Innovations in podiatric surgery in recent years have made it far more effective and inviting than it has been in the past.

While non-surgical, alternative treatments can help to fix conditions like bunions, melanomas, hammertoes, neuromas and tendon problems, surgery is often the best choice.

Recent innovations have improved podiatrists' ability to diagnose, treat and perform surgery on foot and ankle conditions. For example:

-- There's a machine that allows doctors to look into the foot's deep tissue structure to get a sense of how well the blood is flowing. This lets them identify what's going on, diagnose patients early and predict surgery outcomes.

-- In addition, there's a new locking plate that dynamically compresses bones after foot-bone-fusion operations to relieve arthritis pain.

-- And a collagen wrap has been developed for protecting nerves in the foot and ankle from scar tissue following surgery or after they've been crushed or partially severed.

Surgery is a good option whenever foot or ankle pain fails to improve through other treatments, and when it curtails your ability to lead a normal daily life. This includes an inability to wear shoes comfortably.

Routine foot surgery usually takes an hour to an hour and a half - though reconstructive surgery and repairing severe injuries can take much longer. The patient, whose best chances for a successful outcome are with a board-certified podiatrist, is completely sedated, so no there's no pain. Afterward, however, there can be some pain, as with every surgical procedure. It's usually managed by readily available pain medications, both prescription and over the counter.

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