe, curving a small bit of it externally around the big toe to return it to the right position.
We then closed the skin with a single stitch and, after operating on the other toe, Sharon had a dressing pad put over the skin and compression bandages - with a toe aligment split put around the ball of her pad to keep the toe in place.
With the bandage on, patients can stand up and walk out of the operating theatre with no crutches, no brace, no cast or anything. :oThey get special sandals to wear and they can go home an hour later.
Patients get painkillers before leaving hospital and we want them walking around immediately to keep their joints flexible. The wire makes immediate weight-bearing on the foot easy because all the bones are held in place.
Patients also need to use ice-packs on the foot regularly to help reduce swelling and they will be in their sandals for a month. It takes six to eight weeks before they can wear their normal shoes.
Bunions really affect people's quality of life, so I am delighted that the operation has been so successful for Sharon.
• The two-minute bunion operation costs £3,986 for both feet including all follow-up visits. At present this procedure is only available privately. Contact the European Foot Institute on 01903 261 593 for more information.