Treating Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Conditions – Foot ankle ortho


Treating foot and ankle orthopedic conditions is always a challenge. Unlike other orthopedic conditions foot and ankle pain has always been difficult to diagnose for orthopedic surgeons as this subject is less explored in orthopedic training.

Due to lack of awareness amongst general population and limited exposure for general orthopedic surgeons often foot and ankle problems get ignored or treated in adequately. A sub speciality of orthopaedic specialist under go specific training in dealing with fractures, deformity, and painful conditions of foot and ankle and are called fellowships trained foot and ankle surgeon which is something extra in addition to orthopedic degree.

So when we should consider seeking a foot and ankle specialist is when your pain in any foot and ankle region is not subsiding with medications or you are having recurrent pain or swelling.

There are more than 20 bones and joints in the foot and ankle making it very difficult to detect and diagnose the exact point of problem. So it is always better to be diagnosed by someone who is better trained and has the experience of dealing with many foot and ankle cases.

A 3 dimensional in depth knowledge and clinical examination is a must to deal with chronic foot pain. We sometimes do CT scan and MRI scans to confirm our probable diagnosis which gives a better 3 DIMENSIONAL knowledge of the foot disease. Once the diagnosis is done which is the most difficult part, we can start treatment. Multimodal treatment methods are available like medicines, key hole (Ankle Arthroscopic surgery) and open surgery.

Few special conditions in foot and ankle orthopedics

  1. Plantar fascisits

  2. Tendo achilles insertion pathology

  3. Calcaneal stress fracture

  4. Lisfranc fracture

  5. Fracture around ankle

  6. Deformity of foot

  7. Deformity of toe.

  8. Foot ulcers.

  9. Ligaments repair

  10. Ankle arthroscopy surgery

  11. Diabetic foot deformity

  12. Flat foot

Many more conditions exist like this but we are not able to guide the patients in the right direction and they end up hurting themselves.

It is our duty to diagnose the condition of pain and where it is generated from. My sincere opinion to all is don’t wait till it’s too late if analgesics are not working and problems are increasing.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ankle Ligament Reconstruction Surgery – Get Expert Care Today!!

Image
Ankle sprains are very common. Very commonly a lot of patients come to us with ankle sprain by 70% of the respond to rest, ice and compression with elevated limb. Rest for a week or two and analgesics are enough to get you back to your foot pain free.  However sometimes the ligament injury is evident by the amount of swelling and large amount pain with inability to bear weight. If you’re able to bear weight on the ankle without a lot of difficulty highly unlikely that you have a fracture. However, the same is not the same in patients with diabetes or neuropathy damage in legs as they do not feel much pain and able to bear weight even with a fracture (Charcot joint). Important markers 1.       If your joint is too much swollen and you are not able to put weight on the ankle most likely you have a fracture or a ligament injury 2.       If you had a noise when your ankle was twisting you may have a fracture or a ligament injury 3.       If you are not able to get rid of pain eve
Read more

Diabetic Charcot Neuropathy – Foot & Ankle – Footankleortho

Image
Diabetic foot is a major cause of ill health in patients with diabetes. Uncontrolled diabetes and poor diabetes control can lead to serious problems. Most of the organ damage (Eye, kidney, heart) is taken care of by diabetic specialists but often ignored is the musculoskeletal or bones and joints. Diabetic foot is a consequence of poor control and high sugar levels in blood which lead to damage to micro nerves of the muscles and joints. Nerve damage causes the sensory delay of perception abnormal movements at joints and muscles. This delayed response to abnormal joint position and muscle stretch leads to micro injury to joints especially the foot joints as they are major weight bearing structures. Also the damage to nerves causes’ loss of pain sensation and this leads to lack of knowledge of micro injury to joints and muscles. Thus leading to slow damage of joints and shape of foot. High sugar leads to nerve damage Nerve damage leads to loss of pain and vibrations Loss of pain and vibr
Read more