Is It Finally Time for Reconstructive Foot Surgery?

What Is Reconstructive Foot & Ankle Surgery?

The name “reconstructive surgery” alone probably gives you a pretty good idea of what it tends to involve, but it’s worth breaking the term down a little further.

Simply put, the goal of reconstructive surgery is to take a foot and/or ankle that has been structurally or mechanically compromised in some way and restore it so it looks and functions as normally as possible—ultimately, so that you can live the lifestyle you want to live without being held back by your feet.

Often, reconstructive surgery is used to repair a progressive deformity like a bunion or hammertoes. But it’s just as useful for things like chronic ankle instability or end-stage arthritis.

A variety of techniques can be employed to achieve the desired results, depending on what specific problem you’re experiencing and even what kind of lifestyle you want to live after your surgery.

For example, reconstructive surgery can involve cutting and realigning bones (osteotomy), repairing or even transferring connective tissues like ligaments and tendons, fusing joints that have become aggressively arthritic, and replacing joints with artificial ones, and more.

Is Reconstructive Surgery Right For Me?

One of the biggest reasons to pursue reconstructive surgery if you have a qualifying condition is that it keeps you safe.

Almost every condition that can be treated with reconstructive surgery—bunions, hammertoes, flat feet, Charcot foot, unstable ankles, end-stage arthritis, etc.—is progressive in nature. In other words: it will not get better on its own. It will only get worse until you do something about it.

And as that condition gets worse, it starts to impact your life more and more—and in different ways, too. It’s not just that you might experience more pain or have more trouble fitting into your shoes. You might also, in time, develop many other problems:

• Pain throughout the body, since the rest of your muscles and joints, have to overcompensate for unstable feet and ankles.
• Greater risk of falls, sprains, and other injuries.
• Decreased physical activity due to foot troubles, can lead to an overall decrease in your physical health and increased risk of developing chronic health problems.

Another important thing to consider is that a mild-to-moderate problem can usually be treated more easily and more successfully, with better results on average, than a severe one. So by waiting, you’re not only making yourself more miserable in the short run but potentially permanently reducing your quality of life in the long run.

All that being said, despite the incredible benefits of reconstructive surgery, we won’t push you down a path of treatment that isn’t right for you. It may be that a conservative form of therapy, such as custom orthotics, might address the underlying causes of your foot problem before it starts to affect your quality of life, making surgery unnecessary. That’s another big reason you should never, ever wait to seek help when you notice something is wrong!