Foot and Ankle Surgery Q & A
What Foot and Ankle Conditions Need Surgery?
Your feet and ankles endure such extensive movement and extreme pressure that nearly any common foot problem can progressively worsen and ultimately need surgery to repair the damage.
For most foot and ankle conditions, treatment always begins with conservative options such as immobilization and customized orthotics. If your symptoms don’t improve, your doctor may talk with you about surgery. A few of the foot conditions most likely to need surgery include:
- Bunions
- Hammertoes
- Heel pain (bone spurs, plantar fasciitis)
- Corns and calluses
- Torn tendons and ligaments
- Foot and ankle fractures
- Arthritic degeneration
- Neuromas
- Flatfeet
- Tarsal tunnel syndrome
- Charcot deformity
You may need immediate foot or ankle surgery to repair a complex fracture or torn ligaments.
What Symptoms Might Indicate I Need Foot and Ankle Surgery?
These symptoms indicate you have a foot condition that may require surgery:
- Difficulty walking
- Persistent pain
- Burning, tingling, or numbness
- Heel pain in the morning
- Abnormal growth or bump
- Deformed bones or joints
- Ulcers or sores that don’t heal
- Foot discomfort after standing
The symptoms of a fracture or sprain include pain, swelling, bruising, and being unable to use the affected foot or ankle.
What Types of Foot and Ankle Surgery Might I Receive?
If you have a painful injury, deformity, or disease of your foot and ankle, your podiatrist at Sacramento Foot and Ankle Center carefully evaluates the problem, reviews X-rays, and talks with you about all your treatment options. When conservative therapies are exhausted, and your symptoms persist, it may be time to consider surgery.
These are examples of surgeries frequently performed by Sacramento Foot and Ankle Center podiatrists:
- Bone fusion
- Tendon and ligament repair
- Tendon lengthening
- Shifting or straightening bones
- Skin repair or graft
- Debridement
- External and internal fixation
- Joint replacement
- Limb salvage surgery
- Foot or ankle reconstruction
From realigning bones to repairing a bunion that hasn’t responded to conservative treatment to foot reconstruction for complex deformities, you can depend on the surgical skills of Sacramento Foot and Ankle Center doctors to restore optimal function to your foot and ankle.
If you need help with a foot or ankle problem, call Sacramento Foot and Ankle Center or schedule an appointment online.