INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Bunions are small bony bumps on toes that create massive pain and problems. Surgery is the solution, but an old traditional method is being challenged by a newer, groundbreaking procedure called a minimal bunionectomy. It helped this Maryland woman get back on her feet.

Megan Christopher stays on the move as a mom of three teenage daughters; however, she was stopped in her tracks by painful bunions.

“I think for me, at night, you know, when I finally took my shoes off and was just sitting down, you know, my foot would just throb,” said Megan.

After a painful open bunionectomy a few years ago, she investigated a new procedure called a minimally-invasive bunionectomy.

“Now, we use tools that allow us to do these small keyhole incisions, to do that same sort of precise cut,” said Rebecca Cerrato, MD, a surgeon at Mercy Medical Center. “Patients, for the first two months, will have much less pain and swelling with the minimally invasive technique than with the traditional invasive open bunion surgery. How people get bunions, there’s many causes. Most people come in and there are probably multiple causes for that person. It’s not just bad shoe wear or high heels. Probably the most common cause is genetic.”

Patients who undergo a minimally-invasive bunionectomy can usually get into a normal shoe within six weeks and then progress to biking and walking to further heal. Megan’s added bonus was not having to look at her distorted feet.

“Yeah, I’m back in my shoes, and sometimes I’m walking in my closet and look down and say, ‘Those are my feet? They look so good, like, they look so normal!” said Megan.

The smaller minimally-invasive incisions are performed with specialized instruments to realign the foot and remove pressure. Doctors caution that not all bunions can be treated by this new surgical approach and that the bunions may come back, but are usually not as painful.

This story was created from a script aired on WISH-TV. Health Spotlight is presented by Community Health Network.