Patient Education
Our team of specialists and staff believe that informed patients are better equipped to make decisions regarding their health and well being. For your personal use, we have created an extensive patient library covering an array of educational topics. Browse through these diagnoses and treatments to learn more about topics of interest to you. Or, for a more comprehensive search of our entire Web site, enter your term(s) in the search bar provided.
As always, you can contact our office to answer any questions or concerns.
Handouts
- Shoe Recommendations
- Fungal Toenails
- Hammertoes
- Charcot Foot
- Achilles Tendon
- Muscle Cramps & Spasms
- How to stop sweaty feet
Medical Journal Articles
- Transchondral Fractures Of The Talus
- Key Insights On Treating Tennis Injuries
- Key Prescription Pearls For Diabetic Orthotics
- Preventing And Treating Tennis Injuries Of The Lower Extremity
- Treating Overuse Injuries In Adolescent Athletes
- The nonfixated austin bunionectomy: A retrospective study of one-hundred procedures
Related Links For Patient Education
- PodiatryToday.com
- The Journal of Foot and Ankle Surgery
- American Podiatric Medical Association
- California Podiatric Medical Association
Educational Videos
Ankle Sprains
Ball of Foot
Bunion Pain
Diabetes
Foot Care
Fungal Toe Nails
Painful calluses on the ball of the foot are caused by an abnormal alignment of the metatarsal bones. There are five metatarsal bones in each foot, each consisting of the long bones behind each toe. The metatarsal bone behind the big toe is called the first metatarsal, and so on.
The most common metatarsal surgery is performed on the first metatarsal for the correction of bunions.
Surgery on the second through fifth metatarsal bones is performed infrequently, and is usually done to treat painful calluses on the bottom of the foot or non-healing ulcers on the ball of the foot. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis may also need metatarsal surgery.
During surgery, the metatarsal bone is cut just behind the toe. Generally, the bone is cut all the way through, and then manually raised and held in its corrected position with a metal pin or screw. Following the surgery, the patient's foot may be placed in a cast.
In some instances, a surgeon will also cut out the painful callous on the bottom of the foot, but most prefer to do the procedure in an outpatient setting.