Reconstructive Foot And Ankle Surgery Specialist

What is reconstructive foot and ankle surgery?

Reconstructive foot and ankle surgery at Foot & Ankle Specialty Center involves innovative surgical procedures that address numerous foot and ankle problems in your bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, cartilage, or muscles. Examples include:

• Tendon tears
• Hammertoe
• Severe flat feet
• Arthritis
• Bunions
• Other foot or ankle deformities
• Fractures
• Ligament injuries
• Heel spurs
• Sprains that haven’t healed properly

Your podiatrist might recommend reconstructive surgery if your injury is severe and won’t heal properly without reconfiguring the joint.

What is reconstructive foot and ankle surgery used for?

The experienced team of podiatrists at Foot & Ankle Specialty Center uses reconstructive foot and ankle surgery to:

• Align broken bones
• Remove overgrown tissue
• Fuse painful joints
• Repair torn ligaments or tendons
• Replace an ankle joint with prosthetic components

Everybody is different, so there’s no one-size-fits-all surgical treatment for foot and ankle injuries.

What should I expect during foot and ankle reconstruction?

With new advances in surgical procedures, your doctor might recommend less invasive arthroscopic surgery in an outpatient setting. You’re given anesthesia prior to the procedure. 

Your surgeon makes tiny incisions and inserts an arthroscope with a small camera attached to it into the injured area. They use tiny surgical instruments to repair your foot or ankle with minimal incisions. Open arthrotomy involves a larger incision that may produce a small scar.

Your surgeon sets broken bones, repairs or replaces damaged tendons or ligaments, and may use pins or other hardware to restore your joint. In some cases, joint replacement, or replacing your ankle joint with prosthetic components, is necessary to restore mobility to its full potential. 

After foot and ankle reconstruction, your surgeon closes incisions with sutures and uses sterile dressings, a cast, or a splint to limit mobility while your foot or ankle heals.

What happens after the procedure?

Arthroscopic surgeries produce minimal trauma to foot and ankle tissue and are associated with shorter recovery times, less bleeding, and less postoperative pain than open surgeries. Follow your doctor’s post-surgical instructions and:

• Get plenty of rest
• Take medications as prescribed
• Apply ice or compression as directed
• Keep your foot elevated

You might require a wheelchair, crutches, or a walker immediately after surgery. Start rehabilitation therapy when your podiatrist recommends it.

To learn more about foot and ankle reconstruction and find out if it’s right for you, schedule an appointment with Foot & Ankle Specialty Center by phone or online today.