Lehigh Valley Hospital: When It Matters Most
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Orthopedics

Foot and Ankle

Relieve your pain and restore your stability and motion with comprehensive foot and ankle care by our orthopedic surgeons.

Foot and AnkleOur foot and ankle specialists understand that your feet and ankles bear all of the body’s weight, and any pain and loss of function can be severely disabling. They carefully evaluate the cause of your problem and then provide comprehensive care that may include surgery.

Sprains

Sprains are the most common ankle injury. A sprain is a damaged ligament, usually one of the three on the outside of the ankle. Sprains range from mild (overstretched ligament) to severe (partially or completely torn ligament). The first line of treatment is RICE—rest, ice, compression and elevation—to relieve the pain. But our orthopedic and rehabilitation specialists help ensure proper healing and avoid long-term ankle problems with rehabilitation that includes stretching, strengthening and therapy to restore balance.

If you have more extensive ligament damage that causes ankle instability, our orthopedic surgeons perform ligament reconstruction surgery and restore stability.

Achilles’ Tendonitis

Achilles’ tendonitis (inflammation of the tendon) is another common condition for professional and weekend athletes alike. The Achilles’ tendon is the body’s largest and connects the leg muscles and foot. Tendonitis often occurs from poor flexibility and overuse. When this tendon is badly damaged, our foot and ankle specialists perform Achilles’ tendon reconstruction and full replacement.

Arthritis and Ankle Replacement

Arthritis can develop in the ankle from wear and tear on the joint, sometimes as a result of previous injury. If treatments like therapy, medication and braces don’t work in the advanced stages of arthritis, our specially educated surgeons consider fusing bones together or replacing the ankle with an artificial joint.

Feet

We provide surgical and nonsurgical treatment for a wide variety of foot conditions, including:
  • Stress fractures, tiny cracks in a bone in your foot
  • Bunions, painful deformities of the big toe joint
  • Hammertoes, a condition when your toes bend unnaturally because they are forced against the front of your shoe
  • Joint pain in the ball of the foot (metatarsalgia)
  • Tight heel cords and other heel pain
  • Neuromas, a growth of nerve tissue between your toes
  • Diabetic problems, including foot ulcers

For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 610-402-CARE.

This page last updated 2/12/08 04:08 PM
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hon cod ©2008 Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network
LVH Info Line: 610-402-CARE
Cedar Crest & I-78, P.O. Box 689, Allentown, PA 18105-1556

Lehigh Valley Hospital has campuses in Allentown and Bethlehem, Pa. and serves the Pennsylvania communities of Easton, Doylestown, Quakertown, Hazelton, Lehighton, Perkasie, Pottstown, Pottsville, Reading, Scranton, Wilkes Barre, Stroudsburg, and the Poconos and also Phillipsburg and Flemington, N.J., and western New Jersey. You don't have to travel to Philadelphia or New York for quality health care.

 
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