Community Magazine June 2009

58 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE I t all started about 6 years ago, when I climbed into the attic thinking I could fix the air conditioning. I didn’t realize that between the beams was nothing but sheetrock. As I stepped between the beams I fell right through the ceiling to the floor below, landing on my left foot. I had a series of x-rays taken at the emergency room, and was released with the good news, “Your ankle and your leg are not broken.” Unfortunately, they did not take an x-ray of the bottom of my foot, where I had indeed broken a bone. After a few months, I found I was having trouble walking. I had orthotics made and was much more comfortable for years. Eventually, the broken bone healed into a bunion, at which point the orthotics were not enough. I knew I needed a more comprehensive solution. I was guided to Dr. Arthur Rosenbaum, a podiatrist who limits his practice to minimally invasive bunion surgery. As a dentist, I am quite familiar with the benefits of minimally invasive treatments. You have better healing, preserve more of the normal healthy anatomy and have a more predictable outcome. In minimally invasive dentistry, we use lasers and air abrasion, and I expected something similar from the podiatrist. Instead, Dr. Rosenbaum explained that he has been doing minimally invasive surgery for nearly 30 years using small instruments similar to the fine tools a dentist uses. At my first visit, Dr. Rosenbaum took x-rays and pointed out where my bone had broken and what it should look like. He was confident that he could help me, and showed me x-rays of other cases he had done. The “before and after” pictures reminded me of cosmetic dentistry. Even though cosmetic dentistry is more pleasing to look at – a straight foot was dramatic enough for me. I was ready. Though many people have bunion surgery in a hospital, Dr. Rosenbaum put me completely at ease when I came to his office for my surgery; a medical anesthesiologist was even on hand for the entire procedure. This was similar to having wisdom teeth removed under IV sedation. The procedure took less than an hour. I felt nothing and I did not remember anything. I was pleased to find that, as promised, I was able to get up and walk right away. Although I was given a special surgical boot which I wore for the next 8 weeks, I was able to go back to work already that afternoon. One of the secrets to Dr. Rosenbaum’s success is in his special wrapping technique. He gently positioned the bones in a manner that ensures they will heal correctly and he monitors the progress each week for eight weeks. Swelling after any surgery is to be expected. The one big advantage that we have in dentistry is that gravity works in our favor so the swelling in a person’s mouth generally goes away quickly. The foot is quite the opposite. For a number of weeks after finishing with the wrapping, a small compression sock is needed to help the body reduce the swelling. All in all, my experience was pleasant, as is usually the case with minimally invasive surgery. Be it dentistry or podiatry an experienced minimally invasive specialist can preserve as much healthy anatomy as possible, to insure better healing and a more predictable – and comfortable outcome. JACQUES DOUECK, DDS W h a t d o e s a D e n t i s t k n o w a b o u t F o o t S u r g e r y ?

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