Guest Editorial

Rajiv Shah

Department of Foot and Ankle Orthopaedics, Sunshine Global Hospitals, Vadodara, Gujarat, India

Corresponding Author: Rajiv Shah, Department of Foot and Ankle Orthopaedics, Sunshine Global Hospitals, Vadodara, Gujarat, India, Phone: +91 9825011487, e-mail: rajivortho@gmail.com

How to cite this article Shah R. Guest Editorial. J Foot Ankle Surg (Asia Pacific) 2020;7(2):37.

Source of support: Nil

Conflict of interest: None

Even in the twenty-first century, forefoot issues remain a challenge to both patients and clinicians, both in terms of diagnostic issues and management options. Patients suffering from such issues seek solutions from pain, deformity, and difficulty in shoe wear, which converts into significant disability at times. Since the specialty of foot surgery in India is in its infancy, and most Asian surgeons focus on trauma problems in the foot, the understanding of the issues is often limited. Some countries in Asia Pacific do have focused foot and ankle management clinics, where world-class care is delivered. However, many areas in the region lag behind in this, and the need of the hour is upgradation of their skill sets. Worldwide, many advances have happened in the field of forefoot orthopedics, ranging from conservative management with orthotics¹ to high-end management with minimally invasive surgeries,² which are amidst the most exciting management trends in 2020.

Keeping this in mind, the present symposium was compiled through invited articles to discuss common forefoot issues. Chin et al. have discussed osteotomies for hallux valgus, while Blackney has described the minimally valgus corrections, which are now also being practiced in many countries in the Asia-Pacific region. Hallux rigidus, less toe deformities, and Morton’s neuroma are common problems, and our understanding of these conditions is evolving.³ Heybeli and Günaydın have described the management and diagnosis of hallux rigidus, which still is underdiagnosed and undertreated in our region.

With increasing sports population, incidences of forefoot sports injuries are also on rise, obligating a review of the management of such injuries. That is the reason the current symposium has two articles focused on this; Saxena has given an excellent primer on Navicular stress fractures, based on his vast experience, and ShengLai et al. have given an overview of forefoot injuries in sports. Although not comprehensive, these two articles cover a significant segment of this important area.

Forefoot amputations are often challenging; in the current issue, Kumar et al. have evaluated the evolution of the techniques in the “How I do it” section and describe the changes that have evolved in the procedure over time.

The aim of this mini-symposium is to bring to the reader’s notice the novel practices being followed worldwide, and it is hoped that this will be of practical use.

REFERENCES

1. Park CH, Chang MC. Forefoot disorders and conservative treatment. Yeungnam Univ J Med 2019;36(2):92–98. DOI: 10.12701/yujm.2019.00185.

2. Redfern D, Vernois J, Legré BP. Percutaneous surgery of the forefoot. Clin Podiatr Med Surg 2015;32(3):291–332. DOI: 10.1016/j.cpm.2015.03.007.

3. Gougoulias N, Lampridis V, Sakellariou A. Morton’s interdigital neuroma: instructional review. EFORT Open Rev 2019;4(1):14–24. DOI: 10.1302/2058-5241.4.180025.

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