Podiatric Surgery is the surgical treatment of the foot and its associated structures. It is carried out by a Podiatric Surgeon, usually as a day case procedure and often but not always under local anaesthetic.
Whilst many foot problems respond to non-surgical treatment, some are best treated by podiatric surgery. This is particularly effective for persistently painful conditions or where the foot is being affected by deformity. Common problems include hallux valgus (bunion surgery), hammer, mallet and claw toes, foot arthritis, plantar corns, neuromas (enlarged nerves) and plantar fasciitis (inflammation of connective tissue).
Podiatric surgery has been shown to have comparable clinical outcomes to orthopaedic surgery and audit has shown that there is high patient satisfaction with the podiatric surgery service and low complication rate.
Foot surgery has traditionally been performed by departments under general anaesthetic requiring overnight or several days hospitalisation. Podiatric surgical procedures are carried out on a day case basis under local anaesthetic with the aim of correcting the deformity, providing symptomatic relief and restoring/improving function.
The range of surgery / conditions seen includes:
- lesser toe deformities
- hallux valgus
- hallux limitus/ Rigidus
- Fore and mid foot arthritic conditions
- tailors bunions
- Neuroma’s
- Plantar fasciitis / heel pain
- Heel bumps (Haglunds Deformity)
- Cysts, ganglions and other soft tissue problems
- Subungual exostosis
- Nail surgery
- Achilles tendon problems
Non Surgical management is an integral part of a podiatric surgery service and includes:
- Injection therapy
- Acupuncture
- Orthoses/insoles
- Splints
- Stretching / exercise programmes
- Other physical therapies