Pediatric Foot and Ankle Surgeon Orange County

Finding the right surgeon to treat the child's foot or ankle problems can be a daunting task.

Dr. Gennady Kolodenker specializes in foot and ankle surgery, trauma for children.

Does my child need foot or ankle surgery for a fractured bone? 

Children tend to heal fractures much faster than adults. Depending on the level of fracture displacement or angulation will determine the need for surgery. Some injuries can be treated with a simple cast.


I was told my child has a flatfoot. Do they need surgery?

Pes planus, or flatfoot deformity should first be treated by conservative means. Orthotics (over the counter or custom). Better shoes. Physical therapy.  If feet remain symptomatic, painful, then surgery is an option.

There are various surgical options to treat the painful flatfoot deformity that has failed conservative treatment.

Surgery should not be done on the asymptomatic flatfoot. There is no proof that surgery can be done to prophylactically treat future arthritis.


My child has clubfoot, do they need surgery? 

The best treatment for clubfoot is early casting. Sometimes the achilles tendon remains tight and will need to be released surgically. There are some kids that have a very rigid clubfoot and casting is not enough to correct the deformity. Surgery is a good option to release the tight ligaments and have correct foot alignment.


My child has an extra toe, what can I do? 

Polydactyly or extra toe syndrome is a common malformation. The extra toe can be easily removed in the operating room. I would advise to wait for the child to be at least 6 months of age.


My child has toes that are stuck together, webbed toes. What can I do? 

Syndactyly of the toes is treated by a plastic surgery technique to separate the toes. I would advise to wait till the child is at least 6 months of age. It is very difficult to do surgery on very tiny anatomy (before 6 months).

This surgery has very good success rate. Scarring in children is minimal, especially by the time they get older.


My child has an injury to the growth plate. What should I do?

There are various growth plate injuries. It is important to monitor the growth plate (via X-ray) and try to prevent early closure and angulation deformity.

Early treatment is important. Non weight bearing for a period of time might be needed. Periodic radiographs are advised. Sometimes a growth plate injury is not seen on a X-ray and an MRI might be needed for confirmation.  With ankle fractures a CT scan is useful to see all the broken pieces and surgical planning.


My child broke their toe. Should I tape it?

If the toe is not displaced then the typical treatment will be to buddy tape it to the toe next to it. An X-ray is the only way to know for sure if there is displacement or fracture of the toe.


As a child I had a clubfoot, my foot is now deformed. What can I do?

Typically an untreated clubfoot will result in significant deformity and arthritis. There are surgical techniques to fix to foot and make walking more comfortable.

For a surgical consult contact Dr. Gennady Kolodenker, DPM, AACFAS. Pediatric Foot and Ankle Surgeon