Timely intervention in injuries must to restore patient’s mobility: Expert

“Deformities in the foot and ankle can be congenital or could develop over time due to neuromuscular dysfunctioning. Patients suffering a stroke, nerve or tendon injuries may develop such problems,” remarked Dr Chandan Narang, Associate Consultant, Foot and Ankle Department, Fortis Hospital, Mohali, while talking about the wide array of treatments available for foot problems such as pain in the heels, flat foot and bunions.

He added, “Timely intervention and personalised care is paramount in restoring the athletic prowess of individuals grappling with sports-related ankle and foot injuries.”

The Foot and Ankle Department under the Department of Orthopaedics has successfully treated several sportspersons suffering from complex ankle and foot ligament injuries through deformity correction surgeries, thereby bringing them a ray of hope.

He said there were several highly-effective procedures to treat foot-related injuries sustained during physical activity, fractures of the foot, muscle tear, pain in the heels, flat foot, ankle sprains, ankle arthritis, bunions, tingling or numbness in foot, stabbing pain in the ball of the foot, burning sensation from the inner side of the ankle to sole, ankle fracture, unexplained painful swelling in foot, diabetic foot, foot drop, ankle equinus, ankle ligament tear, childhood foot deformity and clubfoot.

In one such case, a 21-year-old kabaddi player, whose performance had been severely hampered due to debilitating ankle and foot ligament injuries and who was on the verge of quitting the game, was treated by Dr Narang recently.

The patient suffered acute pain and his mobility had been severely impaired. After failing to get relief from treatment procedures at other facilities, he approached Dr Narang at Fortis.

Medical examinations revealed that the athlete had chronic ankle instability, causing the ankle to give way frequently. The condition is primarily caused due to repeated spraining of the ankle.

Dr Narang treated the patient through Lateral Ankle Ligament Reconstruction, wherein the ligaments on the outside of the ankle were repaired using an internal brace and reconstruction.

Following rehabilitation, the patient had a smooth, post-operative recovery and was discharged the next day. Subsequent follow-ups revealed significant progress and the patient was able to resume his practice and eventually got back on the field.

Dr Narang, said, “He was unable to play and this had been hampering his performance. Post surgery, he was able to get back to the sport rather quickly. We offer a comprehensive range of services tailored to the athletes.”