If you’re a patient who had bunion surgery, only for it to fail, you may be wondering if you have any legal recourse against the podiatrist who botched your surgery. Lawrence M. Karam, P.C. is a firm dedicated to helping victims in New York’s Five Boroughs, Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester counties recover compensation for their injury and pain.
If you believe that you are suffering from problems after your bunionectomy that could be due to medical (or podiatric) malpractice, call our office today. You’ll get a free consultation with an experienced podiatric malpractice attorney. You can discuss your case with Larry and he can provide guidance on your next possible steps.
Bunion Surgery: Who Gets It, and Why
Bunion surgery, or bunionectomy, is performed by podiatrists on patients who have a deformed foot because of a bunion (hallux valgus). Bunions form when a foot is stressed over time, at times due to tight and pointed shoes. For this reason, women are more likely than men to suffer from bunions, although men can develop them over time, especially if they wear tight and ill-fitting boots.
Sometimes bunions can be caused by genetics no matter what type of shoe is worn. If your parents developed bunions, the chances are high that you will, as well. Bunions may also form due to arthritis. They may even form thanks to a deformity in your feet, whether that deformity is a result of genetics, environment, or both.
However your bunions formed, your podiatrist may recommend several corrective measures, including bunion surgery that includes bone fusion. While most bunion surgeries are performed without a hitch, some surgeries fail, and those failed surgeries can lead to a lifetime of pain and suffering.
Bone Fusion & Failed Bunionectomy
Podiatrists may advise patients who suffer from severe bunions that bone fusion is the only feasible treatment recourse for their malady. In one kind of fusion the metatarsal bone (that is, the bone behind the big toe) is fused with the medial cuneiform (that is, the bone directly behind it). The fusion, which is conducted while the patient is under anesthesia, can be held together using surgical screws or plates with screws.
A successful bunion surgery results in the bunion not returning, and the patient will no longer experience pain or discomfort associated with bunions. However, there is a chance that the bunionectomy will fail, even in the case of a bone fusion. Some of the many ways a bunionectomy can fail include:
- The bunion comes back very soon after surgery or once the swelling goes down it appears that the bunion was never corrected in the first place. In many of these results the cause is surgical mistake or miscalculation, or the wrong procedure was performed. This is the most common way that a bunionectomy can fail, and the return of the bunion can cause pain, discomfort, and even walking problems.
- In a fusion there may be an excessively short big toe. A common side effect of bone fusions is shrinkage or loss of length and that may result in an excessively small big toe. This syndrome, commonly known as brachymetatarsia, results in difficulty maintaining your balance and the inability to smoothly transfer your weight across your toes while walking or running. An excessively short big toe can also occur when the podiatrist shaves away too much bone from the bunion or the site of the fusion, when the podiatrist removes the sesamoid bone, or when the ligaments around the bone are over-tightened by the podiatrist.
- The big toe develops other structural problems. After a fusion, the big toe can develop a structural problem known as a hallux varus, which is when the toe deviates in the opposite direction of the rest of the toes. Besides the cosmetic embarrassment caused by such a structural problem, hallux varus can result in pain while walking, and difficulty maintaining your balance. If left untreated and made to become arthritic, hallux varus will require additional painful corrective surgeries.
- The bones fuse in the wrong position. Also known as a malunion, it occurs when bones don’t stay in their originally intended fused position.
- The bones don’t permanently fuse. Also known as a nonunion, this requires extensive follow-up surgeries to correct.
- Severe stiffness and/or arthritis in the big toe. Also known as hallux limitus, it results in the severe limitation of toe and/or foot usage.
While there are some instances where failed bunion surgery happens as a result of patient non-compliance, we find that many failed bunionectomies occur due to the podiatrist’s failure. By taking a “one size fits all” approach to bunion surgery — instead of addressing the issues that caused the bunion in the first place, and understanding that no two patients are alike — podiatrists can cause failed bunion surgeries, even after a bone fusion.
Let Dental & Podiatry Malpractice Lawyers of New York Help You
Failed bunion surgery can cause a lifetime of pain and suffering — but it shouldn’t have to. At Lawrence M. Karam, P.C., we’re dedicated to handling the complex world of medical malpractice so you can put the focus back where it belongs: on your recovery and healing.
Besides giving you a personalized strategy designed to help you win in a court of law, Lawrence M. Karam, P.C. will vigorously defend your rights against opposing attorneys and insurance adjusters, all while examining your medical reports, interviewing witnesses, and thoroughly researching your podiatrist’s past claims of negligence. Our job is to keep you informed about your case at every step and to do our best to secure a win for you in the New York courts.
You’ve suffered enough, both physically and emotionally, and you deserve to receive compensation for the damages your podiatrist has caused. There is no charge for a consultation and we handle cases in the Five Boroughs, Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester counties. Best of all, there is never a fee unless we recover money for you.
Don’t wait another minute to seek justice in your failed bunionectomy case. Contact Lawrence M. Karam, P.C. today.