Minor foot surgery in clinic
Nail Surgery: Permanent Partial Matricectomy
Your nail repetitively grows into the nail fold and is painful? There is a surgical option where a thin border of the nail is removed and burned permanently at the matrix, the root of the nail, so it does not grow back. After a local anesthesia of the toe, the intervention is pain-free and you can go back home the same day. Useful tip: bring a larger shoe or sandals to leave space for the dressing.
Bone surgery in operation room
Hallux Valgus or Bunions
A bunion is a gradual shifting of the bone in an inward position. It can create pain when walking, standing up, at night or within shoes. Do you know that a bunion can be surgically corrected for a long-term result? There are 100 different types of surgery for a bunion depending on the measures and angles. To choose the right procedure and understand well the foot type and biomechanic, X-rays are required. If you already have some X-rays that were taken in weight-bearing/standing position, bring them!
Taylor Bunion at the Joint of the 5th Toe
This problem is less known than the similar bunion at the 1st big toe joint but is quite the same. The Taylor bunion appears at the joint of the 5th toe and is created by a muscle imbalance. The metatarsal head shift on the exterior side and creates discomfort in a closed shoe. If the shoe gear modification is not enough, there is always the surgical option for patients that feel pain.
Hammer toes
The hammer toes gradually lose their flexibility with aging. One of the extensor or flexor tendons gets mechanical advantage and exerts more force: creating the hammer toe. There are flexible, semi-flexible and rigid hammer toes. The more it progresses, the more it creates discomfort either at the tip or on the top of the toes.
Hallux limitus
Hallux in Latin means big toe and limitus means limited. A misalignment of the joint creates a repetitive impact at the top of the joint. A bony prominence appears at the top of the articulation limiting the dorsiflexion of the big toe. Hallux limitus is often misdiagnosed as bunion , but can sometimes appear at the same time. Surgical treatment is the best long-term outcome.
Soft Tissue Surgery in Operating Room
Morton Neuroma
With repetitive impact of the metatarsal head, the common digital nerve becomes painful, fibrotic and enlarged creating pain or numbness to the forefoot or toes. It appears more often at the 4th interspace but can appear at other interspaces too. If the conservative treatments have failed, it is possible to excise it surgically.
Ganglionic Cyst and Other Mass
Cyst is a soft tissue mass full of fluid. It mostly comes from the joint or the tendon sheath. It is possible to aspire the cyst and inject cortisone. Cyst, however, has a high recurrence rate with the injection. The surgical excision is the best option to remove it definitively.
DR. GUILLAUME B. LEGAULT
Podiatrist
