Other Minimally Invasive Surgical & Laser Services
Minimally Invasive Surgery
It may sound simple, or even elementary, but any tissue that is not cut in surgery doesn’t have to heal. Further, it is interesting to note that bones themselves have little or no nerve supply. What does that mean to you? It means that if your foot surgeon makes a smaller rather than a larger skin incision, gets right into the bone and remodels and/or repositions that bone, chances are that you will have much less discomfort and can probably return to normal activities (including walking) more quickly than with traditional techniques.
It may surprise you to know that all the research that I have gathered and studied has led me to believe that podiatrists were the first medical specialists to perform minimally invasive surgery. The reason for this as far as I can tell is that back in the 1970′s, most podiatrists were unable to attain hospital privileges to do their surgery. Necessity was the mother of invention and pioneers of The Academy of Ambulatory Foot Surgery developed procedures which could be safely and efficiently performed in the comfort of their own offices at greater convenience and lower cost to their patients. THE FOOT CARE REVOLUTION had begun.
What is it?
Minimally-invasive Foot Surgery is a relatively new way to correct foot problems in which the skin incision (usually less than 1/8 inch in length) is only large enough to introduce special instruments into the offending area.
What types of foot problems can be corrected by minimally-invasive foot surgery?
The most common problems are:
- Bunions
- Tailor’s Bunions
- Calluses
- Hammer Toes
- Soft Corns
- Heel Pain
Foot problems, such as ingrown and infected toenails, can be corrected without making any skin incision at all.
What are some of the advantages of minimally-invasive foot surgery?
Reduced Scarring
Less Post-Operative Pain
Because of the lack of surgical tissue dissection, post-operative pain may be greatly reduced.
Convenience and Cost-Effectiveness
Since minimally-invasive foot surgery can be performed in the doctor’s office rather than a hospital or surgery center, there are several advantages:
- It is more convenient
- It is less expensive
- There is a smaller chance for certain post-operative complications
Minimal Hardware Requirement
Since minimally-invasive surgery causes less trauma to the tissues of the foot, no pins, wires, screws, or casts are generally required post-operatively.
Quicker Recovery
After the surgery is completed, a gauze and tape bandage is usually applied to the foot, and the patient is given a special post-surgical shoe to wear. Many patients are surprised to find that they can return to work and normal activities in no time at all!
Minimally Invasive Foot and Ankle Surgery
Arthritic Big Toe Joints
Arthritic Big Toe Joints
In more severe cases when the big toe joint is unable to move at all, the condition is called hallux rigidus (rigid big toe joint).
Tailor’s Bunions
Tailor’s Bunions
A tailor’s bunion (bunionette) is seen as an enlargement or “bump” on the outside of the foot near the little toe.
Calluses
Calluses
A callus is an area of thickened skin located on the bottom of the foot, in most cases on the ball of the foot and/or heel.
Hammer Toes
Hammer Toes
Hammer Toes occur when the tendons and ligaments around the toes become contracted and the toes take on a “claw-like” appearance.
Soft Corns
Soft Corns
A soft corn forms between the toes when the bony prominence known to doctors as the “condyle” of a toe rubs against the condyle of the adjacent toe while walking.
Laser Foot & Ankle Surgery
Laser technology may seem like a mysterious and complicated science, but it’s really not. Think about a Laser as you would a sunbeam – did anyone ever show you the “magnifying glass experiment” when you were younger? Lasers work in much the same way during surgery to treat your foot problem. Although Laser is an exciting technology, there are some limits. Research is under way, but bone problems like bunions and hammer toes cannot currently be treated with laser. Dr. Cowin, DPM has been performing Laser foot and ankle surgery since 1984.
Here are some of the most commonly asked questions about Laser surgery.
What is Laser?
What does a surgical Laser do?
A surgical Laser beam can cut or vaporize tissue almost instantaneously. It is so precise that the surrounding tissue is hardly affected. The beam sterilizes and seals blood vessels as it cuts, so there’s generally less bleeding, less post-operative pain, and less chance of post operative infection than with conventional surgical instruments.
Is Laser surgery a new technique?
Not at all. Lasers have been used for everything form removal of tonsils to treatment of infertility. More recently, Lasers have been used to remove tattoos and facial skin wrinkles and even to treat disc problems in the spine. Laser use in podiatry is now quite common, although not every podiatrist owns a Laser.
Does it hurt?
Many patients have reported that Laser surgery is far less painful than conventional techniques. Depending on the nature of your problem, your doctor will probably numb the area with a local anesthetic before using the Laser.
Is Laser like an x-ray?
No. There is no ionizing radiation present in the Laser beam.
Some common Foot Problems Treatable with a Laser are:
- Fungal Nails: Infections of the toenails by a fungus similar to the one that causes athlete’s foot.
- Warts: Benign skin growths caused by a virus. The Laser beam can be used to vaporize warts, sometimes providing permanent relief when other methods have failed.
- Ingrown Toenails: Nails that grow into the flesh, causing pain and often leading to infection. The Laser can be used to prevent the offending part of the nail from regrowing.
- Neuromas: A nerve growth causing burning, stinging, or sharp pain. The Laser can be used to remove the “pinched” section of nerve.
- Porokeratosis: Slightly elevated, wart-like lesions that originate in the sweat glands and are often painful.
Say Goodbye to Bunions
*The patient and any other person responsible for payment has a right to refuse to pay, cancel payment, or be reimbursed for payment of any other service, examination, or treatment which is performed as a result of or within seventy-two (72) hours of responding to the advertisement for the FREE*, discounted fee, or reduced fee service, examination, or treatment.