A Chevron osteotomy is a commonly carried out surgery to deal with bunions on the foot. The bunion is the swelling and a misalignment with the great toe or hallux which causes the big toe to turn toward the lesser toes. This typically produces a bump at the base of the great toe or hallux which might grow to be sore. There are various surgical procedures that can be used to take care of a bunion. Each of the surgeries carries a number of indicators concerning exactly who it can be the most appropriate for. By using a Chevron osteotomy, the feet and ankle orthopaedic or podiatric physician cuts a “V” at the end of the long bone behind the big toe (the metatarsal) and then revolves the end of the bone to straighten up the great toe.

Typically the reasons for a Chevron osteotomy are usually for younger individuals who have no arthritis in the great toe joint and the amount of the bunion is regarded as slight to moderate. It is often the surgery of choice for younger athletes, though older people with moderate deformity are able to do well with this surgery. The primary requirement is a joint that's congruent and with no osteoarthritis in the joint. A Chevron osteotomy might be contraindicated if there is a lot of deviation of the toe or if the adductor muscle groups and ligaments are restricted or there is an incongruity with the big toe joint and also arthritis in the joint.

The outcome of bunion surgery using the Chevron osteotomy are usually very good. In a study by Hans-Jorg Trnka et al (in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery in 2000) where they reviewed fifty seven people that went through a Chevron osteotomy with a 5 year follow-up. These researchers reported that the flexibility of the big toe joint decreased between the initial evaluation and the two year review but was no worse at five years. In addition they reported no alterations in the angle of the hallux valgus deviation between the two year and five year evaluations. Individuals over the age of 50 years did as well as more youthful patients which places a question mark on the Chevron osteotomy primarily being used for younger individuals. The Chevron osteotomy surgery can damage the arteries close to the base of the great toe, however these scientists identified zero cases of osteonecrosis in the metatarsal bone at both the 2 year or 5 year follow-ups periods. Nevertheless, these authors did state that there was osteoarthritis of the great toe or hallux joint in eight feet at the two year review and in eleven feet at 5 yr review.

As with any surgical procedure for any bunion, the Chevron osteotomy is a great alternative for the correct reasons and when done by a surgeon that is experienced with those indicators and limitations and has the technical competencies to perform the surgical treatment diligently. As with every surgeries you can find from time to time negative outcomes, however with this treatment most of them can certainly be not hard to fix. If you would like bunion surgery, you really need to take it up with the doctor which treament is better indicated to suit your needs along with what the outcomes are most likely to be.