Surgical Pearls
While total joint replacement has been successful in the shoulder, the hip and the knee, we have not seen similar success with total ankle replacement in the past.
Initial reports on total ankle replacements were promising in 1979.1 However, long-term follow-up studies painted a different picture as many failures and poor survivorship of the implants led many... Read More.
Compression neuropathies of the posterior tibial nerve and its branches are a fairly common group of disorders, which are often misdiagnosed.1,2 In order to diagnose lesions of these nerves accurately, one must maintain a fairly high index of suspicion of their presentation. Relying on abnormal findings via electromyography and nerve conduction velocity testing is risky because... Read More.
Joint sparing procedures include total ankle arthroplasty, distraction arthrodiastasis and allograft total ankle replacement. However, the gold standard is still ankle arthrodesis.
Traditional exposure for ankle arthrodesis has been through the open transfibular approach. This approach usually involves a fibular takedown osteotomy but researchers have... Read More.
While warts are among the most common pathological problems that podiatrists treat, they are also among the most frustrating conditions. While there are multiple forms of therapy available, the success rate is not what we would like to see. In my clinical experience, I have found that these modalities only have an average cure rate of 75 percent.
There is no... Read More.
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Metatarsalgia may develop from osseous, neurological, vascular or dermal etiologies. The causes are numerous and commonly involve a cavus foot structure, a long second metatarsal, short first metatarsal, hypermobile first ray, iatrogenic pain from forefoot surgery or manifest from a rheumatology-induced systemic disease. When symptoms persist, you may see callus lesions develop under the affected... Read More.
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Numerous conditions can result in the need for arthrodesis of the ankle joint. In particular, neuropathic osteoarthropathy, post-polio syndrome, neuromuscular disease and severe degeneration secondary to trauma can all make it especially difficult for podiatric surgeons to achieve a successful fusion.1-4 Although implant arthroplasty is gaining acceptance and distraction arthroplasty may postpone... Read More.
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When patients experience intense pain, a burning sensation, tightness and/or numbness in the lower extremities during exercise activity, and the pain usually resolves quickly once the patients stop the activity, you may be looking at exertional compartment syndrome (ECS). ECS is certainly one of the more confounding conditions as differentiating between the various leg pains can be difficult.... Read More.
Over the years, hallux valgus repair has evolved from simple bunionectomies to complex and multiple osteotomies. The keys to a successful outcome are the realignment of the structural abnormalities and a stable postoperative environment.The former is important for proper function and the latter facilitates the healing process.
With this in mind, let us take a closer look at the potential... Read More.
Learning and performing effective surgery is akin to studying and speaking a foreign language. Not every one does so with the same fluency. The patient often does not speak a single word. Anatomy is the vocabulary, surgical procedure selection is the syntax and some aspects like verb conjugation and internal fixation sequences simply have to be committed to memory.
There are... Read More.
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Minimizing postoperative discomfort for patients is a common goal of all surgeons. Techniques for achieving this goal seem to vary significantly among surgical specialties. Unfortunately, patients often have preconceived expectations that they will experience considerable discomfort after foot surgery. This is usually based on their experience with other surgical procedures or from discussions... Read More.
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There are many methods you can use to prepare the first metatarsophalangeal joint (MPJ) for arthrodesis. One of those techniques involves using a cup and cone reamer system. Using this system can be helpful, especially when there has been some trauma to the joint surface, when you’re dealing with an extremely arthritic joint with hypertrophy or when the patient has a square metatarsal head. These... Read More.
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The advantages of lesser proximal interphalangeal joint arthrodesis in hammertoe surgery are numerous and well known. Arthrodesis is indicated in patients who have compromised intrinsic muscle function and are lacking both digital and metatarsophalangeal joint stability. Indeed, digital arthrodesis has always been an excellent procedure to consider if you fear reoccurrence of the hammertoe... Read More.
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