Our El Paso Podiatrists Offer Outstanding Care for Conditions Requiring a Surgical Approach
Not every foot or ankle problem needs surgery. In fact, at The Foot Institute, Dr. Efren Buff De La Rosa and our team of board-certified El Paso podiatrists help patients resolve most conditions with conservative care. However, if these methods don’t produce results—or you’ve broken a bone, ruptured your Achilles tendon, or suffered another acute injury—a surgical approach may be necessary to ensure a full recovery.
Our accomplished El Paso podiatric surgeons have experience performing wide-ranging procedures. Discover how we can help you decide if surgery is the best option for relieving symptoms and restoring foot and ankle function, as well as the advanced therapies we offer to help shorten your post-operative recovery.
Sophisticated Diagnostics and Imaging for More Accurate Diagnoses and Treatment
The Foot Institute strives to give every patient an exceptional experience, providing a full range of medical and surgical treatment in warm, welcoming offices throughout El Paso. While some podiatry practices actively promote surgery, our foot and ankle specialists take a different approach. We use advanced, on-site imaging technology—such as MRIs, CT scans, and soft-tissue ultrasounds—to pinpoint the precise cause of your foot pain and discuss the treatments most beneficial for your diagnosis.
Here’s how our cutting-edge imaging can affect your podiatric care:
- Ultrasounds are like eyeglasses, allowing you to see the painful or injured area more clearly.
- O-Scan Extremity MRI acts as binoculars, magnifying the target area to significantly improve visibility.
- CT scans are like 3D blueprints, delivering detailed, cross-sectional views of your foot or ankle to help us locate fractures, bone abnormalities, and other complex issues more efficiently.
Podiatric Surgery for Acute Injuries, Severe Deformities, and Damage Caused by Systemic Health Problems
Though our El Paso podiatrists treat foot problems with conservative methods whenever possible, sometimes, surgery offers the best chance to relieve painful symptoms, restore foot function, and secure a full recovery. Here are some examples of the foot and ankle issues we might recommend resolving surgically:
- Achilles tendon ruptures. Surgery may be necessary to repair a torn Achilles tendon, restoring mobility and preventing long-term complications.
- Broken bones and severe stress fractures. Surgical intervention can ensure proper alignment and healing of fractured bones or severe stress fractures in the foot and ankle.
- Bunions. When conservative treatments fail, surgery can correct the misalignment of the big toe joint and alleviate pain caused by bunions.
- Hammer toes, mallet toes, and claw toes. Surgical procedures can straighten and realign deformed toes, improving function and reducing discomfort.
- Infections. In severe cases, surgical debridement may be required to remove infected tissue and promote healing.
- Morton's neuroma. Surgery can relieve pain by removing the affected nerve or releasing the pressure on it.
- Nerve damage (also called peripheral or diabetic neuropathy). Surgical decompression of nerves may help alleviate symptoms and improve sensation in some cases of neuropathy.
- Plantar fasciitis. In chronic cases unresponsive to conservative treatments, surgery may be recommended to release the plantar fascia.
- Severe strains and sprains. Surgical repair might be necessary for severely torn ligaments or tendons that don't heal properly with non-surgical methods.
- Slow-healing foot wounds. Surgical debridement and advanced wound closure techniques can promote healing in stubborn wounds, particularly in diabetic patients.
- Turf toe. Surgery may be required to repair severe cases of turf toe where the ligaments supporting the big toe joint are significantly damaged.
We Offer State-of-the-Art Podiatric Therapies to Promote a Faster Recovery
At The Foot Institute, we understand how important it is for our patients to get back on their feet as swiftly and safely as possible. Our seasoned El Paso podiatric surgeons offer the latest, most effective interventions and adjunctive therapies to help our surgical patients kickstart their recovery.
Here are some examples of the advanced treatments we recommend to patients seeking to speed up the post-surgical healing process:
- MLS laser therapy. Multiwave Locked System (MLS) laser therapy uses dual wavelengths of specialized light energy to improve circulation, metabolic activity, and cellular repair and regrowth, relieving pain, reducing swelling, and accelerating recovery.
- Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections. This treatment concentrates beneficial properties in your own blood, then injects it near the surgical site to relieve pain and stimulate the healing process.
- Shockwave therapy. Also called EPAT or ESWT, shockwave therapy uses a unique set of acoustic pressure waves to stimulate metabolism, improve circulation, and speed up tissue repair at the surgical site.
- Stem cell therapy. Injecting amniotic stem cells near the surgical site can also be advantageous, promoting accelerated tissue repair and encouraging faster recovery.