Bunion Breakthrough

1,000 and counting

Hong Kong Adventist Hospital (HKAH) is pleased that Dr Daniel Wu, specialist in Orthopaedic, has performed more than 1,000 of his non-bone-breaking bunion surgery at our hospital. Over 50 of these surgeries were on patients from across the world, including Australia, Canada, China, Dubai, Japan, Indonesia, New Zealand, Singapore, Netherland, Italy, the UK and USA, who came specifically for the procedure.

Congratulations to Dr Wu on his pioneering work and best wishes for his further success.

In 2011, the Biomedical Science Department of the Polytechnic University of Hong Kong verified that Dr Wu’s non-bone-breaking bunion surgery can not only correct bunion deformity but also significantly and consistently improve the all important mechanical functions of patients’ feet. Researchers at the university used the F-scan® to study the pre- and one-year post-operative plantar pressure of 34 consecutive patients who had both their feet corrected.

Dr Wu presented this study at the Hong Kong Orthopaedic Association Annual Congress in December, 2011 and American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons’ annual meeting in San Francisco in February, 2012. The study is also being prepared for scientific publication to demonstrate that a bunion surgery can finally restore mechanical function of the big toe – the biggest contributor (80%) of all the toes in walking and a major victim of the bunion condition.

Reference: Pulse - Medical News

It is not intended as medical advice to any specific person. If you have any need for personal advice or have any questions regarding your health, please consult your Orthopedist for diagnosis and treatment.

Foot for Thought (2)

Since females are known to dominate bunion condition over males by the ration of 9:1 and if high heels are not at fault then what is responsible for the gender-related propensity?

To understand the reason, it is necessary to recognize that the bunion condition is caused by over-flexibility of ligaments. What makes female more flexible and even to the point of dislocating their pubic symphysis during pregnancies are female hormones, not high heels.

? A Question to Ponder

Q: If high heels play only a small role in bunion debacles, can they still be worn after surgery with impunity?

A: Unfortunately, the answer may not be quite so simple.
According to websites of American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons and the British Orthopaedic Association, both advise that patients will have some shoe and activity restrictions after current surgical techniques.
However, not all bunion surgeries are created equal and it is self-explanation by simple x-ray illustration below to compare traditional ‘bone-breaking’ procedures (>95% of all bunion surgeries done around the world) and the minimal-traumatic ‘non-bone-breaking’ syndesmosis procedure which carries no activity or shoe restrictions after surgery.

BY Dr. Daniel WU
Specialist in Orthopaedics

Reference: Pulse - Medical News

It is not intended as medical advice to any specific person. If you have any need for personal advice or have any questions regarding your health, please consult your Orthopedist for diagnosis and treatment.

Foot for Thought (1)

Everyone would probably agree that feet are mainly functional rather than ornamental. Despite the extreme strains put on our feet in vross-country running and ballet dancing, these common activities are neither medically inadvisable nor proven damaging to our feet.

 

But, why are the devilishly beautiful high-heel shoes always painted as evil instruments for feet? Admittedly, they can be uncomfortable, tiring, bad for knees and back but do they really cause bunion deformities?

After having seen a great number of bunion feet (both women’s and men’s) that are not caused by wearing high-heel shoes, in cooperation with the HK Baptist University, a 2008 survey of over one thousand Chinese women was finally conducted to explore the prevalence and common causes of bunion deformity in Hong Kong.

The findings were 36.5% of surveyed had varying degrees of bunion deformity which was in line with international incidences of 33-50%. Within our bunion sub-group, 88% gave a positive family history and 83% denied much taste for high-heels. Further analysis revealed 74% of bunions were linked to family history alone and only 3% to high heels. In other words, family history could be 25 times as important as high heels in association to bunion development. (“Does Wearing High Heeled Shoes Cause Hallux Valgus? A survey on Chinese Females”, a scientific paper based on our findings has been accepted for publication in Foot and Ankle Online Journal.)

BY Dr. Daniel WU
Specialist in Orthopaedics

Reference: Pulse - Medical News

It is not intended as medical advice to any specific person. If you have any need for personal advice or have any questions regarding your health, please consult your Orthopedist for diagnosis and treatment.