Bunion Surgery in Los Angeles, CA

What is a bunion?

A bunion, also known as hallux valgus, typically appears as a bony bump at the base of the big toe.

The bump occurs when the first metatarsal shifts outward so that the head of the bone protrudes on the inside of the foot near the big toe joint.  When a bunion develops on the base of the little toe, it is called a tailor's bunion.

Non-Invasive bunion correction options in Los Angeles 

While our podiatrists are nationally recognized bunion surgeons, they avoid surgery and prescribe non-surgical treatment options to help you get back to your daily activities, whenever possible.

A bunion will never go away on its own but there are non-surgical bunion deformity correction techniques that may help relieve painful symptoms.

If you are experiencing mild foot pain from bunions, pain can be minimized with over-the-counter pain medications and custom orthotics, and its progression during its early stages can often be dramatically slowed with non-invasive bunion correction techniques. 

Learn more about non-surgical bunion treatments here.

Which Bunion Surgery Option is Best for Me?

As a nationally recognized bunion surgery center of excellence, we are continuously conducting studies to further the advancement of state-of-the-art technologies.

Since there is no “one size fits all” bunion remedy, we treat each of our Los Angeles patients individually, taking into account their lifestyle, physical challenges of personal and professional life, and their physical condition to establish a treatment plan.

Avoiding surgery is always a good idea and it is our goal with our patients. But when less invasive techniques are unsuccessful; bunion surgery may be recommended. 

Patients travel from around the nation to take advantage of our bunion surgery advances, including:

Minimally invasive bunion surgery

For mild to moderate bunions

Most minimally invasive bunion treatments have essentially been a gamble… until now. Our updated minimally invasive bunion surgery now ticks all the boxes as the ideal bunion surgery. Here’s why.

Known for turning vision into practice, Dr. Bob Baravarian, DPM, FACFAS, and the team at the University Foot and Ankle Institute have led the field in minimally invasive bunion surgery that offers lasting results with:

• shorter surgery times
• tiny incision size
• shorter recovery time
• preservation of joint motion
• minimal pain
• immediate weight bearing
• virtually undetectable scar.

Whereas traditional minimally invasive procedures utilize a thin, fragile pin to fixate cut bone, our MIS approach uses screws to provide a stronger more stable fixation that can be placed through a very small incision.

Our type of fixation controls abnormal stress through the bone and holds both ends in the correct position until the bone fully heals. This results in excellent healing and limits non-union risks associated with traditional minimally invasive bunion surgeries.

Read more about our minimally invasive bunion surgery here. 

Lapiplasty

For moderate to severe bunions and the best option for those with joint laxity

Lapiplasty bunion correction is considered the Gold Standard for bunion surgery. For the right patient, this procedure has the highest success rates with essentially a 0% chance of the bunion returning.

This procedure has the lowest risk of re-occurrence of the bunion because the Lapiplasty addresses the source of the bunion deformity: a lax/hypermobile joint between the first metatarsal and the cuneiform (the bone located at the base of the big toe).

Benefits of the lapiplasty bunion correction surgery include:

• Weight-bearing in just two weeks (versus 6-8 weeks with the traditional approach)
• Permanent deformity correction with virtually no chance of reoccurrence
• Regenerative medicines may be added to speed up recovery and reduce internal scar tissue and stiffness
• Plastic surgery closure techniques result in reduced scarring
• On-site CT scanner allows our doctors to detect the completion of bone fusion earlier, which gets our patients moving faster
• Our surgeons work directly with our physical therapists to offer our advanced PT protocol

Read more about lapiplasty here.

Holistic metal-free bunion surgery

Our holistic bunion surgery is performed without metal screws or hardware, thanks to the Ossiofiber™ metal-free surgical hardware. Over time, Ossiofiber™ literally turns into bone and ends the need for living with metal screws in your body or needing them removed at a later date.

UFAI’s foot surgeons designed the special Ossiofiber nails and teach other surgeons how to utilize this innovative technology.

Read more about Ossiofiber™ here.

Why choose University Foot and Ankle Institute for your bunion clinic?

If you are experiencing bunion pain or any foot problems, we’re always here to help. We encourage you to schedule a consultation with one of our board-certified foot and ankle surgeons to learn what your best treatment options are.

With decades of combined experience and the highest success rates in the nation, UFAI has treated well over 200,000 patients. They’re well known as one of the most technologically advanced foot and ankle practices in the nation.

For decades UFAI’s surgeons are at the forefront of research, education, product design, regenerative medicine, and advancements in foot and ankle care. Our non-profit foundation educates foot and ankle surgery fellows in advanced foot and ankle treatment and surgery and has performed dozens of clinical trials and educated the community for 20 years.

For more information or to schedule a consultation, please call (877) 736-6001 or make an appointment online now.

At University Foot and Ankle Institute, we take our patients’ safety seriously. Our clinics and surgery centers follow Covid-19 patient safety procedures exceeding all CDC recommendations. Masks are required in our institutes at all times.

Our podiatry clinics and physical therapy centers are conveniently located throughout Southern California and the Los Angeles area as our foot doctors are available at our locations in or near Beverly Hills, West Los Angeles, Santa Monica (on Wilshire Blvd.), Downtown Los Angeles, and Culver City, to name a few. Our Mid-City Los Angeles clinic is located at 5901 W Olympic Blvd. Suite 509, Los Angeles CA 90036.

About Los Angeles, CA

As the second largest city in the United States, Los Angeles is known for its Hollywood film industry, Mediterranean climate, sprawling metropolitan area, and cultural diversity.

But LA may be best known for the Hollywood Sign. And you may spot a celebrity while shopping along Rodeo Drive or sipping cocktails at legendary restaurants or bars.

Other Los Angeles icons include the Capitol Records Building, and if you want to escape from the bustle of the city, hit the beaches in Malibu and Santa Monica. Stargazing at the Griffith Observatory offers a chance to take in splendid views of Downtown, Hollywood, and the Pacific Ocean.