Surgery, with Special Reference to PodiatryStern, Maximilian
Science
Surgery, with Special Reference to Podiatry
Stern, Maximilian
Foot -- Surgery; Surgery
Many other operative procedures have been advised for flat foot and
they have been employed with varying successes.
+Hallux Flexus or Hammertoe.+ The upward prominence of a toe (usually
the second or third) in a rigid position, is known as _hallux flexus_
or _hammertoe_. In this condition the toe is flexed in its second
joint so that the end bears on the ground, while the junction between
the phalanges makes a prominence upward. Helomata and callosities may
develop on the end of the toe, but the chief discomfort is in the
disturbances which arise on the prominence which presses against the
side of the foot-gear.
+Treatment.+ A knowledge of the forces at work will show how futile must
be any effort to correct this deformity by strapping or bandaging.
There is a shortening of the plantar fibres of the lateral ligament of
the joint. The trouble does not lie in the flexor tendons, as it
seems, and operations directed to this point fail. Even with incision
of the lateral ligaments, followed by the application of a splint,
recurrences are common and amputation must be the procedure.
The condition described as hammertoe may exist in several or in all of
the toes, the great toe being least often involved. This occurs most
often as a result of wearing improper shoes, but is sometimes the
consequence of paralysis.
+Flexed or Clawed Toes.+ Extreme flexion of all but the great toes
causes the weight to be borne by their dorsal aspect. In this
condition the toes, and especially the small ones, develop painful
helomata on the prominent joints, and the small toe may become the
source of great discomfort.
+Treatment.+ Radical surgical measures are here indicated. Tenotomy or
amputation is essential to a cure.
+Painful Heel.+ Painful heel is a suggestive but unscientific term
applied to tenderness of the under side of the heel. It is associated
with one of the following conditions:
1. Spurs running out from the under side of the os calcis
found by the aid of the X-ray.
2. Inflammation of the bursae under the os calcis.
3. Flat foot.
4. Gonorrhœa.
5. Focal infection.
+Treatment.+ Where a spur of bone causes the unpleasant symptoms, the
excrescence should be excised.
When focal infections are the primary cause of painful heel, operative
procedure to remove the source of infection is imperative and will
prove curative.
Palliative measures are: massage, douches, hot air, a metal plate worn
under the painful area, rest. The back of the foot should be cut away
to relieve pressure.
+Metatarsalgia—Morton’s Disease.+ Metatarsalgia is characterized by an
acute pain, cramplike in character, occurring at the base of the third
or fourth toes.
The pain comes on suddenly while the foot is in action, and is usually
accompanied by a “snapping of the bones.” The pain is so acute that it
is not uncommon for the patient to seek relief by taking off the shoe
and rubbing the foot.
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