NEW CLIENTS
MEET THE PHYSICIANS
LOCATIONS
SURGERY
RESEARCH
PHYSIOTHERAPY
ANATOMY DEFINITIONS
DIABETIC FOOT ISSUES
FAQs
CONTACT INFO

THE RISKS OF HAVING SURGERY
   
Do you know the risks and benefits of surgery?

The purpose of your operation is to decrease pain and improve the function of the foot. In some cases, that involves fusion of parts of the foot and/or tendon transfers.

Most of the time the operation goes smoothly and after the operation you recover with no problems. At three months, you will be fully mobile. At six months you should be noticeably better than before the operation.

Different people vary in their recovery time; therefore you should not be too concerned about a delay in recovery as long as things are improving.

Complications occur in 10% of cases on average. Your particular procedure may have higher risks of complications and your surgeon will advise you of these if they may affect your decisions on surgery. Only you know how the pain that you are suffering affects your lifestyle, so only you can make the decision whether or not to have surgery.

There can be temporary problems but most do not affect the long-term function of the operation.

 

TEMPORARY problems:

  1. Delay in wound healing.
  2. Wound infection.
  3. Delay in bone healing.
Some problems MAY REQUIRE FURTHER SURGERY to correct. These include:
  1. Delay in bone healing.
  2. Painful screws/pins, which can be removed once the bone has healed.
  3. Wound problems requiring skin grafting.
  4. Positioning of screws/pins outside the intended site. This is rare since x-rays are taken, if necessary, during the operation to make sure that the screws/pins go into the right place.
  5. Union of the bones in the wrong position. The bone may have to be rebroken and positioned in the correct position.
Some problems, fortunately rare, cause RARE LONG TERM problems. These include:
  1. Reflex sympathetic dystrophy. This is a persisting painful nerve reflex to the operation and can cause persisting burning pain in the foot.
  2. Nerve damage during the operation can cause similar problems. If the nerve is completely cut, then a numb foot results. If the injury is partial then burning discomfort can result. The damage may be secondary to compression of the nerve by a tourniquet on the thigh or ankle (used during the operation to control bleeding), or secondary to the surgery itself.
  3. Loss of correction of the operation by failure of the bones to join. Smoking can cause delayed bone healing. Stop smoking six weeks before the operation and do not start again for at least six months.
  4. Infection in the bone. This may cause a long-term problem but fortunately it is rare.

Some problems may relate to your GENERAL HEALTH. Surgery is a stress to your body. Complications relating to any surgery or anaesthetic include:

  1. Heart attack. this risk applies particularly to people with previous heart problems.
  2. Chest infection.
  3. Blood clots. These are rare after foot and ankle surgery and no specific treatment is required unless you have had a previous problem with deep vein clots.
  4. Death after foot and ankle surgery is very rare and may be caused by blood clots, heart attacks or other causes.
  5. Amputation is also a rare possibility

 

 
 

BC Foot & Ankle Clinic, St. Paul's Hospital, Third Floor, North Wing
1081 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6
Copyright 2009, All Rights Reserved