Minimally Invasive Surgery

Bay Area Foot and Ankle Medical Clinic

Foot and Ankle Surgeons & Sports Medicine located in San Jose, CA

Minimally invasive surgery is often an effective way to manage serious foot or ankle problems without large incisions. At Bay Area Foot and Ankle Medical Clinic, experienced podiatric surgeon Jack Guan, DPM, is the only San Jose, California, area specialist in his field to focus on minimally invasive surgery of the ankles and feet. To learn more about minimally invasive surgery, call the office or click the online booking link.

650-275-6916

Minimally Invasive Surgery Q&A

What is minimally invasive surgery?

Minimally invasive surgery uses specialized instruments and very small incisions to treat many different foot and ankle problems. It's a far more conservative approach to surgery, with the ultimate goal of an easier procedure and faster recovery for you.

How does minimally invasive surgery work?

With minimally invasive surgery, Dr. Guan creates only a few small incisions in your foot or ankle rather than one very long incision. He typically uses a scope, a tube containing a mini camera, to see the inside of the treatment area on a monitor.

Dr. Guan passes special surgical tools through the other small incisions and then performs any necessary surgical corrections while viewing the monitor. After he completes the procedure, Dr. Guan closes the incisions with small stitches.

Which foot and ankle problems require minimally invasive surgery?

Dr. Guan may recommend minimally invasive foot or ankle surgery if he determines that the minimally invasive approach can give you the same (or better) results as traditional surgery would.

Some of the conditions and problems that Dr. Guan may treat using minimally invasive surgery include:

Traumatic injuries
Bone fractures
Clubfoot deformity
Limb deformity
Fractures
Damaged cartilage
Bone spurs
Scar tissue
Severe sprains (ligament tears)
Loose bodies in your ankle joint (fragments of cartilage or bone)
Ankle instability
Ankle impingement
Joint infections
Joint lining inflammation (synovitis)

A number of other foot and ankle conditions may also respond to minimally invasive surgery instead of traditional open surgery.

What are the advantages of minimally invasive surgery vs. open surgery?

Minimally invasive foot and ankle surgery has quite a few advantages over the traditional approach, which uses one large incision. These benefits include:

Minimal tissue damage
Small scars
Less pain
Less bleeding
Faster healing
Reduced risk of postoperative problems like infections

In most cases, minimally invasive foot and ankle surgery is a same-day procedure, allowing you to avoid an uncomfortable and inconvenient hospital stay.

Bay Area Foot and Ankle Medical Clinic surgeon Dr. Guan is a fellowship-trained surgeon with extensive experience in minimally invasive foot and ankle surgery like ankle arthroscopy, so he's the ideal specialist to perform your procedure.

Learn more about the surgical process by calling the office or clicking the online link to set up your consultation.

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