Foot Surgery is Joel Embiid’s NBA Story

Rumors have it that Joel Embiid, the center for the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers, will undergo his sixth surgery this year. While this surgery will involve his knee, he’s undergone three separate foot surgeries in 2014, 2015 and 2018. Each of those surgeries repaired stress fractures or traumatic bone breaks.

Now, for an athlete like Embiid, foot surgery is often necessary to get back into competitive play. But if it’s your injured foot? There’s more we’ll consider before we operate.

When is Foot Surgery Necessary?

Foot surgery is necessary in events where regular therapy has proven ineffective. Like Embiid, you may also need foot surgery for a foot fracture if your bone is displaced during the injury, or if the joints in the area are unstable. If you wait too long to treat a small bunion, surgery may also be your only remaining treatment option. The same is true with other foot deformities, such as hammertoes.

Surgeons often use foot surgery as a last option because of its invasive nature. In most cases, physical rehabilitation, medication, rest, exercise, and casts can help to heal a foot injury.

However, sometimes you might need to have surgery done without ever having an injury. This treatment option can correct a birth defect or deformity, or help with reconstructive purposes. When used at the right time, an operation can improve the quality of your feet and help you get back on track with your life.

In extreme cases where the foot cannot be saved, or is beyond repair and is hindering the health of nearby parts of the body, amputation may be necessary. Again, these are the last options a surgeon would choose; the main goal would be to save the feet.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our office in Spring and Tomball TX.  We offer the newest diagnostic and treatment technologies for all your foot ankle injuries.