Most people have heard that bunion surgery is very painful. The short answer is, bunion surgery does not have to be painful. There are many types of bunion procedures. Some are very minor and simple while others are more complexed. So, the first answer is that it depends on the surgery you are having. The second answer is has to do with compliance. The more you are on your feet, the more pain you will have.
At Family Foot & Ankle Specialists in Hillsborough and Piscataway, NJ, we tell our patients to stay home with your foot elevated for three days. This is the time where the foot will get the most swelling. Pain is mainly not from the procedure itself, but from post-operative swelling. Swelling is necessary for healing, because it brings in blood cells that are necessary for the area to heal. If patients ice the foot for twenty minutes four to five times a day in the three day period and keep the foot elevated and take the prescribed anti-inflammatory pills, then there will be minimal pain.
