Can a combination of two procedures yield positive results for patients with hallux rigidus? A recent study, presented as an abstract at the annual meeting of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons (ACFAS), notes increased function and decreased pain in patients who underwent a combination of a hemi-implant arthroplasty with a decompressional osteotomy. As part of the study, 11 patients with hallux rigidus underwent the combination of surgical procedures. Patients had either grade III or IV hallux rigidus, less than 20 degrees of first metatarsophalangeal joint (MPJ) dorsiflexion, an

When I was in podiatry school 20-something years ago, there was a podiatrist on the faculty who was very impressive to me. He wore stylish clothes, drove a Mercedes convertible and took vacations to Australia. One day, I asked him: “What does it take to have a successful career as a podiatrist?” The doctor looked me square in the eye and said “Son, it only takes two things to be a successful podiatrist. One, you have to have a touch of gray hair so that you look experienced. Two, you need to have a couple of hemorrhoids so you look … concerned.” I did not want to wait for the gray

In our ongoing quest to find viable graft alternatives in bone fracture and primary osseous repair, the technology of orthobiologic bone substitutes continues to evolve. Traditionally, we have looked for replacement bone from sources within the patient’s own body. Indeed, autograft is widely considered the gold standard for grafting. While autograft bone is superior in its ability to provide osteogenic mesenchymal stem cells, it does have a couple of inherent problems, namely, a limited supply and morbidity associated with harvesting from donor sites. Accordingly, we have brought together a

Yes. After discussing the importance of the plantar plate in facilitating MTPJ stability, this author points out key shortcomings of the flexor tendon transfer and emphasizes the more direct focus of plantar plate repair. By Leon Reber, DPM When it comes to pain below the metatarsal head, clinicians have described this with various names such as predislocation syndrome, monoarticular nontraumatic synovitis, capsulitis or simply metatarsalgia. Although the terminology varies, the one thing they have in common is pressure. Excessive pressure below the metatarsal head is the reason

What is more nerve wracking than hiring people to staff your practice? Tightrope walking might qualify but more often than not, there is a net below to catch you if you take a wrong step. Jumping out of an airplane also comes to mind but you would usually have a parachute that should keep you from really hurting yourself. Indeed, hiring can be more intimidating or worrisome than either of those things partly because there are no safety measures that keep you from danger after you have brought a person on board. A new employee is live, in person, on your phones, in front of your patients,