In this episode of The Pod Doctors podcast, Dr. Damien Dauphinee, a board-certified foot and ankle surgeon, and Dr. Raafae Hussain, fellowship trained foot and ankle surgeon, talk about Charcot foot, a typical problem seen in neuropathic patients. They discuss the two theories behind this condition: neuro-traumatic theory and neurovascular theory. They share examples of what they see at the clinic and how they treat it through internal and/or external fixations.

QUOTES: 

“The real issue is these feet become severely deformed. And when you have neurotrophy and you can’t feel it, the deformations then lead to ulcers which get infected and then can cause amputations.” - Dr. Damien Dauphinee [03:38]

“You can chase the bump all you want, but then that bump is just going to keep on collapsing more and more and more.” - Dr. Raafae Hussain [20:10]

Top Takeaways:

• What is Charcot foot? Plus, two theories about it
• What are the surgical goals when trying to fix these?
• Why they over-engineer during treatment
• When it’s appropriate to use internal or external fixation
• The social problems associated with this condition

What You Will Learn:

• [00:40] Intro
• [01:39] What is Charcot foot
• [02:33] Two theories about it
• [03:52] Why they have to over engineer during treatment
• [10:41] The surgical goals to fix these
• [19:08] An example of not addressing the original issue
• [22:37] When it’s appropriate to do internal or external fixation
• [30:04] Dr. Damien Dauphinee’s theory on Charcot ankle
• [31:21] How someone broke their ankle brushing his teeth
• [35:02] A sad, difficult outcome
• [41:27] Social problems that associated with this condition 

Resources:

Visit our website: https://thepoddoctors.com/

Book Mentioned: Saving Limbs, Saving Lives: Advanced Treatments for Preventing Amputations in Diabetic Populations by Dr. Damien Dauphinee