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Severe arthritis or a serious fracture may require surgery to help you function correctly and allow your foot or ankle joint to heal. At Mesilla Valley Footcare in Las Cruces, New Mexico, Rolando Cadena, DPM, and Clair Cadena Miranda, DPM, offer various forms of orthopedic foot surgery to get you back to enjoying the activities you love. The practice provides total ankle replacement surgery along with fracture surgery for severe problems that don’t resolve with nonsurgical treatments. To find out more about orthopedic foot surgery options, call Mesilla Valley Footcare today, or request a consultation on the website.
What is orthopedic foot surgery?
Orthopedic foot surgery is an invasive treatment option Dr. Cadena, and Dr. Miranda provide when necessary for conditions like severe arthritis or complex fractures. It involves anesthesia and a series of procedures to realign the bones of a fracture or remove damaged joint areas.
Orthopedic foot surgery aims to reduce pain in the affected area and improve mobility.
Surgery is often the last resort because it’s invasive, usually requires anesthesia, and has a higher risk of complications than nonsurgical treatments. If you’re living with severe arthritis that’s limiting daily activities or have a fracture that won’t heal, the benefits may outweigh the risks.
The practice offers various types of orthopedic foot surgery, including total ankle replacement, bunionectomy, hammer toe correction, and fracture fixation.
Who needs orthopedic foot surgery?
Not everyone with a bunion, hammer toe, arthritis, or a broken bone requires surgery. Dr. Cadena and Dr. Miranda carefully evaluate your foot and symptoms to determine the best treatment route.
You may require a total ankle replacement if you have significant arthritis that’s prohibiting your everyday activities or produces severe pain that’s unrelieved by at-home measures.
Surgery for a fracture is necessary when the bone breaks in multiple places or it’s unlikely to heal with casting alone. The bone needs to be appropriately aligned to heal correctly and prevent complications.
You may need surgery for a bunion or hammer toe when you have significant pain, and nonsurgical treatments haven’t provided relief.
How long does it take to heal after surgery?
The recovery process after orthopedic foot surgery is intense but varies in length depending on the procedure. For example, it takes longer to heal from a total ankle replacement than a hammer toe correction.
After a total ankle replacement, you can expect recovery to take at least six months or as long as a year. Physical therapy is a crucial component of recovery.
Ankle and foot fractures may take up to six weeks to heal after surgery, although the full recovery time is longer. Physical therapy is necessary to help you regain strength in the ankle.
Recovery from a bunionectomy or hammer toe correction takes anywhere from two to six weeks. You may require a boot or splint for several weeks after surgery.
Call Mesilla Valley Footcare today to schedule a consultation for orthopedic foot surgery, or request a consultation on the website.