An osteotomy is a surgery where a bone is cut to shorten or lengthen it or to change its alignment. You may hear the term wedge, as the surgery sometimes involves cutting out a wedge-shaped area of bone to use for the correction.
OrthoIndy trauma physicians perform reconstructive osteotomies on a variety of trauma patients due to the severity of the injury. For example, sometimes during an open fracture a bone might not align correctly and cause the patient pain or deformity. Additionally, sometimes as the bone heals it ‘settles’ into an abnormal position and needs to be realigned. An osteotomy will help correct these problems.
Examples of reconstructive osteotomies
- Osteotomy hip
- Osteotomy femur
- Osteotomy foot
- Osteotomy ankle
- Osteotomy knee
- Osteotomy tibia
Osteotomy as reconstructive surgery
An osteotomy is used to restore alignment of bones and return the patient to normal activity. During an osteotomy, the surgeon will shorten, lengthen or realign the broken bones.
Sometimes, an orthopedic surgeon will restore damaged bones and tissues around the area. The surgeon may fill bone gaps with materials held by plates and screws to help stabilize the bone. In some cases, bone-grafts may be used to stimulate bone healing.
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How long does an osteotomy take to heal?
Osteotomy recovery can take some time after surgery to fully heal. The exact time of recovery depends on the area of injury and surgery.
Learn more about trauma care at OrthoIndy.
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Your well-being is important to us. Click the button below or call us to schedule an appointment with one of our orthopedic specialists. If your injury or condition is recent, you can walk right into one of our OrthoIndy Urgent Care locations for immediate care. For rehabilitation and physical therapy, no referral is needed to see one of our physical therapists.
