Hallux Valgus in Brussels - Trust French Dr. Julien Lopez
Are you suffering from hallux valgus in Brussels? It's entirely normal to want to consult a specialist. Trust Dr. Lopez.
Specializing in foot, sports, and ankle pathologies, the doctor will accompany you at every step of your care journey. He practices in France, in the cities of Nice and Cannes. He welcomes you to his clinic to ask you specific questions, examine you, prescribe additional radiographic examinations, and make a precise diagnosis of the progression of your hallux valgus. Surgery in Brussels or elsewhere may be considered if non-surgical treatments are not sufficient to reduce your pain or the progression of your deviation. He performs non-invasive procedures with the assistance of medical imaging in France.
Are you looking for a hallux valgus specialist in Brussels? Come and consult Julien Lopez in France.
Julien Lopez is not a hallux valgus specialist in Brussels but in France. This does not prevent him from welcoming you to his clinic to inquire about your pains, discomforts, and various symptoms. He explains the different risk factors that can exacerbate these symptoms and provides a precise diagnosis through examinations and radiographic tests.
Symptoms and Causes of Hallux Valgus
The symptoms of hallux valgus vary depending on the angle of deviation of your metatarsophalangeal joint.
The classification of the progression of this pathology is as follows:
- Mild stage = deviation angle less than 20°
- Moderate stage = valgus angle between 20 and 40°
- Severe stage = joint deformity exceeding 40°
The main symptoms are characterized by:
- Inflammations felt at the protrusion;
- Painful shoe wearing and footwear;
- Increased discomfort and pain during walking and/or foot placement
- Inability to engage in sports activities;
- (…)
The causes and risk factors of hallux valgus are multiple:
- Heredity: Your chances of developing this metatarsal deviation are higher if your family members suffer from this condition;
- Wearing high heels or safety shoes;
- Intense, frequent, and foot-stressing physical exercise;
- Flat feet: The less pronounced curvature of your arch encourages the appearance of the foot bunion;
- Egyptian feet: The longer length of the first metatarsal may cause the metatarsophalangeal joint deformity;
- Age: People of advanced age are at higher risk of developing this debilitating foot condition;
- Gender: Women are more affected by hallux valgus, mainly due to wearing high, narrow, and pointed shoes.
The surgeon specialized in sports foot and ankle pathologies welcomes you to one of his clinics in the south of France to make a diagnosis of the progression of your hallux valgus. Thus, he can guide you towards additional examinations, non-surgical treatments, or a surgical intervention.
Diagnosis and Additional Radiographic Examinations
Competent and experienced, the hallux valgus specialist welcomes you to make a precise diagnosis and guide you towards solutions capable of reducing your daily pain and discomfort.
To do this, he examines you and prescribes medical imaging tests. Indeed, X-rays allow determining the exact angle of deviation of your hallux valgus. In addition, ultrasound and MRI are examinations that help determine the presence of bursitis or inflammations in the soft tissues surrounding the metatarsophalangeal joint and the first metatarsal.
The specialist first directs you to non-surgical treatments to reduce your pain and discomfort. However, this is only possible in some cases. Severe hallux valgus cases generally require surgical intervention to avoid complications such as claw toes or toe atrophy.
Non-Surgical Treatments
Non-surgical treatments are diverse and, depending on the stage of the valgus angle progression, can slow down the development of your deviation and reduce the discomfort and pain you feel. Dr. Julien Lopez can guide you towards:
- Custom-made orthoses;
- Orthopedic insoles that provide comfort during shoe wearing;
- Adapted shoes that are wider and less pointed than those that contributed to your protrusion;
- Physical therapy sessions to perform rehabilitation and regain painless walking;
- Taking pain relievers and/or non-steroidal anti-inflammatories to reduce pain.
In cases where non-surgical treatments are not sufficient, or the progression stage of your hallux valgus is severe, hallux valgus surgery in Brussels or elsewhere is considered.
Hallux Valgus Surgery, in Brussels or in France, is sometimes necessary
Depending on the progression and stage of your deviation, hallux valgus surgery, in Brussels or in France, is sometimes necessary to facilitate your daily life.
Procedure of the Surgical Intervention
The surgery is, whenever possible, performed percutaneously. Less prone to complications, it proceeds as follows:
- Under local/regional anesthesia, which is less burdensome than general anesthesia;
- Making incisions of a few millimeters, leaving discreet and aesthetic scars;
- Osteotomy: sawing off the protrusion, sectioning the first metatarsal, correcting the deformity;
- Rebalancing the stiffened or deformed soft tissues (tendons, ligaments, and joint envelopes) due to the development of the pathology over many years.
Post-Operative Follow-Up
The surgeon accompanies and advises you at every step, even post-operatively. He guides you in the steps to take to benefit from reimbursements, ensures contacts with healthcare professionals for your dressings... Julien Lopez also prescribes you an appropriate period of cessation from driving, work, and sports activities according to your daily life and the stage of advancement of your hallux valgus.
If you experience severe and debilitating pain and are looking for a healthcare professional, come and consult a hallux valgus surgeon, whether in Brussels or elsewhere, through video consultations. Prefer to be on-site? His clinics are located in the cities of Nice and Cannes.
