Is this the end of open surgery for bunions?
That of course is the real question.
I was, personally, in denial about the potential for key-hole bunion surgery. The more I heard about it, the more it irritated me! It almost turns everything I believed in on its head.
I suppose that’s because key-hole surgery is still poorly understood scientifically. I mean how can you correct, shift the metatarsal head without a soft tissue release?
Even open surgery can still be tricky with the head refusing to move! That’s the thing though, it moves with ease during minimally invasive surgery (MIS), I mean really easy! So why has it not taken off more?
Why if it’s so good do the majority of my colleagues not use it? I can’t really answer that question, but maybe like I was, they are in denial about the power of this procedure. Certainly, the evidence in the literature is promising, with results equal to open procedures.
The equipment and fixation available for the procedure has significantly improved. For me, its undeniable, you bury your head in the sand at your peril.
For a profession that claims to own bunion surgery, we cannot and must not ignore MIS surgery. It’s here to stay, and certainly in my practice, open surgery will probably end up the exception rather than the norm!