'My Feet Are Killing Me': Here's how Dr Brad tackled Danielle's dancer's feet
For dancers, having functional feet can make or break their livelihood. After all, what is dancing without footwork? For professional dancers, it takes years of training to master their art. However, the price they pay is rather grave.
TLC's 'My Feet Are Killing Me' has seen some extreme cases, such as webbed feet, Proteus Syndrome and even potentially cancerous growths. In this episode, Dr Brad Schaeffer meets with an old patient, Danielle, intending to be able to help her again.
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Danielle, who was a ballerina, suffers from severe dancer's foot. Ballerinas dance using the point technique, in which the dancer's feet are extended and supports all the weight of their body as they move. As graceful as it looks, this technique has extreme long-term repercussions, ranging from tiny fractures, ingrown nails, and severe bunions. Dr Brad operated on Danielle's left foot, shaving down her massive bunion along her big toe. While that healed well, he now tackled her right foot, which was the more significant issue. Apart from the bunion, Danielle also had two corrective surgeries on her right foot, leading to more complications.
The previous surgery inserted an implant in her toe, which didn't work out. It had to be removed. However, now, Dr Brad had to fix the damage on that foot, especially concerning her toe. While the surgery went okay, issues flared up later on when Danielle realised that the operated toe looked darker than the rest of her foot. Dr Brad immediately pointed out that if that was the case, it meant that there was no blood flow.
This could prove dangerous, as lack of blood could result in it becoming gangrenous and requiring amputation. Dr Brad was quick to assess the situation, telling Danielle exactly their course of action. First, he would try to stimulate the blood flow naturally, and if that failed, they might have to go back to the operating theatre.
Dr Brad massaged the leg to promote blood flow and then made a small incision at the toe's base. As blood began to pool, he was able to breathe easy as this was a sign that blood was flowing to the toe. He was grateful to Danielle for being vigilant because ignoring something like this could have been fatal. After three months, Danielle's feet were healing well, and she even got a go-ahead from Dr Brad to dance again, provided to take baby steps.
Catch all-new episodes of 'My Feet Are Killing Me' on Wednesdays at 10 pm EST on TLC.