Foot and Ankle Unit

Your feet and ankles play a prominent role in your support, balance and mobility. As a result, when something goes wrong with them it can have a significant impact on daily living.

An incredible one quarter of the bones in your body are contained in your feet. Along with the muscles, ligaments and tendons involved, there’s a lot of potential for injury and damage.

Perhaps you’re an elite athlete, facing a career-limiting injury of your foot or ankle. If so, you’ll want to be assured of fast, effective and world-class treatment.

Maybe you have a problem with a joint in your foot (either due to injury or arthritis) and an operation is needed to stabilise the joint. You might have a painful bunion (when your big toe points outwards towards the other toes).

Whatever your ankle or foot problem, at Sulis Hospital Bath we can help.

Our two priorities with your foot or ankle surgery will be to:

• treat you quickly, so that you’re not in pain any longer
• help you regain function in your foot and ankle so that you can carry on enjoying life as soon as possible.

When you book an appointment with us, you’ll be seen by one of our friendly consultants who specialise in foot and ankle problems.

Your consultant will discuss your symptoms with you and your previous medical history to get a clear understanding of your specific problem. They will perform a thorough, expert examination of your foot and ankle and will probably ask you to move them around in various ways. This will help them to understand exactly what the issues are and will allow them to see the range of motion you currently have and precisely where and when you have discomfort.

Tests to help with diagnosis

Your consultant may require certain tests carried out to aid diagnosis. In the majority of cases, we are able to carry these tests out on the same day. However in some circumstances, and especially if the test requires specific preparation, we’ll need to arrange the test for another day. (Rest assured, we will always schedule it for the earliest possible date.)

Tests your consultant may want you to have include:

• an x-ray of the foot or ankle
• a CT (computerised tomography) scan: this can help the consultant visualise your bones in 3D, giving them a clearer picture of what’s going on.
• an MRI scan: this is particularly good when muscular or ligament and tendon issues are suspected
• a blood test: to check if there are any signs of inflammation or infection that may be causing your symptoms

These additional tests won’t necessarily be required, and the consultant may want you to have additional tests that aren’t listed above. (Any tests will be thoroughly explained to you beforehand so that you know how the tests will be carried out and why they’re being done.)

We know that having to wait for test results can be frustrating, so you will be pleased to know that we believe in giving you a quick, accurate diagnosis following your consultation.

It should be noted that sometimes after this initial meeting the consultant may decide that surgery isn’t needed and that treatment can be provided by some other means (e.g. physiotherapy).

If it’s determined that surgery on your foot or ankle is in fact required, the consultant will talk you through the process thoroughly and answer any questions or concerns that you may have. We want you to be fully informed about things.

If you do need surgery on your foot or ankle, we believe that you’ll find no better place to have it done than Sulis Hospital Bath.

Whether you’re:

• an elite athlete desperate to get back up to full health as quickly as possible
• a regular person who just wants to be able to move without pain in the foot

with our state-of-the-art equipment, fast treatment and a medical team that includes some of the top foot and ankle surgeons in the country, you can be assured that you’ll be in expert hands.

At Sulis Hospital Bath we like to do things differently. That’s why, unlike many other hospitals, you’ll benefit from:

• receiving treatment for your foot or ankle within two weeks of initial diagnosis: with no waiting lists, we can get you treated and back to good health quickly. (If you’re an elite athlete, receiving such prompt treatment could make a career-defining difference.)
• treatment by a specialist consultant surgeon: with decades of shared experience treating foot and ankle problems, our consultants include nationally-renowned foot and ankle experts (in fact, they’re often asked for help and advice from other specialists).
• our multidisciplinary team: we’ve built an incredibly strong and diverse team of like-minded healthcare professionals who all work together every day to achieve the best possible result for everyone we treat.
• a dedicated physiotherapy team: to give you expert advice and assistance so that you’re able to mobilise quickly and to get back on your feet safely.If you have a foot or ankle problem that requires surgery, why not talk to us about how we can help you? At Sulis Hospital Bath you’ll receive an outstanding level of care while being treated by the finest foot and ankle surgeons.

If you have a foot or ankle problem that requires surgery, why not talk to us about how we can help you? At Sulis Hospital Bath you’ll receive an outstanding level of care while being treated by the finest foot and ankle surgeons.