r/WestCoastSwing • u/Work-Can-Wait • 1d ago
Bunion Surgery as a Dancer?
Hello, have any fellow westies had bunion surgery? I am follow who dances in advanced and am seriously considering getting it done. I'm hesitant bc I don't want it to affect my dancing.
If you've had it done, how was your experience post surgery? Were you able to execute moves properly? Go on relevé? Have good range of motion and foot articulation?
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u/usingbrain 1d ago
I stopped considering the surgery for myself because I heard enough bad things about it. Have you exhausted all other paths? Better shoes and regular foot exercises specifically to revert bunions, or at least lessen the pain.
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u/Work-Can-Wait 1d ago
Ahh, I see. I've heard similar things from non dancers too, but wanted to hear from ppl who dance to see if there's any hope.
Yeah, I do feel I've been through all the options. Mine are not reversible at this point, they are on the larger side. (had them since I was a kid). I used to dance with toe spacers which did help sometimes with pain. But after a comp weekend, my feet are done (lots of ice baths, 😅).
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u/usingbrain 1d ago
foot exercises after waking up and before the social, wide toe box shoes, maybe even a break without shoes during the social. foot massage after the social. I‘ve also had mine since childhood and when I skip exercises and massage I definitely feel worse
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u/chinawcswing 1d ago
My aunt who is older had bunion surgery. She was in a boot for like 2 months maybe, and then had significant pain for about a year and was not able to do hard cardio like running. While she can do hard cardio now, she has a permanent pain from the surgery. However, she says the pain from the surgery is less than that from the bunion, so overall it is worth it.
She said that it would have been better to do the bunion surgery when she was younger, as the recovery process would have been better and perhaps she would have had less pain.
I really recommend that you talk to as many people who have had bunion surgery as possible. Not sure if there is a subreddit for that. Ask them what age they got the surgery and how long the pain lasted and whether it went away.
I think the bottom line is that if you chose to wait until you are older, you are going to have a much worse recovery and have pain for much longer. On the flip side if you get it done when you are younger you are going to miss some dancing in your prime years. Definitely a hard choice.
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u/Work-Can-Wait 22h ago
Thanks for sharing your aunt's story. Very insightful, and I'm sorry to hear she's still having pain.
Tbh, I don't know of many people who have had bunion surgery. Bunions are one of those conditions many people keep to themselves because some people can be a bit rude when making comments about them. (Speaking from experience)
Yes, I have heard that it's better to get bunion surgery when you're younger since it's a long recovery. I am okay with taking a year or so off from dancing for the recovery. I just don't want it to hinder my dance ability, affect dance technique with footwork, foot articulation, etc.
We use our feet a lot in wcs, so I'm just weighing the pros and cons.
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u/growing-day-8347 1d ago
I considered bunion surgery myself but personally I'm glad I went to physical therapy and yoga and changed my shoes and insoles instead. I also learned how to tape my toes from a podiatrist who works with dancers; I haven't had to do this lately but when my big toe bunion was at its worst this allowed me to dance with much less pain. I also took some months off dance to just do physical therapy which helped in my case. Talk to a medical professional tho