A bulging bunion sometimes forces people to look at surgery for a fix. But there's another option. It's still a surgery, but one that tethers the toes back into alignment.
At first, a bunion on Sally Tipton's right foot was a nuisance. Then it started to hurt. "Simple things were becoming painful, simple activities, so i knew it was time," says Sally.
A bunion forms when the first metatarsal shifts away from the other toes. At the same time, the big toe slips to the inside. "The real challenge is to get the angular deformity back over in a corrected position," says Dr. George Holmes, Jr.
When Sally reached the end of her rope, she opted for a fix co-developed by Dr. Holmes, "Why should we break the bone to change the angular deformity if there's a potential of changing it without breaking a bone, and that was the genesis of the mini tightrope."
For the mini tightrope procedure, small holes are drilled in the first and second toe bones and a cable is secured on either side. "We link a fiber wire suture, which is almost like a wire, but it's flexible. We then, it's just like winching up the tower pisa and making it straight again," says Dr. Holmes.
After re-aligning the bones, ligaments are tightened to hold everything in place. After about six weeks, patients are back in regular shoes. And if a bunion returns, you still have options. "So you haven't burned any bridges. So you still have all the other techniques that you still have available, even using the tightrope again," according to Dr. Holmes.
Sally's glad she decided to walk on this tightrope, "My foot doesn't hurt; other parts of my body hurt, not my foot!"
The mini tightrope procedure is becoming widely available, so check with your foot surgeon. For most patients, pain management following the tightrope lasts about two weeks, versus six weeks with traditional bunion surgery.
