WHAT ARE THE RISKS?

AS WITH any surgery there’s a risk of infection, bleeding, stiffness and swelling.

THERE is a small risk of clots in the legs (deep vein thrombosis) or in the lungs (pulmonary embolisms).

THE screws used could be slightly long which could cause some irritation in the toe. But a deep-tissue massage can help.

‘I WAS slightly sceptical when I first heard about this technique, but after doing it I’ve been totally won over,’ says David Redfern, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Spire Montefiore Hospital in Brighton.

‘There is no higher risk using this type of keyhole surgery compared with open surgery and in fact, many of the existing risks of surgery are smaller.

‘The only downside is that it’s still new, so only a small proportion of surgeons can currently offer it.’