our location: 1820 West 21st Street, Clovis, NM 88101
Our Services
At Clovis Surgery Center, our highly-skilled surgeon and experienced staff are here to provide patients with the highest quality of surgical care.
Achilles Tendon
The achilles tendon is the thickest tendon in the body, which attaches the plantaris, gastrocnemius, and soleus muscles in the calf to the calcaneus or heel bone. While this tendon is quite powerful and elastic, it can become inflamed or may even rupture during intense recreational and sporting activities.
We perform the following surgical procedures to treat severe injuries to the Achilles tendon: sewing the ruptured parts of the tendon together by open surgical technique or percutaneous technique (the use of several small incisions), gastrocnemius recession to lengthen the gastrocnemius muscle in the calf and lessen stress on the tendon, and debridement & repair by removing the permanently damaged portion of the tendon and reinforcing the remaining tendon with sutures or stitches.
Bunions
A bunion is more than just a cosmetic deformity of the foot. It is an acquired condition that manifests as a swollen and painful joint at the base of the big toe, and can cause the big toe to bend unnaturally towards the other toes. However, a bunion may occasionally form on the base of the little toe as well. There are no exact causes for bunions, but there are contributing factors such as: the habitual wearing of ill-fitting footwear, genetic predisposition, and rheumatoid arthritis.
Mild to moderate cases of bunions can be easily treated with changes to footwear, orthotics, pain relievers, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication. If your pain symptoms don’t improve with these remedies, or your bunion continues to grow and worsen despite your best efforts, then surgery can provide a permanent solution. With the surgical removal of your bunion, pain is significantly reduced or eliminated as the normal form of your foot is restored.
Corns
Corns are essentially cone shaped calluses, which are characterized as a build up of dead skin cells on the pressure or friction points on the surface of the feet. The root of the corn is hard and pointed towards the bone, which can cause excruciating pain as the corn rubs against the shoes during movement. For corns that resist improvement under conventional remedies, we offer surgical removal for long lasting pain relief.
Diabetic Foot
If you have diabetes, it is important that you pay extra attention to your feet to prevent serious health complications from occurring. Being diabetic may predispose you towards developing the following conditions on the feet: skin infections such as cellulitis, bone infections (osteomyelitis), abscesses (inflamed areas of tissue filled with pus), ulcers (open sores on the skin), and Charcot arthropathy (a progressive illness that affects the bones, joints, and soft tissue of the feet).
Non-surgical treatments are always preferred by doctor and patient alike whenever possible. However, surgery may be the best option if your diabetic foot condition is particularly severe. We perform many types of surgical procedures for diabetic foot, such as an ectomy (removal of a specific tissue or part inside the body), debridement (removal of necrotic or damaged tissue to save the remaining healthy tissue), amputation (full or partial removal of a body part), realignment (putting the bones of a joint back into the correct position), and open reduction & internal fixation/ORIF (realigning the bone and using pins/plates/screws to hold the bones in place as it heals). The prescribed surgical procedure will be determined according to the diagnosed cause and symptoms of your diabetic foot disorder.
Hammertoe
A hammertoe can be easily identified by the telltale “curl” at the middle joint of the toe. The affected toe is unable to straighten itself, which can be quite painful and debilitating when left untreated. This condition can be caused by a variety of factors, which include but are not limited to: painful or uncomfortable footwear, nerve damage, stroke, diabetes, and arthritis. Hammertoes often develop alongside bunions and other foot issues. If your hammertoes continue to cause you pain and have not improved with conservative therapies, then we can perform corrective surgery to reduce your pain symptoms and restore your toe’s flexibility.
Heel Pain
Persistent heel pain is often caused by the development of heel spurs on the bottom of the heel bone. A heel spur is defined as a bony growth that comes out of the heel bone, which is formed as a reaction to the stress and friction caused by the plantar fascia (the ligament that connects the heel to the front of the foot) during movement. Heel spurs are permanent, so they won’t go away on their own. If your heel pain does not improve with standard non-invasive treatments (lifestyle changes, physical therapy, anti-inflammatory medication, or modified footwear), then surgery may be recommended as a long term solution. The surgical procedures we perform to treat heel pain include plantar fascia release (cutting the diseased or damaged part of the plantar fascia ligament to reduce tension and inflammation) and bone spur removal.
Ingrown Toenail
An ingrown toenail is a painful condition that occurs when the toenail grows into one or both sides of the nail bed, or the skin surrounding the nail. This can cause redness, swelling, and even infection if left untreated. Ingrown toenails are often caused by too-tight or poorly fitting footwear, or badly trimmed nails. Mild or moderate cases of ingrown toenails can usually be treated successfully with conservative therapies such as orthotics, pain medication, home remedies, and sensible shoes. However, more advanced cases of ingrown toenails may require corrective surgery. Surgical intervention may involve the partial or complete removal of the nail, and perhaps a reduction of the underlying nail bed.
Morton’s Neuroma
Morton’s Neuroma is a foot disorder that is caused by the thickening of the tissue that surrounds one of the nerves leading to the toes. This can feel like a sharp pain in the ball of your foot, or it may feel like a pebble in your shoe. You may also experience some stinging and numbness in your toes. While there are no exact causes for Morton’s Neuroma, there are many factors that can contribute to the development of this condition such as: the presence of foot deformities (bunions, hammertoes, flat feet, etc), habitual wearing of high heels, and participation in sporting activities that subject the feet to continuous stress.
Conventional treatments often involve orthotics, lifestyle changes, over the counter pain relievers, and perhaps injectable anti-inflammatory medication. We provide the following surgical treatment options for sufferers of advanced or late stage Morton’s Neuroma: decompression surgery (the cutting of nearby tissue structures to lessen the pressure on the affected nerve), neurectomy (removal of the affected nerve), and cryogenic surgery (a minimally invasive technique that uses subfreezing temperatures to eliminate the affected nerves and the myelin sheath that covers them).
Broken or Sprained Ankle
Ankle breaks and sprains are painful conditions that usually respond well to non-invasive therapies. However, some types of ankle breaks and sprains require surgery to heal properly. If the bone in your ankle has changed shape or position because of a fracture, then an open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) procedure must be performed. This type of surgery involves the opening up of your ankle in order to line up the broken bones and restore its original structure (as much as possible). Metal plates, wires, or screws are then inserted to keep the realigned bones in place as they heal.
Frequent ankle sprains are a sign of chronic ankle instability. This condition manifests when the ligaments in your ankle become too loose and stretched out from strenuous physical activity and previous ankle sprains. We can resolve this issue by performing lateral ligament reconstruction surgery to tighten the affected ligaments around your ankle. This treatment has many advantages, which include the speed and convenience inherent in all outpatient procedures, and a very high success rate in significantly improving ankle stability.
Plantar Fasciitis
Plantar fasciitis is a common foot disorder that can cause intense pain in the heel and the bottom of the foot. This condition occurs when the plantar fascia, which is the thick ligament that connects the heel bone to the toe bones, becomes irritated or inflamed from repeated stress due to high impact exercise, foot deformities, obesity, and lifestyle habits. If conventional measures fail to resolve your pain symptoms, then plantar fascia release surgery may be recommended as an effective treatment option. The procedure works to relieve pain and inflammation by partially detaching the plantar fascia from the heel bone to reduce the stress exerted on your foot while standing and moving.
Fracture of the Talus
The talus bone is an integral part of the ankle joint, due to its location between the heel (calcaneus) bone and the 2 bones in the calf (the tibia and fibula). Fractures or breaks of the talus bone are often caused by car accidents, though some may be caused by falls from high places. Most talus fractures will require surgical intervention to heal properly. In the rare situations where the broken bones have managed to stay in place, a cast will be enough to aid in recovery. Otherwise, the broken talus bone must be realigned surgically and held in place by metal screws or plates during the healing process.
Fracture of the Heel
The fracture of the calcaneus or heel bone is a very serious injury that is usually sustained from car accidents or falls from high places. To treat this type of trauma, we provide the following surgical treatment options: an open reduction & internal fixation/ORIF procedure that realigns the broken bones through an open incision and secures them with metal plates or screws, and a percutaneous screw fixation technique that utilizes small incisions to insert mental screws for stabilizing the realigned bones.
Stiff Big Toe (Hallux Rigidus)
Stiff big toe, which is also known as Hallux Rigidus or ‘turf toe”, is a progressive arthritis condition that causes pain and stiffness in the big toe. Though the causes for this foot disorder are unclear, several risk factors have been identified, such as: overuse and stress on the toe joint due to work or other physical activities, injury, genetic predisposition, and maybe other underlying inflammatory conditions such as gout. There is no cure for this disease, but fortunately it can be successfully controlled with proper and timely care.
This foot disorder usually responds well to conservative therapies during its early stages. As the condition progresses, however, symptoms may persist and require more aggressive measures. The surgical procedures we perform for managing this condition in its advanced stages include: cheilectomy (the shaving or removal of bone spurs from the big toe), osteotomy (the cutting of the toe bone to realign the toe joint), arthroplasty (the cartilage in the big toe joint is replaced with a synthetic implant or with the patient’s own tissue from the treated area), and arthrodesis/fusion (the two big toe bones are fused together in the proper position with metal screws or plates).
Stress Fractures of the Foot & Ankle
When a bone sustains a stress fracture, it means that a crack or severe bruise has developed within the bone. Though many stress fracture injuries can be treated with non-invasive methods, some stress fractures to the foot and ankle will unfortunately require surgical treatment. Stress fractures can have many causes, which include but are not limited to: overuse or repetitive movements during physical activity, medical conditions that reduce bone strength and density, exercising with poor conditioning or bad technique, and using incorrect equipment. The surgical procedure for treating a stress fracture is called internal fixation, which entails the insertion of metal pins to hold your bones in the correct position as they heal. Recovery usually takes about 6 to 8 weeks, though it may take longer if your injury is more extensive.
