If you’re considering going under the knife and having surgery that requires removing a piece of your bone, you might be worried about the toe shortening surgery risks. This procedure isn’t very complicated and requires only local anesthesia, so in a general medical sense, this shouldn’t be very risky. Some of the risks that might appear are infection, poor healing, pain after the surgery, or bleeding. They can all be easily solved, so there is no need to panic. The only thing that’s important is to get this done with an experienced and trustworthy surgeon.
What Are the Main Toe Shortening Surgery Risks?
As we already mentioned, this is non-invasive surgery, but any type of surgery that requires anesthesia has some inherent risks. Still, if you look in general, the benefits after a successful surgery can far outweigh them, so you shouldn’t worry if this surgery is “worth it.” Though there are some potential complications that might occur as the fault of a surgeon or a patient, that won’t be the case if you book an appointment with experienced professionals at a trustworthy clinic and follow their instructions during and after a medical procedure.
It is essential that you be extra careful about the first couple of weeks after the surgery so that you can recover without any complications. Some other complications that occur in rare cases include:
- Nerve damage,
- Pain,
- Infection,
- Need for repeat surgery.
Usage of Anesthesia
No matter if you’re only using local anesthesia for this procedure, there are still some risks. These risks can also be increased in case you have a chronic lung condition or a heart disease. It is known that anesthesia can slow both your heart and breathing rates. This is why it is recommended that you monitor your heart and breathing rates, especially if you’re going under general anesthesia. When using local anesthesia, which is usually used for foot surgery, there are small risks of complications. The worst thing that can happen is that you don’t feel complete numbness during the surgery, but the pain will still be reduced to a minimum.
Blood Clots and Bleeding
After any type of medical surgery on the foot or ankle, there is a risk of blood clots for about 1 in 100. Prophylaxis against blood clot formation usually includes using some medicine that will thin your blood. In this case, this medication can heighten the danger of bleeding, which can eventually lead to poor healing and infections. This is why these medicines are used only for larger foot surgeries – for smaller surgeries such as this one, there is usually no need to put people at this risk.
Go Over the Risks With Your Surgeon Before the Procedure
Before becoming a patient and having any medical procedure, it is essential that you go through the whole process with an experienced specialist. At the Luxe Foot Surgery clinic, you can book an appointment with a surgeon and discuss your specific case, the potential price of toe shortening surgery, what are the possible risks of this procedure, how long recovery will take, what physical therapy you might need after the surgery and many other important questions. Once you know all the necessary information, it will be much easier for you to go through this process. Keep in mind that recovery might take some time, but eventually, the quality of your life will definitely be improved. Contact us if you have any other concerts, and book your appointment at our clinic right away.
FAQ
Is Toe Shortening Surgery Worth It?
After hearing all the possible risks and potential costs of toe shortening surgery, you might start wondering if this procedure is really worth it. Most patients are satisfied with the final outcome – they can wear shoes they like, they are not embarrassed because of physical deformities, and most importantly, they don’t experience pain that will cause discomfort during everyday activities and reduce the quality of their lifestyle. If insurance covers at least some of the costs for this procedure and you have enough financial resources to support yourself to go through this treatment, surgery is definitely worth all the potential struggle – which is, in general, reduced to a minimum.
What Is Toe Shortening Surgery?
Toe shortening is a medical procedure, but it can also be considered a cosmetic one if the patient requires it only for aesthetic reasons. In general, this surgery requires that the surgeon removes one piece of the small toe joints or bone mending that will shorten the toe by removing an entire small joint. That will eventually, with healing, bring the two bone ends into a shorter position. This is a minimally invasive surgical procedure without many risks.
Long toe, also known as Morton’s Toe, is very common among people due to the fact this is a hereditary foot condition. If you have this condition, your second toe is longer than your big toe, which can often cause pain and discomfort when wearing shoes. This condition might be especially painful when wearing high heel shoes, which is why many patients decide to have shortening surgery. If untreated, this abnormality can lead to rubbing actions that might cause hammertoe or corn to form on the top of the toe, which leads to bigger issues.
What Are Its Benefits?
There are many benefits that can be achieved with this minimally invasive surgery, which is the main reason people decide to have it. The two most significant benefits of this procedure are reducing the pain that a long toe might cause, preventing further complications, and increasing general self-confidence among patients. If you look at this in general, feeling more self-confident and being more active in everyday activities can improve the quality of your life. For example, some patients are embarrassed to walk barefoot on the beach because of this abnormality. After the medical procedure, you’ll regain confidence and be able to spend as much time at the beach as you want.
