Distance Runner, Paula Radcliffe, helped by Bunion Surgery

Bunion Surgery helps put Paula Radcliffe on Winning Course

Watching Paula Radcliffe win a marathon, you would never imagine that until recently, she suffered from bunions, a common foot condition that afflicts an estimated one million Britons. Paula finally decided to consult podiatric surgeon Dr. Amol Saxena, who works at California’s Palo Alto Medical Foundation’s Sports Medicine Department. Dr. Saxena concluded that the bunion caused Paula’s injuries, and that her style of running had changed to accommodate it.

Dr. Saxena said, “Paula had a dislocation of the toe joint and a broken second metatarsal. As a result of the bunion, she was also overloading her second and third toes. During a two-hour procedure, I cut the bones and repositioned them, realigning them with screws and pins.” The pins are absorbable, and the titanium screws are usually left in the foot. Paula also needed a tendon transfer. Within six months of the surgery, she won the New York half-marathon last August.

Distance runner, Paula Radcliffe

About these ads