A flat foot condition that does not respond to conservative therapies, and remains painful or continues to cause other problems, may require flat foot surgery.
Not all foot disorders cause problems, but those that do can lead to several kinds of painful or uncomfortable foot complications such as heel pain, toenail pain, bunion pain and even fungal toenail infection. Flat foot exists when the bones located at the arch of the foot have collapsed and are flat. There are many different causes and types of flat foot. A congenital flat foot is a condition that one is born with, while acquired foot develops over time and is likely to cause more pain and other symptoms.
When foot becomes too painful to bear by the patient, the podiatrist will probably prescribe orthotic management and flat foot surgery. Orthotic treatment enables relocation of a mobile foot and assists it to hold its corrected position. This treatment is only effective when the orthotic appliance is worn in the shoe. The orthotic consists of a rigid plastic arch, mainly to support the arch of the foot, with a “wedge” placed under its inner side to tilt, and a heel cup to hold it so the heel will be repositioned. Orthotics, in some cases like rigid and arthritic foot, may only be able to improve symptoms but will not correct the foot position.
With rigid and painful flat foot, as well as orthotic failure in treating the condition due to tibialis posterior dysfunction, most cases will require foot surgery as treatment. These worst cases often result from untreated flat foot.
Non-response to orthotic treatment and progressive deterioration of the porterior tibial tendon of the rest of the foot and ankle result in a need to perform a series of surgeries. This foot surgery will involve tibialis posterior reconstruction, where the diseased tendon is excised and a neighboring tendon moved into its place to perform its function. A flexor digitorum longus (FDL) is then anchored into its new location and, once it has served its purpose, the bio-tenodesis screw is naturally absorbed by the body, leaving a newly positioned, healed tendon.
Fixed arthritic foot might require at least a double fusion and at worst a triple and combines ankle fusion and replacement if the ankle is involved. This type of foot surgery involves calcaneal osteotomy, the cutting and shifting of heel bone toward the inside (medial) or outside (lateral), and the transferring of tibialis posterior debridement and flexor digitorum, the muscle that serves to curl the toes and enable them to grip and mold on the surface of the floor to maintain body balance. This foot surgery is more complicated and entails full cooperation of the patient plus the skills of the best podiatrists.
Some flat foot surgery depends on the degree of deformity based on medical findings and factors like patient’s age, activity level and others. The duration of a patient’s recovery period varies depending on the intensity and kind of foot surgery performed.
Evidently, success in foot surgery is high and patients gain mobility after recovering from the operation. In order not to end with flat foot surgery, it’s always important to take precautions and practice proper foot care. Less pain, less cost!