Based in the heart of NY, Advance Foot and Ankle Solutions offers the best facility for performing toe surgery, while catering to all other various foot and ankle problems. Look no further when you can have direct access to the globally acclaimed specialist team of foot and ankle surgeons, supervising & managing your toe surgery with diligence and dedication.
Advance Foot and Ankle Solutions support team is absolutely attentive to your requirements related to toe surgery. Call & book an appointment right away for professionally diagnosed, treated and empathetically cured foot and ankle issues, to lead a wholesome, enviable lifestyle.
Toe Surgery: Anatomy Of The Human Foot With Its Frontal Part
The human foot is a complicated structure comprising of nearly a quarter of all the 206 bones making up the bony framework. Precisely speaking, our feet are made up of 26 bones and more than 33 joints arranged in columns and arches that vary in stiffness and flexibility. Bones are rigid structures that can withstand great force or pressure until their threshold is reached. Being a complex structure many common problems can occur in the foot region.
The component bones of the foot are generally short structures with high tensile strength and limited mobility at the joints. The arrangement of these bones in the form of an arch, the foot-arch, is such that it is capable of bearing the entire body weight throughout a normal lifespan. The front of the foot (forefoot) is made up of toe bones (phalanges) which are connected to five longer bones (metatarsals) by joints. The joints in the toes have limited movement. The forefoot bears nearly half of the body’s weight.
The muscles in the lower leg are attached to bones in the feet by tendons which move the toes and control the position of the feet as they hit the ground, allowing them to become flexible and cushioning the impact force. The main nerve of the foot controls the muscles in the sole and gives sensation here and to the toes.
Toe Surgery: Classification & Types
Surgical procedures performed on the toes, first to the last one, are quite varied depending upon the condition they are confronted with. These are outlined below:
- Hammer Toe Surgery: The basis of this type of surgery lies in removing a portion of bone within the affected toe in an attempt to reduce the joint contracture. Soft tissue procedures may be necessary along with pinning and supporting the toe with a piece of surgical wire. Surgeons usually employ 3 methods while operating on hammer toe, namely joint resection procedures, bone-mending procedures and toe relocation procedures.
- Cross-over Toe Surgery: The basis of this type of surgery lies in removing a portion of bone within the affected toe in an attempt to reduce the joint contracture. This surgical procedure comprises of 3 parts — repair the buckled digit via joint resection or bone mending, joint relocation and finally, correcting the bunion problem of the big toe.
- Toe Shortening: The basis of this type of surgery lies in removing a portion of bone within the affected toe. Pinning and supporting the toe with a piece of surgical wire is often performed. Surgeons usually employ 2 methods while carrying out toe shortening procedure, namely joint resection procedures and bone-mending procedures.
- Toe Lengthening (Brachymetatarsia): The basis for toe lengthening involves restoring the length to the short bone. Among several methods employed today three are most widely used, namely Sliding Bone-cut lengthening, Bone-graft lengthening and Brachymetatarsia External Fixator lengthening.
- Toe Removal (Polydactyly Surgery): In this type only the extra digit needs to be surgically removed. In most of the cases, the extra digit shares the same metatarsal bone with the normal toe. In some instances, the extra digit is exactly duplicated as the original toe, with its own metatarsal bone. In both cases the outermost, visible toe is removed.
- Plantar Plate Repair: Plantar plate repair is carried out on torn plates, either faced with acute or chronic injury. The mode of repair chiefly depends on extent of injury to plantar plate ligament, cause of tear, time elapsed from injury, the presence of a toe contracture (hammer toe), and overall biomechanical foot structure.
- Revision Hammer Toe Surgery: Even after a comprehensive procedure the hammer toe has all the chances of returning. It the condition turns painful and discomforting, another round of surgery is usually required to relieve the pain and the deformity. The procedures involved are either arthroplasty alone or arthroplasty in combination with joint fusion.
Toe Surgery: Other Associated Features
- Recovery Period for all types of toe procedures lies generally between 5 to 6 weeks in young, healthy individuals. Resumption of normal shoe gear and activities occurs by 3 weeks to 3 months, depending upon the severity of deformity.
- Toe Cramps occur due to several reasons, but overuse without rest, dehydration, mineral deficiencies (calcium, magnesium and potassium) and inadequate Vitamin B-complex intake are the main causative factors. These deficiencies give rise to intense muscle contractions or spasms, commonly known as cramps.