A podiatrist — officially known as a doctor of podiatric medicine (DPM) — is trained to treat issues in the foot, ankle, and lower leg.
Dr. Phuoc Bui is a foot and ankle specialist who is also trained in Minimally Invasive Surgery to correct bunions, which are a misalignment of the bone at the big toe. Bunions are one of the most common foot problems people face today. Bunions are often painful and can often drastically change the shape of your foot, therefore limiting your daily activities.
What causes a bunion? “It’s usually caused by flat footedness,” Dr. Bui noted. “It’s the body’s way to return our bodies to their normal stance. We think the bunion grows to give the flat-footed person more stability.”
According to Dr. Bui, bunions are only treated based on symptoms. Some people have large bunions that don’t cause any ill effects. Some have small bunions that are more painful.
Dr. Bui performs his Minimally Invasive procedures at Minden Medical Center, where he uses x-rays, to show in still-life what needs to be done inside the lower foot as the surgery takes place. Instead of one long 3” to 5” incision, three to four tiny incisions are made using image guidance.
“I was introduced to the Minimally Invasive procedure in my senior year of residency. I liked it immediately because I didn’t like the long incision that was required in the traditional bunion repair,” Dr. Bui said, speaking from his Foot and Ankle Clinic on West Union Street. “Sometimes, the bunion heals fine, but the incision gives you more pain.”
Other than smaller incisions, why is the Minimally Invasive procedure a preferred method of bunion repair? In the traditional repair, the patient cannot walk for six to eight weeks. “But you can walk on that foot immediately, using a boot,” Dr. Bui assured. “So Minimally Invasive surgery creates shorter recovery time, less pain, smaller scars, and faster return to normal function. It’s a great system to use, especially if you want to get back on your feet in four weeks. Bones heal fine…they are very predictable how they heal.”
Sometimes, Minimally Invasive Surgery is not possible, if the bunion is too large, or if the patient has extreme arthritis.
The actual Minimally Invasive Surgical procedure lasts 30 minutes to an hour. Dissolvable sutures are used, so the patient doesn’t have to return to have them removed. In fact, after two follow-ups, Dr. Bui doesn’t have to see the patient again. “Yeah, we follow up two weeks, a month, three months…then no news is good news. If there are no problems…why come back?” Dr. Bui asked. And pain medicine is not always required. Most people take ibuprofen.
Today, Dr. Bui sees patients at his West Union clinic, but he also does rounds at nursing homes and assisted living facilities in Minden and Bossier City. “It saves the patients the stress of coming to the office,” Dr. Bui remarked. In July, he started seeing patients at The Columns at Germantown, the former Savannah Court in Minden.
Special training was required before Dr. Bui could perform the Minimally Invasive Surgery for bunion repair. He took that training in Naples, Florida.
Dr. Bui attended medical school at Kent State University College of Podiatric Medicine in Independence, Ohio and did his podiatric surgery residency at TriHealth Bethesda North Hospital in Cincinnati. He is board certified in foot and rear foot/ankle surgery with the American Podiatric Medicine Association (APMA) and is professionally affiliated with the American Board of Foot and Ankle Surgery (ABFAS).
Dr. Bui and his wife, Huyen, are the parents of two children, a two-year-old, and a seven-year-old, who attends Glenbrook. The family resides in Minden. Huyen is a nurse practitioner who is working on a specialty in psychiatry. Phuoc and Huyen both grew up in Dodge City, Kansas. She moved away, but the two always kept in touch. When not caring for others, Dr. Bui enjoys working in his yard and spending time with the family.
