Minimally invasive foot surgery is an orthopedic procedure that uses very small incisions that require little or no stitching. During this procedure, the orthopedic surgeon inserts a specially designed instrument to perform the surgery whereby interventions are carried out through these small incisions. They have very little exposure to the surgical field and cause little or no damage to the surrounding tissue.

Minimally invasive foot surgery procedure allows the surgeon to be able to control and predict a patient’s recovery and the outcome.

Benefits of Minimally Invasive Foot Surgery

• Shorter surgery time: The nature of the procedure as a minimally invasive surgery allows the patient to often remain awake during the procedure after careful local anesthesia has been administered to the foot area.
• Minimal pain: Patients who undergo minimally invasive foot surgery report less pain than those patients undergoing traditionally invasive surgery.
• Less risk of anesthesia: Since the procedures use local anesthesia to numb the target area only, the patient remains completely awake during surgery.
• Minimal scarring: Because the procedure only engages a smaller surface area, scars left behind are smaller and less noticeable than those left by traditional open surgeries.
• Shorter surgery time: Surgery times for minimally invasive foot surgery are often shorter than traditional surgeries.
• Minimal risk of injury: With minimally invasive foot surgical procedure, there is less risk of injury to the surrounding soft tissue because it uses much smaller incisions disturbing less surface area of the tissue.

Foot Conditions Treated with Minimally Invasive Surgery

Some of the common foot conditions treated with minimally invasive foot surgery include, but not limited to:

• Metatarsalgia
• Hammer toes
• Bunions
• Big toe arthritis
• Toe deformities
• Achilles tendon rapture
• Flat feet
• Trauma or injury to the toes

Procedure

The minimally invasive foot surgery procedure is performed through very small incisions. Through these small incisions, tubular retractors and dilators are inserted to retract muscles away from the operative area of the foot. This is done to minimize the damage to the muscles and soft tissue and lessens blood loss during the surgery.

One of the tiny incisions is used to implant a narrow telescope-like tool with a video camera on the end. This will aid in displaying images of the procedure on the operating room monitor. Surgical microscopes may also be used to magnify the field of vision.

Once the process is complete, the tissues are put back and the various instruments are removed. Finally, the incision is closed and covered with surgical gauze.

Possible Complications of Minimally Invasive Foot Surgery

Just like any other surgical procedure, there are potential risks and complications involved with minimally invasive foot surgery. These may include:

• Bleeding
• Infection
• Nerve injury
• Complications due to local anesthesia