Charcot foot surgery

Diabetics affected with charcot foot are many times faced with difficult decisions. There can be infected bones in their feet ( osteomyilitis). There are usually severe deformities associated with the diabetic foot such as a rockerbottom deformity. Here is a patient of mine with a classic rocker bottom deformity along with  an infected bone. Many of these patients end up in my office because they have been told they need their foot or leg amputated. This can have an extreme physical and psychological impact on them and their life. First of all amputations lead to decreased heart function and lung function due to a variety of physiological processes. The dirty secret about amputations is that the stump can have difficulty healing due to improper level of amputation. Thena a second amputation may be necessary. Here at the Advanced Foot and Ankle Center of San Diego we work closely with vascular surgeons to evaluate your blood flow to your foot and leg to asses your healing potential.

Besides the physiological loss of a leg the psychological component of a limb loss can be devastating.  Depression can set in , thus leading to the patient further not taking care of themselves. This can lead to  constant sugar levels that are under control and the furthering of the diabetic process, including retinopathy and kidney disease.

The breakthrough in surgery today for correction of the charcot foot hold much promise. We are using a technique similar  to braces that the orthodontist uses in the treatment of misaligned teeth. We temporarily apply a brace on the foot called an external fixator  which will gradually correct the deformity associated with a charcot foot. This device is uses a correction technique called 6 axis deformity correction. I tell a computer program the parameters of the deformity. The computer program an I decide on the rate of correction. Then a prescription is generated and the patient will follow the instructions on how to adjust the brace.  We are in a new age of saving peoples legs.

Charcot foot orthofix TL Hex

Charcot foot surgery