The Hospital del Mar is a pioneer in the State in implementing a protocol that halves the use of rigid-soled shoes in postoperative recovery in patients operated on for bunionsor hallux valgus, the most common foot deformity.
The team from the Foot and Ankle Unit of the Hospital del Mar Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology Service has shown that the use of rigid-soled shoes in people operated on for bunions can be shortened, and leave it in just three weeks, without jeopardizing the success of the surgery, saving patients discomfort and facilitating their return to normal activity. Until now, as a general rule, these patients have to wear an orthopedic shoe, with a rigid sole, for a period of between six and eight weeks to protect the area affected by surgery.
Hospital del Mar is the first in the State to apply an early recovery protocol after bunion surgery
The Bunions are a very common foot disease. that can affect 30% of adults and 70% of older people, being more common in women and older people. It consists of diverting the bones of the big toe and is closely linked to the use of inappropriate footwear, in addition to a genetic component. The surgical intervention to repair it consists of cutting and correcting the deviated bone to repair the structure of the finger and fix it again with screws. It’s about the most common foot surgery made by the team of hospital of the seawith 250 patients each year.
To ensure correct fixation of the operated area, patients have to wear a rigid-soled shoe after the operation. This type of footwear that, as explained by the Dr. Albert Ginésattending physician of the Foot and Ankle Unit of the Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology Service, “generate as the gait disturbance, pain in the calf of the leg, gait-related joint problems and even in the lower back».
In addition, this is a type of patient who «they tolerate less these shoesespecially when its use is prolonged, especially in older patients, as are many of those affected by bunions, some already affected by osteoarthritis in these joints»Add.
In the image, some of the team members of the Foot and Ankle Unit of the Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology Department of the Hospital del Mar. From left to right, Carlo Gamba, Gemma Gonzalez, Albert Ginés, Berta Gasol and Montse Morera
In order to try to minimize these complications, healthcare professionals they began to apply a early recovery postoperative protocoljust three weeks, with only three hospital visits:
- one to change the bandage
- another to remove the points
- and a third follow-up
Thus, at the end of this period, «we remove the rigid-soled shoe and avoid the possible complications derived from wearing it, facilitating a faster recovery of the patient. Thanks to this fact, you can put shoes on earlier and return to your daily activity early.” says Dr. Ginés.
The validity of this protocol has been endorsed by a study carried out by the Foot and Ankle Unit of the Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology Service. In the he compared two groups of 100 patients operated on for bunions. One group followed the new protocol for three weeks and the other the usual eight. The goal was to analyze possible adverse effects of early removal of the rigid shoe of protection, and the differences between groups for the main variables of the study, measured from the measurement of pain by the patient from a visual-analogue scale and a functional test that the patients had to answer before and after Surgery.
The results showed that the rapid shoe removal does not imply worse patient outcomes. The work was recognized with the prize for the best oral communication at the congress of the European Foot and Ankle Societyheld last October in Lyon, France.