Foot and ankle injuries are common and account for a significant percentage of all musculoskeletal problems. Nevertheless, surgery is not always necessary for those dealing with such conditions. Considerations such as these will influence whether or not your foot doctor recommends surgery.
- How bad are your symptoms (how much they hurt and interfere with your daily life).
- Condition and requirements of yourself currently
- How you react to special shoes or medications for therapy
After hearing your concerns, your podiatrist can help you decide if surgery is the best and safest course of action. You should speak to a foot and ankle surgeon Alamo Heights to understand if you need foot surgery.
Pros of having Foot & Ankle Surgery
- It is common practice in the medical community to reserve surgery on the foot for extreme cases. This is due to its greater price tag and increased potential for complications when compared to less intrusive therapies. However, there are circumstances in which a podiatrist may recommend surgery on your foot due to its many benefits.
- Better looking than before. Individuals who were born with or developed foot abnormalities can benefit from corrective surgery in terms of improved comfort, mobility, and self-esteem.
- Reduced discomfort. If you have been experiencing pain in your foot or ankle, surgical intervention can provide you with permanent relief.
- More options for footwear. If you are suffering from a foot or ankle condition that limits the styles of shoes you can wear, surgery may restore your freedom of choice.
- Prevention. Surgical correction of foot deformity, such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy, is necessary in some cases.
- Enhanced portability. Is a foot or ankle injury keeping you from participating in regular life? Mobility and function can be restored in the limbs by surgical intervention.
In what ways might foot and ankle surgery go wrong?
Individual patient outcomes and the occurrence of complications are typical of any surgical procedure. Some examples of this are:
- It is possible that your artificial joint will not hold up as well or last as long as your natural one did.
- Some surgeries have the potential to limit joint motion (but this is not always the case).
- The healing process may take quite some time. The foot must be kept weightless for at least three months after an ankle fusion.
- Small nerves near the incision site are vulnerable to injury, which might result in temporary numbness.
- Surgical problems, such as infection, edema, or stiffness, are always a possibility.
- Some patients who have had bones fused together end up needing extra surgery because the fusion did not take.