Less than a year ago, Serena Williams underwent foot surgery. She was in cast, walking boots and crutches for some time after the injury. She recently underwent surgery for a life threatening condition. Did her foot surgery have anything to do with her blood clot?
Pulmonary Embolisms are most often the result of a blood clot that has traveled from the blood vessels through the heart and then to the arteries of the lung. The blockage causes shortness of breath, chest pain, and can be life threatening. The clot typically originates in the deep veins of the leg. These clots are also known as a DVT. Blood clots can form in anyone, but are most likely to occur after immobilization, in the elderly, or those that have a family history of blood clots. Those who smoke, are overweight or take birth control are also at an increased risk. The risk of having a pulmonary embolism is greater in high risk large orthopedic cases such as hip surgery. The risks of a DVT after foot surgery is less than 1% and the risk of a pulmonary embolism is even less.
Why is there a risk of a DVT or pulmonary embolism after foot surgery? It is common to be immobilized after foot surgery. While in a casts, surgical boots and crutches, your lower leg is generally inactive. The calf muscles are an internal pump to move blood back to the heart. If the leg is immobile, the body has to work harder to move the blood. If there is an insufficiency in blood movement, there is a higher risk of a blood clot. Not only did Serena have recent surgery, but she has also been doing a lot of traveling. Sitting on a plane for hours will only worsen a blood clot.
Linking the surgery to Serena William’s blood clot is hard to do. The surgery was some time ago and there may be other risk factors that we are unaware of. It does demonstrate that even healthy, young individuals may be at risk of a blood clot. It is important to take certain precautions to prevent clots before they happen. If you are at high risk of a blood clot, your doctor may prescribe medication after foot surgery to help prevent blood clots and pulmonary embolism. The risk is still very low, below 1%, but the results can be serious if not treated promptly.
Showing posts with label NJ foot doctors. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NJ foot doctors. Show all posts
Friday, March 11, 2011
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Jennifer Grey Has Foot Surgery
Jennifer Grey of Dirty Dancing and Dancing with the Stars Fame just had surgery to remove a neuroma. If you remember, she consistently complained of foot pain during the show. Neuromas are very common in dancers.
A neuroma is a thickening of a nerve and can occur anywhere in the body, even the foot. Morton’s neuroma describes a neuroma of a specific location in the foot, between the third and fourth metatarsals. This is located on the balls of foot between the third and fourth toes. Clinicians may refer to this benign growth as a tumor. In medical terms this is a correct description but this is not an indication of cancer. The enlarged nerve is benign meaning it will not become invasive or become cancerous. In essence, a neuroma in the foot is really a pinched nerve, where the adjacent bones press on the nerve. Thus, the nerve gets inflamed and very painful. Dancing on the balls of your feet is definitely a cause for this type of neuroma.
Though a morton’s neuroma is not a medical emergency, it can cause severe pain and impede on your daily life. Some patients describe the pain as walking on a marble, but the most often complaint is a burning, sharp pain. Tingling and numbness is also common.
It is thought that the nerve becomes enlarged due to repetitive irritation or pressure. Over time, this irritation leads to a neuroma and pain. Wearing shoes that are tight, too small, or with a heel can aggravate the pain because it causes increased irritation. The pain may also be caused by running or other sports. Flexing and relaxing your toes causes compression on the nerve, and the balls of your foot takes on the most weight during walking or running. Since this is the area where the neuroma is located, doing such activities can elicit a lot of pain.
The podiatric physician will take x-rays of a patient with such pain to rule out a fracture or other foot disorders. The doctor will also attempt to elicit the pain by squeezing the foot. This will not only cause pain, but there the doctor will also hear a clicking sound due to the neuroma shifting between the bones.
There treatment ranges from conservative treatments to surgery. Like all treatment plans, surgery should be a last resort for when all other treatments fail. The pain may be greatly reduced by changing shoe gear, but this is often not enough. It is very common for your podiatric physician to prescribe a custom orthotic. Many patients find relief by not only wearing orthotics but also wearing a pad under the balls of their foot. A podiatric physician can properly fit and provide such padding. Non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs, such as Advil, can also be used to help reduce the pain but should not be used long term. Your doctor may also suggest a steroid injection which has a greater effect on relieving the pain. Stretching, massages, and icing has also shown to relieve pain.
In addition, cyrotherapy, a prodedure that freezes the nerve, and allows the patient to immediately ambulate in their regular shoes, is a very effective method to eliminate the pain from a neuroma. In most cases today, surgical removal is not necessary because of this procedure
If the pain has increased due to physical activity, it is suggested to take some time off from the activity to allow your foot to rest and heal. It may be better to take on activities that cause less impact on the foot. Excises’ such as swimming or bicycling may be good alternatives.
Neuromas are not life threatening, but they do cause alterations in your life. You should consider wide toed shoes with plenty of room for your toes to wiggle. The pain most often subsides with conservative treatment, but in rare cases surgery is necessary. Unfortunately, the procedure removes the entire nerve and will leave numbness of the effected toes. Thus, you and your podiatric physician should try to avoid surgery if possible.
A neuroma is a thickening of a nerve and can occur anywhere in the body, even the foot. Morton’s neuroma describes a neuroma of a specific location in the foot, between the third and fourth metatarsals. This is located on the balls of foot between the third and fourth toes. Clinicians may refer to this benign growth as a tumor. In medical terms this is a correct description but this is not an indication of cancer. The enlarged nerve is benign meaning it will not become invasive or become cancerous. In essence, a neuroma in the foot is really a pinched nerve, where the adjacent bones press on the nerve. Thus, the nerve gets inflamed and very painful. Dancing on the balls of your feet is definitely a cause for this type of neuroma.
Though a morton’s neuroma is not a medical emergency, it can cause severe pain and impede on your daily life. Some patients describe the pain as walking on a marble, but the most often complaint is a burning, sharp pain. Tingling and numbness is also common.
It is thought that the nerve becomes enlarged due to repetitive irritation or pressure. Over time, this irritation leads to a neuroma and pain. Wearing shoes that are tight, too small, or with a heel can aggravate the pain because it causes increased irritation. The pain may also be caused by running or other sports. Flexing and relaxing your toes causes compression on the nerve, and the balls of your foot takes on the most weight during walking or running. Since this is the area where the neuroma is located, doing such activities can elicit a lot of pain.
The podiatric physician will take x-rays of a patient with such pain to rule out a fracture or other foot disorders. The doctor will also attempt to elicit the pain by squeezing the foot. This will not only cause pain, but there the doctor will also hear a clicking sound due to the neuroma shifting between the bones.
There treatment ranges from conservative treatments to surgery. Like all treatment plans, surgery should be a last resort for when all other treatments fail. The pain may be greatly reduced by changing shoe gear, but this is often not enough. It is very common for your podiatric physician to prescribe a custom orthotic. Many patients find relief by not only wearing orthotics but also wearing a pad under the balls of their foot. A podiatric physician can properly fit and provide such padding. Non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs, such as Advil, can also be used to help reduce the pain but should not be used long term. Your doctor may also suggest a steroid injection which has a greater effect on relieving the pain. Stretching, massages, and icing has also shown to relieve pain.
In addition, cyrotherapy, a prodedure that freezes the nerve, and allows the patient to immediately ambulate in their regular shoes, is a very effective method to eliminate the pain from a neuroma. In most cases today, surgical removal is not necessary because of this procedure
If the pain has increased due to physical activity, it is suggested to take some time off from the activity to allow your foot to rest and heal. It may be better to take on activities that cause less impact on the foot. Excises’ such as swimming or bicycling may be good alternatives.
Neuromas are not life threatening, but they do cause alterations in your life. You should consider wide toed shoes with plenty of room for your toes to wiggle. The pain most often subsides with conservative treatment, but in rare cases surgery is necessary. Unfortunately, the procedure removes the entire nerve and will leave numbness of the effected toes. Thus, you and your podiatric physician should try to avoid surgery if possible.
