What is minimally invasive foot surgery?
Minimally invasive foot surgery is an approach to carrying out operations on the foot and ankle without needing to make large incisions into your skin and underlying tissues.
Dr. Cancelliere carries out minimally invasive foot and ankle surgery on your bones and joints. In the specific case of ankle injuries and arthritis, we can perform in-office ankle arthroscopy under local anesthesia. An arthroscope is a miniature camera on the end of a thin, flexible tube. This tube passes into your foot through a tiny incision and sends back clear images of the inside of your foot to a monitor in the operating room.
Using these images, Dr. Cancelliere can make repairs using arthroscopic instruments, which go through other small incisions. The result is a far less invasive form of surgery that causes less tissue damage and pain and results in faster healing. You won’t have a large scar as you would with open surgery, and you can get back to your normal activities far more quickly too.
In some cases, for example, in plantar fasciitis surgery, Dr. Cancelliere uses an endoscope instead of an arthroscope, but the instruments and the procedures are quite similar.
What conditions can minimally invasive foot surgery treat?
Minimally invasive foot surgery can treat a wide variety of foot problems, including:
- Bunions
- Hammertoes
- Bone spurs
- Neuromas
- Nerve entrapments
- Calluses and corns
- Heel spurs
- Plantar fasciitis
- Diabetic ulcers
- Flat feet and hyperpronation
- Soft tissue lesions
- Arthritic joints
You can have minimally invasive foot surgery under a local anesthetic or sedation, so you don’t have to worry about any of the risks associated with a general anesthetic. Dr. Cancelliere carries out the surgery in-office so that you can go home the same day.
Is minimally invasive ankle surgery also available?
Minimally invasive ankle surgery is also available, and Dr. Cancelliere excels in carrying out minimally invasive arthroscopic ankle surgery. These techniques are suitable for a range of ankle conditions, such as:
- Ankle arthritis
- Arthrofibrosis
- Ankle fractures
- Generalized ankle pain
- Ankle instability
- Synovitis
- Infection of the joint space
- Loose cartilage and bone
- Scar tissue
- Ankle impingement
- Osteochondral defects
If you’d like to know more about the advantages of having minimally invasive foot or ankle surgery, call Candria Foot & Ankle Specialists today, and schedule a consultation with Dr. Cancelliere, or request an appointment using the online tool.
