Foot problems or conditions can cause a lot of pain during your daily activities. The pain in your foot and ankle inhibits your ability to walk and even a simple stroll can already become an unpleasant experience.
At Medical Centre Jan van Goyen, we are here to help you to get rid of your foot complaints. Our experienced orthopaedic specialists have the expertise to make a correct diagnosis and set up a personalised treatment plan for your foot complaints.
THE TREATMENT OF FOOT COMPLAINTS
Over the years, our orthopaedic specialists have seen many types of foot complaints. When you come to our foot clinic, you know that your foot complaints get the attention and care you deserve. The staff at Medical Centre Jan van Goyen has extensive experience when it comes to treating various types of foot complaints. You can find an overview of the most common procedures below.
CORRECTION OF THE POSITION OF THE TOES
The position of the toes is very important for the correct functioning of the foot. When their position is not optimal. it can have painful consequences. A patient with crooked toes has one or more toes in a crooked, bent, or curved position. This can make it painful to wear shoes or use your feet. One of the symptoms is callus on top of the toe which causes additional pinching in the shoes. Crooked toes, also called hammer toes, are often caused by wearing shoes that are too small or too narrow. They can also be the result of flat feet or diabetes.
The treatment of a hammer toe is very simple. The toe is straightened by removing the joint between the first and second phalanx. We do this by making an incision on top of the joint, which will also solve the issue of the callus. We then place an iron pin to put the toe back in its correct position. The pin will be removed in due course.
HALLUX RIGIDUS
When you are no longer able to move your big toe optimally, then this will have a significant impact on the functioning of your foot. The main cause of a stiff big toe, or hallux rigidus, is osteoarthritis on the joint of the big toe that is connected to the metatarsal bone. Osteoarthritis is an excessive abrasion or breakdown of joint cartilage and it results in an increased friction between the bones. And it is this friction that causes the pain. Besides osteoarthritis, a hallux rigidus can also be the result of a fracture, gout, and intensive sports activities.
The treatment method depends on the severity of the osteoarthritis. When the condition is only mild, we may only need to clean the joint. The painful bone development around the joint is removed. This will reduce the complaints and you will be able to move the joint. When the osteoarthritis is more severe, we will remove the painful joint and attach the remaining bones with two screws. This will take away the pain. When we attach the joint, we take the mobility and weight bearing of the foot into account.
ARTHROSCOPY ON THE ANKLE
Ankle complaints can have many different causes. It is, therefore, sometimes necessary to carry out a keyhole surgery, or arthroscopy, to detect the cause of your problem. During an arthroscopy, the orthopaedic specialist uses an arthroscope to look into the ankle joint. This is a small tube made of glass fibre which is connected to a video camera. This allows the surgeon to check the various parts of your ankle.
In order to be able to insert the arthroscope, the surgeon will make two small holes. When your complaints are at the front of your ankle, the holes will also be made at the front and you will be laying on your back during the procedure. When the complaints are located at the back, the holes will be made at the back as well, and you will need to lie on your stomach.
As soon as the cause of the condition has been established, the orthopaedic surgeon can treat the problem which can, for example, be caused by loose bone fragments, painful bone growth, scar tissue, or damaged cartilage. After the arthroscopy, the holes are either sutured or closed with a plaster. You will then be given a compression bandage to prevent swellings.
TREATMENT OF HEEL COMPLAINTS
When you experience complaints around the heel, then this often means that you suffer from heel spur. Heel spur is an inflammation of the connective tissue on the heel bone. An adverse effect of the inflammation is the development of calcium deposits on the heel. This causes pain when you walk.
There are various treatment options to treat heel spur complaints, and it depends on your situation which one is the most suitable. Many of the complaints can be treated by wearing orthotic inserts that give your feet more comfort. Physiotherapists increasingly use shockwave therapy, during which sound waves administered to the treatment area induce a healing reaction in the inflamed connective tissue. When these or other treatments give no relief, there is the option of surgery.
