What"s Involved In Reconstructive Foot Surgery?
Reconstructive foot surgery helps restore your foot's natural functionality that has been lost due to injury or illness.
Even common foot ailments such as bunions or hammertoes are reasons to have foot surgery.
Keep in mind that foot surgery like this is not done for cosmetic purposes.
So if you have narrow feet and find that your sandals keep slipping off, reconstructive surgery on your feet won't be able to help.
If, however, you have pain while walking, have difficulty wearing shoes, or have problems standing or moving your foot, it's possible that reconstructive surgery can help alleviate these problems.
When Is It A Good Idea To Have Reconstructive Foot Surgery? The ideal candidates for reconstruction of the foot include accident victims and athletes, whose foot bones, heels and ankles are often shattered because of forceful impacts.
Because the foot is made up of many small connective bones and tissues, specialized plates can be inserted into the shattered foot bones to help them fuse back together and heal properly.
Reconstructive surgery can also help issues including plantar fasciitis, heel and bone spurs, and joint or bone deformities due to arthritis.
Other types of foot surgery can help correct birth defects or foot-related issues that develop as we age, such as hammertoes, claw toes and mallet toes which are a deformation of toe joints that cause them to be bent or misaligned.
These types of problems can occur at any age but are most commonly thought to be the result of poor-fitting shoes.
Traditionally, this type of reconstructive foot surgery needed long, painful, bent wires to edge the toe back into its proper shape and alignment.
Today, however, new advances in surgical technology make it easier and safer for people undergoing foot surgery to resume their normal activities much sooner, and with far less pain than before.
Undergoing Surgery For Reconstruction Of The Foot Many people often think of reconstructive surgery as helping heal broken bones and restoring the foot's normal function, however, our feet are very complex.
There are intricate webs of tendons, ligaments and tissues all interconnected to the bones and muscles that make up the foot, and great care needs to be taken at all times to avoid additional injury and stress to these areas.
Before undergoing this type of surgery, you'll be thoroughly examined by a podiatrist who may take x-rays of the affected area, as well as do blood tests, urinalysis and EKGs to determine how well or how poorly your foot area circulation is.
Once the reconstructive foot surgery is complete, you'll need to take the proper precautions to help speed healing, such as plenty of rest and ice to help minimize swelling.
Your doctor may also require you to wear specific orthopedic or surgical shoes, use crutches and or use a cast or bandages to help your foot heal properly.
In the end, you should follow your podiatrist's orders for keeping weight off the affected foot until it has sufficiently healed and mobility has been restored.
Even common foot ailments such as bunions or hammertoes are reasons to have foot surgery.
Keep in mind that foot surgery like this is not done for cosmetic purposes.
So if you have narrow feet and find that your sandals keep slipping off, reconstructive surgery on your feet won't be able to help.
If, however, you have pain while walking, have difficulty wearing shoes, or have problems standing or moving your foot, it's possible that reconstructive surgery can help alleviate these problems.
When Is It A Good Idea To Have Reconstructive Foot Surgery? The ideal candidates for reconstruction of the foot include accident victims and athletes, whose foot bones, heels and ankles are often shattered because of forceful impacts.
Because the foot is made up of many small connective bones and tissues, specialized plates can be inserted into the shattered foot bones to help them fuse back together and heal properly.
Reconstructive surgery can also help issues including plantar fasciitis, heel and bone spurs, and joint or bone deformities due to arthritis.
Other types of foot surgery can help correct birth defects or foot-related issues that develop as we age, such as hammertoes, claw toes and mallet toes which are a deformation of toe joints that cause them to be bent or misaligned.
These types of problems can occur at any age but are most commonly thought to be the result of poor-fitting shoes.
Traditionally, this type of reconstructive foot surgery needed long, painful, bent wires to edge the toe back into its proper shape and alignment.
Today, however, new advances in surgical technology make it easier and safer for people undergoing foot surgery to resume their normal activities much sooner, and with far less pain than before.
Undergoing Surgery For Reconstruction Of The Foot Many people often think of reconstructive surgery as helping heal broken bones and restoring the foot's normal function, however, our feet are very complex.
There are intricate webs of tendons, ligaments and tissues all interconnected to the bones and muscles that make up the foot, and great care needs to be taken at all times to avoid additional injury and stress to these areas.
Before undergoing this type of surgery, you'll be thoroughly examined by a podiatrist who may take x-rays of the affected area, as well as do blood tests, urinalysis and EKGs to determine how well or how poorly your foot area circulation is.
Once the reconstructive foot surgery is complete, you'll need to take the proper precautions to help speed healing, such as plenty of rest and ice to help minimize swelling.
Your doctor may also require you to wear specific orthopedic or surgical shoes, use crutches and or use a cast or bandages to help your foot heal properly.
In the end, you should follow your podiatrist's orders for keeping weight off the affected foot until it has sufficiently healed and mobility has been restored.