Secrets to Finding a Qualified Bunion Surgeon

Anyone who is considering surgery, whether bunion surgery or brain surgery, has a potentially stressful and serious decision to make. It is important that you, as a patient considering surgery, make the right decision. By asking the right questions, and with a little footwork (no pun intended) you should be able to find a well qualified bunion surgeon who can help you, correct the bunion, relieve your pain, and get you back to all the activities that help you enjoy life on your feet.

   
Before I begin, I’ll start  with a qualification that I myself am a bunion surgeon. I have been awarded a United States Patent for an instrument and technique which I invented to to simplify complicated bunion surgery and I have also published original research in medical journals teaching other foot surgeons how to reduce or eliminate pain after bunion surgery.  I’ve also been invited to lecture and present my research on the new advances that I developed at multiple medical conferences in the United States, Canada, and New Zealand.

  
Having said that, there are many doctors like me in virtually every area of the United States who are well qualified to perform your bunion surgery.  The goal is to help you discern the real qualifications from deceptive ones.  This way, you will be able to determine for yourself, whether or not your surgeon is likely to provide you the outcome you want...no bunions and enjoyment of life.

 
Board Qualification 

This is actually the area where most of the deception lies. The foot surgeons held to the highest standard with the most hours of training and most extensive board qualification testing are affiliated with the American Board of Podiatric Surgery. There are other “board certifications” such as the American Board of Foot Surgery and the American Board of Multiple Specialties in Podiatry.  While the other boards “sound official,” they are rarely accepted as proof of competence by hospital committees.

Training 

Your surgeon should have three years of foot and ankle surgical training in residency after medical school. The more training, the more experience with a wide range of surgical techniques. There is a reason they say doctors are “in practice,” and the more practice the better.

 
Research 

Making certain your surgeon has experience with medical research, (particular in the areas of your particular problem) will ensure that he/she is interested in finding ways to perform better.  A history “in practice” alone is not enough to indicate your surgeon has the skill you are looking for. Research is what separates leaders from followers.  The leaders are always out in front and aware of the latest advances in technique. 

Awards 

Less than 1% of all surgeons will have won awards for advancing the field of surgery.  If you find one, you likely have a winner for sure. Check their website or search the internet for evidence that they are at the top of their field. 

 
Creativity 

Surgery is a science and an art. Creatively looking at new ways to solve problems is always a useful trait in a surgeon. If you can, find a surgeon who has demonstrated innovative thinking such as patenting a surgical instrument or has patented techniques that improve surgical outcomes. 

 
Authority 

It is no coincidence that the word “authority” starts with “author.”  Those that write books, publish articles in medical journals and use their writing skills to educate other surgeons always stay on top of their game.  All you need to do is search the surgeon’s name on Google.  If they are a winner, you will have many hits.  
Surgery should be a great experience because it will be the start of your recovery, and the start of a new more active, more enjoyable life. The time you spend researching your surgeon will be time well spent. 

Dr. Christopher Segler is a nationally recognized award winning foot and ankle surgeon practicing in Chattanooga Tennessee. He is the inventor of a patented surgical instrument designed to simplify bunion surgery. He has published articles teaching other surgeons about his techniques about how to decrease pain after bunion surgery. You can request a FREE copy of his new book about common causes of foot pain at http:www.anklecenter.com.

Why Bunions Hurt More in When its Cold

As the seasons change and cold weather arrives, sandals and flip flops get tossed aside. Women start digging around in the back of their closets trying to find some suitable cold weather shoes. Many of them will venture out in search of those perfect new fall shoes to match their new wardrobe. Many are switching from open toed sandals to boots and shoes. Shoe stores get an influx of women with bunions shopping for fashionable yet healthy shoes at this time of year. 

As a foot and ankle surgeon, I notice more women seeking relief for painful bunions every autumn. Many women experience a sudden increase in pain from bunions and hammertoes, that haven't been painful in quite some time. This has much more to do with shoes than weather. The reason for this is simple. Warmer weather typically lends itself to open toe, nonrestrictive shoes and flip flops. As soon as the mercury drops, people start stuffing those feet into tight shoes.  This is often compounded by the desire to be fashion concious. Buying new shoes to match a Fall wardrobe adds the pain associated with break-in to the equation. New shoes never feel as good as ones. Any area of pressure has to be worn in to the shoes. 

As a result, I see an increase of women in my podiatry office this time of year. Many of my female bunion patients are in agony and describe a constant, throbbing or burning pain in the feet. For most it is worse with activity, but some even continue to experience pain after they take their shoes off in the evening.

A combination of factors cause them to seek treatment. For many, the changing weather seems to aggravate the foot pain. More women inquire about bunion and hammertoe surgery in the fall because they are also less busy than in summer months. Many also realize that they are closer to meeting their insurance deductibles. That means that the surgery will be at a much lower out of pocket expense than after the first of the year.

Even though many people start to realize that surgery does make more financial sense toward the end of the year, I always explain that surgery should be a last resort treatment, even for women with painful bunions. Often times, other treatments will help. For many women, something as simple as wearing shoes with wide toe box can drastically reduce bunion pain. For those withbunions complicated by flat feet or instability, custom shoe inserts can help keep the problem from getting worse. There are also gel and foam pads as well as anti-inflammatory medications that might provide pain relief.

Only when when the pain from the bunion interferes with a woman's daily activities, it's time to seriously consider surgical correction. Not only is this my opinion, but also the recommendation of the guidelines set forth by the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. If the bunion becomes inflamed, ice it, wear sensible shoes and try to avoid shoes with seems or stitching over the bump. 

Dr. Christopher Segler is an author, inventor and nationally recognized award winning foot and ankle surgeon. He is the inventor of the patented Tarsal Joint Distractor, which is a surgical instrument designed to simplify bunion surgery. He has also conducted peer-reviewed research and published articles teaching other surgeons about his techniques about how todecrease pain after bunion surgery. You can request a FREE copy of his new book about common causes of foot pain athttp:www.anklecenter.com.

Can Bunion Surgery Be Pain Free?

When anyone has suffered from painful bunions and starts to think about bunion surgery, they always ask me...is bunion surgery painful? Bunion surgery does not have to be painful. With the obvious disclaimer that any surgery certainly can be painful, it does not have to be. There are many techniques the properly trained and skilled foot surgeon can use to ensure that you have as little discomfort as possible related to your bunion correction surgery.

First, make sure your bunion surgeon will provide local anesthesia before your surgery starts. This is important because making the foot completely numb before the procedure starts will help to ensure that you do not experience the “anesthesia awareness” that has recently been reported on it the news. This is the situation where someone might be unconscious for the surgery, but still actually feel pain. If your foot is numb because it has been made numb with local anesthetics before the procedure begins, this can prevent that otherwise rare occurrence. In addition, make sure that your surgeon utilizes (so you will benefit from) all of the latest developments in post-operative pain reduction.

For example, while in Surgical Residency, I worked on research related to a simple, effective, low-cost method of reducing pain following bunion surgery. In that study, 95.92% of bunion surgery patients reported taking less pain medicine and believed that there pain much less than had the “pain pump” not been placed in the surgical site and used in their foot surgery cases. I published the secrets on this technique in a medical journal called Ambulatory Surgery in order to teach other foot surgeons how to make bunion surgery a better experience for their patients.

You should also make sure that you have access to other postoperative pain reducing techniques such as cryotherapy. This is a very simple device that circulates temperature controlled cooling through a special pad incorporated into the dressings applied at the time of surgery. By continually icing and cooling the surgical site for first couple of days after surgery, patients have less pain, less swelling, and recover faster.

Post-operative pain is not just an unpleasant annoyance, but it is also generally unhealthy. Pain can actually impede wound healing and stall your recovery. For these reasons, your foot surgeon should use every single available effective method to make sure that your bunion surgery goes smoothly and with as little discomfort as possible.

Your feet are critically important to your ability to enjoy everything from walks on the beach to dancing at the charity ball. You should only expect the very best performance from your surgeon when considering corrective foot surgery. It is important to not only imagine what your life would be like without the pain from bunions, but also to think about how simple bunion surgery could be if you chose a surgeon who would help ensure the fastest most comfortable surgery possible.

Dr. Christopher Segler is an award winning foot and ankle surgeon with a podiatry practice in Chattanooga. He is the inventor of a patented surgical instrument designed to simplify bunion surgery and flatfoot surgery. He publishes articles teaching other surgeons about his techniques and how to decrease pain after foot surgery. You can order a FREE copy of his informative book about common causes of foot pain at http://www.anklecenter.com.