You Nailed It

Surgery is often times like carpentry. There are many amazing devices that are at your Podiatric physicians disposal to assist him in your care. One such device/implant is the intramedullary nail (IM nail). The use of this implant is strictly used for the fusion of joints, specifically your ankle and subtalar. The main indications for its use are:

  • When you might suffer from severe arthritis of those joints
  • Avascular necrosis of the bones that make of those joints
  • Deformity within that complex of bones and joints.

Fusion of any joint is the ultimate treatment for such conditions because you will no longer have motion. There are multiple types of IM nails available for use by your physician, but they all provide the same purpose. The implantation of the nail itself is not a complicated procedure and once the nail has been implanted and your incisions sites healed, you are able to walk, albeit with no motion in your ankle: special shoes will be needed to assist your gait.

As the Joker in Batman once said, Where does he get those wonderful toys. If you have any foot or ankle need, please contact Dr. Bowman at 713-467-8886 or visit www.houstonfootspecialists.com.

Photo Credit: http://footandanklefixation.com/product/stryker-t2-im-ankle-arthrodesis-nail/

Category: General

Tags: technology