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Foot and Ankle Care

Orthopedic Surgery

The foot and ankle experts at NEBH are board-certified orthopedic surgeons who specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of all conditions that affect the foot and ankle.

Many foot and ankle orthopedic conditions can be treated without surgery. However, when you and your doctor decide that surgery is the best option, you want to go to the hospital that performs more orthopedic surgical procedures than any other hospital in New England.

Minimally Invasive Surgery

Total Ankle Replacement

Podiatry

The New England Baptist Hospital podiatric staff manage bone, joint, and soft tissue disorders of the foot.

Board-certified in podiatric medicine and surgery, our physicians also have expertise in the management of diabetic foot problems including ulcers, Charcot arthropathy and other nail/toe problems.

Minimally Invasive Surgery

NEBH is the one of the only hospitals in Boston to offer minimally invasive foot surgery.

Minimally invasive surgery provides the same or better results as traditional surgery, while minimizing damage to muscle, tendons and surrounding structures. Patients will benefit from decreased pain and scarring and a faster recovery from surgery.

Additional benefits include:

  • Minimal scarring
  • Less swelling than traditional surgery
  • Decreased risk of wound infection
  • Less blood loss during surgery
  • Less pain after surgery
  • Rapid recovery and faster return to normal activities

How it Works

Minimally invasive foot surgery is performed through “key hole” incisions. Using special instruments and cameras along with intra-operative x-rays, your surgeon can access the damaged areas and protect the surrounding muscles and ligaments. Surgical instruments are then used to correct the problem in the joint, tendon or ligament. Once the surgery is finished, the surrounding tissue will return to its normal position and the incisions, often as small as 3 millimeters, are closed.

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Conditions that can be treated with a minimally invasive approach include:

  • Achilles Tendinitis
    Traditional surgery involves a large incision directly on the back of the heel in order to remove the bone and reattach the tendon. With a minimally invasive approach, the incision is much smaller, decreasing the risk of infection and allowing patients to fully bear weight in a boot the day after surgery.
  • Achilles Tendon Rupture
  • Ankle Arthritis
  • Ankle Fracture
  • Ankle Instability
    With the minimally invasive approach, the entire ligament repair can be safely and effectively performed with an all arthroscopic technique, minimizing the incision.
  • Ankle Osteochondral Lesions
  • Bunions
    Patients can walk on their heel and side of their foot as early as the day after surgery, and many patients are in regular shoes within a month.
  • Calcaneal (heel) Fracture
  • Flat Feet
    Less pain, scarring and risk of accidental injury to nerves and veins with the minimally invasive technique.
  • Great Toe Arthritis
  • Hammer Toes
    Patients are able to return to walking within days rather than weeks.
  • Hallux Rigidus
    Patients report minimal pain following the surgery and are allowed to walk immediately since there is so little risk of wound complications.
  • Metatarsalgia
  • Midfoot Arthritis
  • Peroneal Tendinitis
  • Plantar Fasciitis
  • Posterior Tibial Tendinitis

Total Ankle Replacement

NEBH is one of the leading hospitals in the country for total ankle replacement.

Total ankle replacement (or ankle arthroplasty) is a surgical treatment for people with end-stage osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint disease in which the articular cartilage (the tough but flexible tissue covering the ends of the bones) gradually wears away, or rheumatoid arthritis, an inflammatory condition where the body attacks and breaks down the articular cartilage.

In most cases, ankle osteoarthritis is related to a previous ankle injury and is termed, post-traumatic arthritis. X-rays, CT scans and MRI imaging help determine the severity of the ankle cartilage damage.

In a normal ankle, the articular cartilage creates the appearance of a symmetric joint space between the three bones making up the ankle joint (the tibia, fibula and talus). As the articular cartilage wears away, the joint space decreases progressing to bone on bone contact indicative of arthritis.

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Symptoms of Ankle Osteoarthritis:
The main symptom usually associated with osteoarthritis in the ankle joint is pain. In the early stages of disease, pain is present with movement or activity (walking, stairs, prolonged standing). As osteoarthritis progresses, the pain can be present even at rest. Other common symptoms include; joint stiffness, loss of ankle motion, ankle joint swelling, and difficulty walking (or walking with a limp).

Treatment of Ankle Osteoarthritis:
Non-surgical treatment options are frequently tried initially. Once those have been exhausted, surgical intervention is usually necessary. There are three main types of surgical options:

  1. Ankle arthroscopy with debridement
  2. Ankle arthrodesis (fusion) – where the ankle is fused as one solid bone
  3. Total ankle replacement – where the ankle maintains some degree of its normal biomechanics and motion. In this procedure, the ankle joint is removed and replaced with an artificial implant.

Benefits of a Total Ankle Replacement:
Total ankle replacement is an alternative for patients with ankle osteoarthritis instead of an ankle fusion. It provides a better functional outcome by maintaining flexion and extension motion at the ankle. However, due to the arthritic changes, the ankle may not return to normal motion. It can relieve pain from arthritis and, because it retains some normal biomechanics of the ankle joint, it helps to avoid the development of osteoarthritis in other joints of the foot.

Talk to your surgeon to see if Total Ankle Replacement surgery is right for you.

Common Foot and Ankle Conditions Treated

  • Achilles Tendon Problems
  • Achilles Tendon Ruptures
  • Ankle Fractures
  • Ankle Injuries
  • Ankle Instability
  • Ankle Replacement
  • Arthritis
  • Avascular Necrosis
  • Bone Spurs
  • Broken Bones
  • Bunions
  • Claw Toes
  • Club Feet
  • Diabetic Foot Problem
  • Flatfoot
  • Hallux Rigidus
  • Hammertoes
  • Heel Spurs
  • Ingrown Toenails
  • Ligament Strains/Tears
  • Lisfranc Injuries
  • Mallet Toes
  • Neuromas
  • Plantar Fasciitis
  • Removal of Cysts and Ganglions
  • Shin Splints
  • Sprained Ankle
  • Tendon Injuries and Tears
  • Tendonitis
  • Turf Toe

 

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