What is Post-op Care After Lapiplasty® Bunion Surgery

The day of your bunion surgery you will be placed in a surgical dressing with gauze and an ace bandage, and a walking boot.   You will not remove your dressing and I recommend you only remove your boot if you are taking a shower, or you are resting in a comfortable chair where you can’t roll over in your sleep (ouch!).

Any time you are up and about, the boot goes on to protect you from falls or bumping the foot causing unwanted pain. 

Once you arrive home, begin wiggling your toes on the surgical foot 2 to 3 times a day for about one minute, of course, as tolerated. I recommend you wiggle your toes because this gentle motion reduces the accumulation of scar tissue within the joint. This scar tissue, also known as adhesions, can cause joint stiffness, and the increase the possibility that you would need physical therapy. Performing these early exercises can save you a from time and money at physical therapy.

Three to five days after your procedure you will return to the podiatry office where the dressing will be removed, surgery site examined, and a light more comfortable dressing will be applied, and you will be returned to your boot.

Cosmetic skin closure utilized by Dr. Steinke.

Approximately 10-14 days after surgery you will return to our office for the second post-operative visit, and the sutures will be removed.  This is relatively painless for most patients as a cosmetic closure is utilized in most cases, and no knotted sutures must be removed.  At the end of each incision an exposed suture tail that is simply clipped at skin (sutures under skin will absorb over 90 days).  Steri strips which are like surgical butterfly bandages will be over the incision, and after this appt they will begin to loosen since you will begin bathing the foot. 

Once your steri strips fall off or you remove them at earliest three days after your 2nd post-op, you can begin applying scar medication.  We will discuss scar care in a later portion of this blog in greater detail, but I recommend over the counter Mederma three times daily, rubbed into incision. 

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