The feet are a very important part of our body, since they support our weight and are the ones that suffer the most when walking, wearing tight shoes, walking barefoot, exercising… This is why they should be given the attention they deserve.
In addition to representing an aesthetic problem, foot deformities cause pain and can affect our daily life. One of these deformities is the bunion or hallux valgus, an axial deviation of the metatarsus and the phalanx of the first toe caused by various factors:
- The shape of the foot: people who have a big toe longer than the rest of the toes tend to develop this type of pathology.
- The use of tight shoes or shoes with heels increases the discomfort.
More than 6,000 people are operated each year in Spain for suffering this pathology.
Innovative bunion treatment: Mini TightRope Technique
Clínica Planas performs the most innovative and less invasive bunion correction technique: Arthrex Mini TightRope Technique. This system, without the need to section the bone, reconstructs the inter-metatarsal ligament forming an artificial bridge between the I and II metatarsal and allows an anatomical correction, that is to say, it takes the bone to its correct position.
It is a percutaneous surgical technique (with small perforations), performed under local anesthesia, which allows treating the bunion by slightly moving it into the correct position, so that it can find its correct shape and function again, without scars, without osteotomies and without sutures, achieving the best result and degree of patient satisfaction.
In summary, the Mini TightRope Technique is characterized by:
- Less pain and less invasive, since the bone is not sectioned, but slightly displaced to the correct position.
- No incisions are made in the skin, so there will be no trace of scarring.
- No stitches are made
- You walk out of the clinic with comfortable shoes and after 7 days of surgery you can wear your usual shoes.
- Shorter duration of the intervention (30 min).
- The operation is simpler
- Outpatient procedure
- Application of local anesthesia
- Lower risk of infection
- Reduced risk of pseudarthrosis
Preoperative and diagnostic tests
To make a definitive diagnosis and thus approach each pathology with the best guarantees, the specialist in Traumatology will perform an initial assessment and then a careful collection of clinical data, a thorough examination of the foot and various diagnostic tests.
Postoperative
This procedure requires minimal care during the first few days. For example, the patient will have to take certain precautions, as well as exercise at home to avoid stiffness of the finger.
For a faster recovery, platelet-rich plasma (PRP), commonly called “growth factors”, is used to stimulate cell regeneration to provide better and faster functional recovery after surgery.