Though non-surgical treatment options are always considered there are some cases were foot problems do not respond to “conservative” management. Often when pain or deformity persists, surgery may be appropriate to alleviate discomfort or to restore the function of your foot. There are many types of foot surgery with varying amounts of recovery time. The doctors at Kadin Foot & Ankle Center can determine when surgical intervention may be necessary and will happy to evaluate you and discuss all of you questions and concerns.
Foot Surgery //
DIABETES & YOUR FEET
Diabetes is a chronic disease that results in high levels of sugar in your blood. It affects many part of the body including your feet. Because diabetes tends to reduce the body’s ability to fight off infection it can make it much more difficult to heal even minor cut and scrapes. Diabetes can also affect the nervous system lead to numbness in the feet (known as neuropathy). These changes can be extremely dangerous. Diabetics with these problems are at risk for skin breakdown, bone infection, ulcers, gangrene and amputations. Every diabetic should be evaluated regularly by a podiatrist to check for signs of these changes. Your podiatrist can also teach you many simple but very important preventative steps to help avoid and recognize these changes in your feet.
HEEL PAIN
Heel pain typically affects the underside (plantar) or back (posterior) portion of your heel. Heel pain can have many causes. Most commonly it is caused by plantar fasciitis but can be due to problems such as stress fractures, tendonitis, arthritis, tumors or nerve irritation. Because heel pain can have many etiologies it is important to be properly diagnosed.
SHIN SPLINTS
The term shin splints refers to pain on the front of your leg bone often due to excessive foot pronation with walking or running. It can also be related to muscle imbalance. Stretching and corrective orthotics are often helpful in managing these symptoms..
SESAMOIDITIS
Sesamoiditis is an inflammation of 2 tiny bones beneath the great toe joint. These tiny bones are within a tendon in your foot. They are connected to several ligaments which can become irritated or even rupture. Occasionally sesamoids can dislocation or even develop stress fractures. There are often injured in athletes.
STRESS FRACTURES
Stress fractures are broken bones that occur as a result of overuse or excessive pressure. Stress fractures are typically treated with some sort of immobilization. Occasionally a fracture may shift and require surgical reduction to realign the bone. Since stress fractures occur as a result of overuse or excessive stress it is also important to attempt to identify and correct there underlying these underlying problems/stresses to prevent re-injury.
FLAT FEET
Flat feet, also known as pes planus, is a condition of the foot where or the inside (medial) arch is in a lower position than average. (Sometimes referred to as fallen arches) In some cases the medial arch may partly or completely touch the floor when a person is standing. Anatomically speaking pes planus occurs when the talus bone displaces medially. This causes the foot to pronate. In some cases pes planus develops overtime while there are other individuals that are born with this tendency. Some flat feet can cause foot, ankle, knee or hip pain. Flat feet can also sometimes worsen overtime or develop arthritis. There are many nonsurgical treatments for flat feet including anti-inflammatory medications, bracings, orthotics, and physical therapy. In severe cases flat feet may require surgery involving bony correction or tendon repair.