Crystal Clinic Surgeon Offers New Option For Correcting Bunions: MICA Technique Offers Quicker Recovery, Less Pain

9/10/2018

Thanks to a new surgical tool that’s recently become available in the United States, people who have bunions now have another option for correcting them. The Minimally Invasive Chevron Akin (MICA) technique uses a specially designed high-speed cutting instrument that allows surgeons, like Crystal Clinic’s Dr. David Kay, to make smaller incisions than what was previously possible.

Dr. Kay has been performing this innovative, technologically-advanced procedure for the past several months. Previously, bunion surgery was only done with larger incisions where soft tissue was pulled away from bone and then everything was put back together. Another similar bone cutting tool has been used for the past several years for a variety of minimal incision surgeries.

“The greatest benefits of MICA include less pain, small incisions and quicker healing,” Dr. Kay says. “Patients are usually able to walk and return to limited activity within a week or two after the procedure with no cast or crutches.”

According to Dr. Kay, not everyone is a good candidate for this surgery. He says there needs to be good bone quality and minimal arthritis. Those with softer bones may take longer to recover. He emphasizes that this not performed for cosmetic purposes.

While the technique is new to surgeons in the United States, it has been available for the past several years in Europe. Due to his expertise, he serves as a trainer for other physicians to learn the technique. Dr. Kay holds patents for multiple surgical implants that have been specifically designed for use in the small bones of the foot.

To learn more about MICA, please contact Crystal Clinic at (330) 668-4050.

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About Crystal Clinic Orthopaedic Center
Crystal Clinic Orthopaedic Center (CCOC), a physician-owned, major orthopaedic specialty hospital located in Northeast Ohio, serves patients throughout Ohio and contiguous states who are in need of care and treatment of conditions affecting the musculoskeletal system, including bones, joints, muscles, tendons, skin and related tissues as well as plastic surgery care. Our board-certified surgeons have decades of experience and perform more than 15,500 orthopaedic surgeries each year. CCOC is consistently recognized for providing outstanding patient care. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has awarded CCOC a five- star rating for Overall Hospital Quality, the only orthopaedic hospital to receive this rating in Northeast Ohio. CareChex^®, a division of Comparion Medical Analytics, named CCOC #1 in Northeast Ohio for Spinal Surgery and Joint Replacement and #10 nationally for major orthopaedic surgery in its ratings of America’s Top Quality Hospitals in 2016. The Joint Commission has awarded CCOC with Disease-Specific Care Certification in total hip, total knee, total shoulder and spinal fusion procedures, the only hospital in Ohio to earn the JointCommission’s gold seal in all four orthopaedic areas. For more information, visit crystalclinic.dev5.mile6.net.