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If you have bunions, deciding whether or not to have surgery will depend on your reasons for having surgery and what you expect it to achieve.

If you are very active and you play a lot of sport, being able to move your big toe freely may be more important to you than how it looks. Surgery can make your toes less flexible. 

If you are thinking of having surgery so that you can wear different styles of shoe, remember that even after surgery there may still be limits to the styles that you can wear. 

The success of your surgery will depend on the skill and experience of the surgeon or podiatrist (a specialist in foot care and conditions that affect the feet), the severity of your bunions, the type of surgery you have and your willingness, and ability, to rest after the operation. There are several potential pros and cons of surgery (see boxes on this page).

What happens if I don't have surgery?

The only way to get rid of a bunion completely is to operate. If you do not have an operation, your bunions will usually get bigger and hurt more. How fast this will happen and how bad they will become is difficult to calculate.

If you wait too long there is a danger that your other toes could be pushed out of alignment, in which case you willl need to have a more complex operation. This is why it is so important to discuss all the options with your surgeon, or podiatrist, before going ahead.

Which operation is best for me?

There is not any one particular procedure that is best for everyone. The anatomy of your foot and your big toe is incredibly complex. This is why it is important to be treated by a specialist in foot surgery, who can assess your problem in detail and decide upon the most suitable operation for you. view information about Bunion on www.nhs.co.uk »