Foot pain can significantly impact daily life, making even simple tasks challenging. When conservative treatments like medication, physical therapy, and orthotics fail to alleviate severe ankle pain, ankle fusion surgery may be considered. This procedure involves fusing the bones of the ankle joint to eliminate motion and provide stability. By doing so, it can effectively reduce pain and improve function for patients with arthritis, deformities, or severe injuries. While the recovery process involves several weeks of immobilization and physical therapy, many patients find that the long-term relief and enhanced quality of life are well worth the effort.
--------
About 7 months out, we had a mini arthrotomy surgery arthrodesis for ankle arthritis. Okay.
So the mini arthrotomy is on either side right here, making a low cut so we don't make a big incision
and just clean it all out, took some bone graft from here to stick it in there, the screws you saw is a tripod screw
So one, two, and three tripod screw.
So everything is good now.
Before surgery, how much pain did you have, sir?
"A ten, a lot of times"
A ten, okay.
"It got to where I couldn't walk at all"
Got it, got it.
"I just stay home" [laughs]
But now, how much pain do you have now?
"None"
So now your wife has to keep up with you now, right?
"Yeah"
The opposite. Okay, good stuff.
It looks really good. It actually looks awesome. I don't have to see you for 6 months now, but everything healed up great.
Are you happy with it?
"Yes"
Ten to zero.
"Oh yeah. Pain is gone, that's all I was after"
Well, congratulations
The ankle fusion -- move the ankle around.
Now you won't even know you had an ankle fusion.
Because people are always confused,
they think it's going to be stiff legs
Not true.
The ankle fusion is there, solid but your joint movement is from the other joints
around the ankle and I think you're going to do well
So I think we're doing good. Awesome.
So the ankle fusion is this joint right up here, right?
He's getting motion out of the subtalar joint as well as talonavicular and the calcaneocuboid joint
All these other joints around there are moving very well
but you're seeing a lot of motion through here
because we locked up the ankle.
Well, before he was having ankle arthritis, right?
So he was having a lot of pain right here
Locked that up with a fusion with screws.
A lot of people don't understand that --
-- or they think that the ankle fusion
is going to really limit you
Actually it increases your life.
I mean, this person had 10 out of 10 pain
Now the patient is going on one mile walks
walking the dog, walking with the wife.
So it makes a huge difference
Yes we do total ankle implants but they're
I will say for a limited amount of patients
but the ankle fusion is still the gold standard guys.
So here you go. Thank you.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
