Providing Answers To Hammertoe Surgery Questions
Toe Surgery For The Treatment Of Arthritis
The joints of the feet, especially the toes, are a common location for arthritis. The joints are the
meeting points of two bones, which are encapsulated with a joint capsule filled with fluid and held together by ligaments. At the end of the each bone is an area of cartilage, which is softer than bone itself. This allows bones to move freely and act, like a shock absorber. Cartilage secretes synovial fluid, which helps to lubricate the joint allowing free and easy frictionless movement.
In patients with arthritis, the cartilage starts to erode and crack, leaving the ends of the bones exposed and allowing the bones to rub together. This will limit the movement of the joint and will be a cause pain. In a response to this, the body lays down more bone making the joints even more inflexible and stiff. You will notice on arthritic joints that they are often appear enlarged, and this is due to excess bone growth. Some medical conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and gout can cause unbearable toe pain and go hand in hand with arthritic joints. Many people have a predisposition to arthritis as there is a strong hereditary component involved.
Arthritis is a progressive condition, and left untreated the condition will deteriorate requiring toe surgery. Whilst pain commonly increases as the problem gets more severe, this is not necessarily the case. Women tend to suffer from the pain of arthritis more than men. Whilst there may well be a similar prevalence of the disease across the sexes, many more women seek treatment for the condition. It is believed that this is due to the lower musculoskeletal mass in a woman’s body, which results in more of the body weight being distributed on the joints, causing more increased pain.
Toe Surgery for arthritic toes is undertaken to relieve the symptoms of arthritis and to regain flexibility in the joints however the procedure rarely cures the problem entirely. One of the most common procedures is a cheilectomy. This is where the excess bone is scraped away, leaving the joint free to move again. This operation can relieve discomfort, however generally the procedure will have to be performed again within 2-3 years. Sometimes when the problem is severe, the joint can be removed and can be replaced with an artificial joint. Traditionally this has been possible with silicone joints, which have a lifespan of around 10 years. Modern materials such as ceramic and titanium have also recently been introduced, however their long term effects are unknown.
Your doctor will be able to recommend the best course of action, however if joint pain is not constant it is a wise idea to use alternative therapies and only to resort to surgery if there is considerable difficult walking or if the pain is intense.