PAINFUL FOOT CONDITIONS THAT CAN BE CURED WITH SURGERY
Flat feet can cause a variety of problems as you age. Since your body compensates for the flat foot, it can cause a nerve to compress in your leg and your foot to go numb. However, there’s a procedure to repair fallen arches. It is not an easy procedure and full recovery will take a year but most patients wind up with 80 percent of normal function. Foot problems are the most common complaint of people as they age. When your feet hurt, you are less likely to exercise and more likely to fall.
Most of us take our feet for granted except when they start to hurt. Once your feet start hurting, it is constantly on your mind. Women who wear high heels for years may develop bunions, hammertoes and arch problems. Feet issues can occur due to genes, wear and tear, old injuries and diabetes and obesity. Deformities become common when people reach their 50s. Some conditions can be fixed with orthotics, physical therapy, and better-fitting shoes. Surgery is a last resort for flat feet, bunions, arthritis, and hammertoes. You should only have surgery for pain and not for cosmetics.
There are 26 bones in your foot and multiple muscles, tendons and ligaments. They get stressed when you have extra body weight. Your arch can become stretched or torn as you age. It is like a rubber band but even rubber bands can get stretched out. Each foot is different and therefore, each patient may need a different combination of surgical steps. When a person has a severe case of flat-footedness, the heel bone tilts outward and fixing that requires another incision.
There are procedures to help with pain from bunions, arthritic joints, and hammertoes. Hammertoes are more prevalent starting in people’s 50s and the toes get locked into a bent position. Surgeons release the locked joint and fuse it straight. Arthritis can affect all of the joints in the foot and ankle. More people are getting ankle replacement surgery but it won’t last forever.
Bunions are a malformed joint and your recovery time is longer than most people realize. Wearing too-tight shoes can put pressure on the joint and make it bow outward. To fix this, surgeons cut and realign the bones leading to the big toe. Recovery takes time.
Foot surgeries can take time to recover from but with physical therapy and staying off your feet, you recover from having foot pain. Should you have any questions, please contact our team here to set up an appointment online, by email at info@riverpodiatry.com or by phone at (845) 735-8440.
