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Foot Doctor ~ Dallas, TX ~ Foot Care
Ingrown Toenails | Warts | Bunions
Heel Spur Syndrome | Shock Wave Therapy
Dr. DeFrank is board certified in foot surgery by the American Board of Podiatric Surgery and has over 20 years of practice experience in all types of procedures of the foot. He currently serves the podiatric needs of Dallas and the greater DFW area.
Some of the most common foot surgeries performed by Dr. DeFrank are explained below.
Ingrown Toenails
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Ingrown toenails can occur when one digs into a nail border or wears
tight shoes. The ingrown nail acts as a foreign body, and the toe
becomes inflamed as a result. Surgery to remove the ingrown
toenail usually resolves the problem.
Local anesthesia is used to anesthetize the toe. Next, the ingrown toenail is removed. There are usually two types of removal: temporary and permanent. The permanent procedure involves treating the root to prevent the ingrown toenail from returning—this has a high success rate. The temporary procedure only removes the ingrown part of the nail and does not
treat the root.
Please contact Dr. DeFrank for more specific information about ingrown toenail surgery.
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Warts
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Warts are common on the foot and are caused by a virus. You may get a small cut in the skin of the foot where a virus will enter, and a wart will usually result. On the bottom of the foot they are called plantar warts, the bottom of the foot is the plantar aspect. (Note: it is not a "planter's wart"—Plantar's peanuts had nothing to do with it!)
There are many ways to treat warts, because no single method is 100% effective. When there
is a solitary wart, surgery is an option. The wart is anesthetized and excised. The surgery area will fill in with new tissue in about 6-8 weeks.
Please contact Dr. DeFrank for more specific information about wart removal.
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Bunions
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Bunions are bony knots that form behind the big toe, usually caused by flat feet.
Bunion surgery (bunionectomy) involves removing a piece of the bone, cutting the metatarsal, and moving it over into a more normal position. The bone is then fixated with a screw to hold it in place. The patient can usually bear weight the same day with a post-operative shoe. Usual healing takes about 6-8 weeks.
Please contact Dr. DeFrank for more specific information about bunion procedures.
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Heel Spur Syndrome
Heel spur with plantar fasciitis is a common problem in the foot. The patient has pain when
first arising in the morning, and then it eases only to return later. It is usually caused by
stretching of the plantar fascia from flat feet, or from standing on hard surfaces over a long
period of time.
Surgery for this problem is less radical than in the past. The procedure used most often by Dr. DeFrank is the endoscopic plantar fasciotomy. This involves making tiny incisions on both sides of the heel using an endoscopic camera, then cutting the inner part of the plantar fascia. This allows
the fascia to heal, becoming longer than it was before, which prevents stress on the heel. Patients can bear weight on the foot the same day in a post-operative shoe and will be back in regular shoes within a week.
Please contact Dr. DeFrank for more specific information on treatments for heel spur syndrome.
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Extra-corporeal Shock Wave Therapy
This is a relatively new procedure that involves using shock waves on the bottom of the heel
to break up inflammation. The heel is anesthetized, but there are no incisions and little
post-operative care.
Please contact Dr. DeFrank for more specific information about Extra-corporeal Shock Wave Therapy.
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