If you have an acute or chronic problem with your feet, ankles, or lower extremities, you require the services of a podiatrist. Podiatry is the field of medicine that provides both medical and surgical care for problems affecting these areas of the body.
Foot and ankle issues can occur due to trauma, such as a sudden fall or other direct impact, or problems may develop over time, such as from wearing improperly fitting shoes or excessive wear and tear on the feet without proper care and rest.
People with diabetes are especially prone to developing foot problems, because diabetes can damage nerves throughout the body and impair blood circulation. This makes it possible for a diabetic to have an injury on the foot and not feel it. Compounding the problem is a lack of adequate blood supply to the limbs, which makes it difficult for any injury to heal. Foot injuries tend to worsen quickly for diabetics, sometimes leading to infection and tissue death, which may require amputation.
Podiatry Conditions Treated
Surgeons credentialed with The Surgery Center of Chester County in Exton, Pennsylvania, use our facility to treat a great many conditions affect the feet and ankles. The most common podiatry conditions treated at our surgery center include:
- Achilles tendon injuries
- Ankle sprain and instability
- Arthritis
- Bunions (hallux valgus)
- Corns and calluses
- Flatfoot
- Foot deformities
- Fractures
- Ganglion cysts
- Hammertoe
- Ingrown toenails
- Morton’s neuroma
- Plantar fasciitis
- Stiff big toe (hallux rigidus)
- Tendonitis
- Toe disorders
- Tumors and lesions
- Ulcers and nonhealing sores
Common Outpatient Foot & Ankle Surgeries
Common types of foot and ankle surgeries performed on an outpatient basis include:
ACHILLES TENDON REPAIR
The Achilles tendon, which runs from the calf muscles to the heel of the foot, is the largest and strongest tendon in the body. It is what allows you to walk, run, jump, and climb stairs. When the tendon is partially or completely torn, surgery may be recommended – and when a minimally invasive approach is used, the procedure can be performed at an outpatient surgical center. It typically involves removing or trimming damaged tissue, surgically repairing the tendon, and reattaching it to bone when necessary.
BONE EXCISION, REALIGNMENT, & RECONSTRUCTION
There are many types of surgical approaches that involve removing, realigning, or reshaping the bones of the feet. The precise procedure a patient needs will depend on the condition being treated.
For example, a foot ostectomy involves the surgical removal of bone, but this is often just one part of the procedure, as many conditions require additional procedures to relieve a patient’s symptoms. Patients with a bunion, hammer toe, flatfoot, or fracture may require bone be removed or shaved off, plus reshaping or realigning of remaining bone. Soft tissue repair may also be required at the same time.
When outpatient surgery is performed to remove a bunion and reposition the big toe joint, it is called a bunionectomy. Bunion removal surgery is safe, effective, and highly successful.
MORTON’S NEUROMA SURGERY
When a nerve leading to the toes becomes compressed, it can cause pain in the ball of the foot, close to the outer area of the foot. When all other treatments fail to bring relief, surgery may be recommended. This may involve releasing nearby soft tissue to help relieve pressure on the nerve, or it may involve the removal of the nerve (called a neurectomy). The latter is usually a last resort, as it can result in numbness in the third and fourth toes.
PLANTAR FASCIITIS SURGERY
Plantar fasciitis is when the ligament connecting your heel and toes becomes irritated and inflamed. This tightness can cause significant heel pain. Surgery to correct this problem, which may be recommended when other more conservative methods fail, is called either a fasciotomy or fasciectomy. These procedures are performed to detach the ligament from the health to help relieve your symptoms. In the latter procedure, any scar tissue in the area is also removed during the surgery.