FOOT ANKLE SURGERY

About 20% of orthopaedic surgery is foot and ankle. This area of orthopaedics has undergone huge changes in last few decades. Not that long ago we were still performing Keller9s procedure for bunions and using a Charnley clamp for ankle fusions. It is becoming increasingly more difficult for the general orthopaedic surgeon to stay abreast of current surgical treatment. Some of the newer foot and ankle surgical surgical techniques will be discussed. Ankle arthroplasty is undergoing a period of revival. This is a difficult procedure with results not as reliable as hip and knee arthroplasty and I would not recommend it to the occasional foot and ankle surgeon. Ankle arthroscopy is now a commonly performed procedure and with the right equipment is a procedure that is useful to the generalist. Foot and ankle fusion are now performed with rigid internal fixation. The actual procedures are not difficult but it does require a reasonable amount of experience to obtain the correct position of the fusion. Bunion surgery is commonly done and can result in disappointment for all. The newer surgical options for the correction of hallux valgus will be discussed.