Oct 25, 2007 10:48 pm US/Eastern
Surgery May Help People Who Suffer From Flat Feet
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
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Flat feet affect about 20 percent of the population.
CBS
An extreme measure for a common problem.
Healthwatch reporter Kellye Lynn reports Baltimore doctors are using surgery to repair flat feet.
Flat feet affect about 20 percent of the population. Most of the time fallen arches don't create any problems, but for some who have tried simple approaches without success, surgery is the best option.
Virginia Contello's right foot hasn't been the same since a horrible car accident in 1987. The bones in her foot shattered, her arch collapsed and surgery to fix it left her in excruciating pain.
"The ankle, the knee, the hip, the back, up to the shoulders, just chronic pain all the time," said Contello.
Virginia suffered for nearly 20 years, until meeting Mercy Medical Center orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Mark Myerson, who created an arch by rebuilding her foot.
"You're actually cutting out wedges of bone to reshape structure of the foot," said Dr. Mark Myerson.
Although Virginia's case is extreme, Dr. Myerson often uses similar techniques to treat the one in five Americans, who suffer from flat feet. In most cases patients present with a torn tendon.
"Generally it's working on the tendons and the bone, changing the arch and the structure of the foot until the foot is shaped better and you've replaced the torn tendon with a healthy one," said Dr. Myerson.
The most common symptoms of flat feet are pain or weakness in the lower leg or inside the ankle. Custom arch supports, rest, medication and weight loss are often effective treatments.
Eleven weeks after surgery, Virginia is walking on her foot for the very first time. Her pain is gone and she says a new life is waiting for her.
Traumatic injury to the foot and ankles is a common cause of flat feet, as is ongoing stress from wearing high heels and obesity.
Rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes also contribute to falling arches.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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