Could You Be a Candidate?

Could You Be a Candidate for Dr. Moy's Bunion Procedure?

Most patients in satisfactory general health can be considered for treatment. During more than 35 years of practice, only a small number of patients have been unable to proceed at a particular time because of an underlying medical condition.

Does Age Matter?

Younger patients generally heal more quickly, but age alone does not determine candidacy. The more important questions are whether the patient is medically fit, has adequate circulation, has bone that can support the correction, has controlled existing conditions, and can follow postoperative instructions safely.

What About Osteoporosis?

Patients with osteoporosis may still be candidates, but fixation and recovery may need modification: additional internal fixation, partial weight-bearing, a longer period in the boot, assistive devices, closer X-ray monitoring, or a slower activity progression. This caution is well founded in the orthopedic literature: a 2024 review in the Indian Journal of Orthopaedics found that reduced bone density in osteoporotic patients compromises standard fixation, with roughly 10% of fixation procedures failing even when the surgery is otherwise successful, underscoring why fixation strategy needs to be adapted for these patients rather than treated as one-size-fits-all.

Severe, Recurrent, or Previously Operated Bunions

Patients should not assume they are beyond help. The evaluation determines what anatomy remains, what can realistically be reconstructed, what procedure is required, and what recovery is appropriate. See revision surgery for more on reconstructing a prior, incompletely corrected result.

How the Evaluation Works

Beyond a standard exam and X-rays, Dr. Moy uses a set of clinical examinations together, called the Dynamic Preoperative Assessment of the First Ray, to determine whether the deformity is flexible, where the deforming forces originate, and how much correction may be required. See the full definitions of the Hallux Snapback Test, Manual Reducibility Test, First Metatarsocuneiform Joint Evaluation, and Tendon Vector Assessment that make up this evaluation.

The First Step

Patients do not have to decide surgery is right for them before requesting an evaluation.

The Range of Patients We See

This range matters more than any single featured case. Candidacy is determined individually, not by how a case compares to one "ideal" patient.