Is Foot Surgery REALLY as painful as I hear???????

Myth Buster #1.  "I have always been told Never to have foot surgery because it is Incredibly painful, and the recovery is awful....Is this True??"

FALSE!!!  Medicine and surgery have come a long way.  In ancient times, brain surgery and amputations were performed on patients anesthesia-free, and/or with the only products available, such as wine or brandy!  Yes!  Doctors would literally pour wine or brandy on the surgical site for numbing purposes!  As one can imagine, this was not particularly comfortable!  Fortunately, we now live in an age where different types of anesthesia are readily-available to surgeons and specialists to supplement post-operative comfort levels during and after the necessary surgical procedures.

My patients report Minimal to No pain after surgery, and the majority do not need to take the prescribed pain medication.  This includes All types of foot surgeries, from minor elective procedures like bunions and hammertoes, to major procedures such as foot or ankle reconstruction and emergent trauma surgeries.   Why & how, you ask??

  Dr. Kelly Malinoski, DPM answers, "There is a combination of things I do before, during, and after the surgery to minimize patient discomfort.  Just prior to surgery, I give a local anesthetic block around the surgical site, that completely numbs a portion of the foot from 24 to sometimes 48 hours after surgery.  During the surgery, I am very careful in my dissection and in my handling of the tissues.  Afterall, the more delicate I handle the tissues, the less likely they are to respond as feeling "damaged," minimizing a lot of swelling that could ensue.  I prefer to close the skin with sutures/stitches that are absorbed by the body, and do not require uncomfortable removal in the office.  After the procedure, I give the patient an injection of medication that supplements in swelling-reduction and pain-reduction.  Most importantly, I bandage the foot/ankle in such a way that I feel is most comfortable for my patients, and again, aids in swelling and pain reduction.  Finally, my patients are given prescriptions of pain medication and special anti-inflammatory medications post-operatively for a specific time period.  Although the anti-inflammatory medications are required, the pain medications are not, and are usually sitting in the medicine cabinet unopened. "

Elective foot and ankle surgery is not what is once was, folks.  The pain is minimal, specifically controlled, and easily tolerable!

Recovery time is different for each patient, depending on the necessary procedure to correct the problem, and whether or not your situation requires a prolonged period of non-weight bearing, AKA, a cast or boot and crutches.  Dr. Malinoski says, "I've found that as long as the patients' pain levels are controlled, their recovery time is unremarkable.  Surprisingly, not every foot/ankle surgery requires crutches!" 

Visit Dr. Malinoski at www.podiatristofnaples.com