Twelve treatments, in detail

The main surgical procedures Professor Heidari performs — from Achilles repair to ankle fusion to bunion correction. Each page covers what the operation involves, who it's right for, and the typical recovery week by week.

Royal College

Central London clinics

Achilles Tendon Repair

Surgical repair of a ruptured Achilles tendon — open or minimally invasive — for patients in whom an operation gives a better chance of return to sport than conservative care.

Ankle Fusion Surgery

Definitive surgery for end-stage ankle arthritis — the joint is permanently fixed, eliminating the painful movement. Reliable, well-evidenced, very long track record.

Ankle Joint Preservation Surgery

Surgery to preserve the patient’s own ankle joint — realignment osteotomy, cartilage transplantation, joint distraction — when the cartilage isn’t beyond saving and the patient is the right age and stage.

Ankle Ligament Reconstruction

For chronic ankle instability — the ankle giving way repeatedly. Surgical repair or reconstruction of the lateral ligaments restores the stability bracing alone can’t.

Ankle Arthroscopy (Keyhole)

Two small incisions, a tiny camera, and miniature instruments. Day-case surgery to address impingement, osteochondral lesions, and intra-articular pathology with minimal soft-tissue disruption.

Big Toe Joint Fusion

For end-stage arthritis of the big toe joint (hallux rigidus), where the joint is too worn for cheilectomy or joint preservation. Fusion is the most reliable, durable answer.

Bunion Surgery

Modern keyhole bunion correction restores big-toe alignment with smaller scars and faster recovery than traditional open surgery — when the deformity is suitable. Tailor’s bunion is corrected with the same family of techniques.

Cheilectomy

For early-to-moderate big-toe arthritis (hallux rigidus), cheilectomy removes the bony spurs and frees the joint motion — a joint-preserving alternative to fusion or replacement.

Flat Foot Surgery

Surgical reconstruction of the adult acquired flat foot — usually following posterior tibial tendon dysfunction. A staged combination of tendon transfer, calcaneal osteotomy and joint procedures restores the arch.

Foot Fusion Surgery

Fusion of joints in the foot — the subtalar joint, the midfoot joints, or a combination — for end-stage arthritis or severe deformity that can’t be corrected any other way.

Morton’s Neuroma Surgery

Surgical decompression or excision of an irritated nerve between the toes — for patients whose neuroma hasn’t responded to footwear changes and injection therapy.

Toe Fusion Surgery

PIPJ (proximal interphalangeal joint) fusion for fixed hammer / claw toe deformities — when the toe is rigid and a soft-tissue procedure won’t hold.

My mantra is don’t be a hammer. There are many solutions to a problem which are equally valid — and it’s important to explore all of these.

Professor Nima Heidari