Dr. Eduard Rabat and his team use the most advanced technology to solve problems of bunions and forefoot malformations. The correction of foot deformities contributes to improving patients’ quality of life by eliminating pain and facilitating the use of normal footwear. Since 2002, when Dr. Eduard Rabat created the Foot Surgery unit, surgical techniques have evolved towards minimally invasive interventions that favor an easy and fast recovery without reducing therapeutic efficacy. All this to adapt to the reality of a tremendously active society, and to patients, mostly women, who cannot afford to lose a month of their lives to surgery.
What are the objectives of the Foot Surgery Unit you direct?
This is an area specialized in foot surgery physically integrated in the Quirón Hospital in Barcelona. It treats all types of pathologies related to the foot and ankle so that patients can find the solution to their problems in our unit without having to travel. Services range from the most complex and advanced foot and ankle surgeries, both minimally invasive and arthroscopic as well as open surgery, to the most basic podiatric treatments.
In what situations can minimally invasive surgery be applied?
Minimally invasive percutaneous surgery is used in forefoot pathologies, such as bunions, hammertoes and metatarsalgia, and ankle and foot arthroscopy, also minimally invasive, in the treatment of chronic laxity of the ankle due to chronic ligament ruptures, osteochondritis of the talus (cartilage ulcers). All this can be very useful in the so-called “catastrophic feet”, who have undergone multiple surgeries or suffer sequelae of serious accidents and seek a second opinion.
What pathologies are more frequent nowadays?
We continue to see the classic pathologies related to the use of inadequate footwear, such as bunions, hammertoes, etc… The longer life expectancy, the increase in longevity, together with the fact that physical exercise is recommended, with very good criteria, at an advanced age, has led to an increase in pathologies such as progressive flat feet in adults or tarsal tunnel.
How has foot surgery changed over time?
Foot surgery has adapted to modern life. The needs of patients in today’s society have contributed to the emergence of adapted surgical techniques. Today’s patients cannot afford to spend a week in the hospital for bunion surgery. This was normal in the 60s and 70s and even in the 80s. In those years surgical techniques were extremely painful and people were terrified of foot surgery. Today, whenever possible, patients go home the same day of surgery and the patient, in the vast majority of cases, is pain-free. This is thanks to minimally invasive surgical techniques and the use of anesthetic techniques that already contemplate sleeping the foot for 12 to 24 hours.
Has plantar fasciitis become a serious problem?
It has. Although no statistics have been recorded, there is no doubt that it is an increasingly frequent pathology. Sometimes its treatment is a challenge. Patients are observed suffering terrible pain chronically for years and years. Plantar fasciitis has several origins. One of them is seasonal. Summer footwear, especially for women, is often not the most adequate to protect the foot. As indicated above, the increase in sports practice is also a cause of plantar fasciitis. In this sense we always recommend the use of orthopedic insoles to protect the foot in people who practice sports with an important weekly frequency. Especially in runners.
On the other hand, the daily work activity also conditions its appearance. Especially in people who spend many hours on their feet. In the United States, pain in the heel is called cop heel. These are patients who spend a lot of time on their feet during the working day. We can say that plantar fasciitis requires the intervention of a multidisciplinary team of professionals, with a foot traumatologist at its center.
Does stress influence foot pathology?
There is no doubt that a correlation between toe deformities, especially claw toes, can be observed in patients with significant work stress, especially in public-facing jobs. These people react by pressing their toes hard against the floor in situations that generate anxiety. It would be a phenomenon similar to bruxism, in which people clench their teeth in a stressful situation.
What advice should be followed to avoid foot injuries?
To wear shoes correctly, the shoe must protect the sole of the foot. It is also advisable to have a little heel. Under no circumstances should the toes be compressed. The key is that the footwear holds the foot well, since in many occasions it is forgotten that the foot is the organ of contact with the ground, a real shock absorber.