Your feet and ankles provide you with all the support and balance you need to stand, walk, and run. The ankle joint in particular is composed of three bones where your lower leg meets your foot, and it enables any up-and-down movements. Like many of your joints, your ankles can be at risk for developing arthritis.
Arthritis describes over 100 different conditions that cause joint inflammation, leading to pain and stiffness in the affected joint. Hips and knees are some of the more common joints affected by arthritis, but ankles are high on that list as well.
Because your ankles support so much of your weight, arthritic pain can eventually become debilitating. And while there are several conservative methods to help manage ankle arthritis, in some cases, surgery becomes necessary to relieve arthritic pain and provide better mobility.
At the Foot and Ankle Institute of Colorado in Colorado Springs, Colorado, our team led by Matthew Hinderland, DPM, Jordan Cameron, DPM, Trevor Whiting, DPM, and Joseph Fleck, DPM, offers total ankle replacement surgery as a highly effective treatment method for advanced ankle arthritis.
This month’s blog explores what to expect when you choose to undergo this surgery.
In the early stages of ankle arthritis, some lifestyle modifications should be enough to address the condition. These include wearing shoe inserts, losing excess weight, switching to low-impact workouts, and changing any other physical activities to accommodate pain and limited mobility.
Conservative treatment methods you can get at the Foot and Ankle Institute of Colorado for ankle arthritis include cortisone injections, physical therapy, prescription medications, and custom foot orthotics.
We also offer fusion surgery for arthritis. During this procedure, all the damaged portions of the joint are removed and the bones are joined together with plates, rods, and screws. The bones eventually fuse together, keeping the joint from moving and thereby eliminating pain.
However, this surgical option tends to only be good for short-term pain relief since you lose a lot of ankle mobility, which can actually put a lot of strain on surrounding joints. Ankle replacement surgery aims to preserve your normal walking pattern and motion to reduce your risk of future arthritis in other joints.
The goal of an ankle replacement is to remove the old, damaged joint and put an artificial metal one in its place.
To start, we put you under general anesthesia to keep you comfortable for the entirety of the procedure. Next, our team makes an incision around your ankle to gain access for the joint removal. After placing the new joint, we remove any other debris and close the incision site.
You may need a few days in the hospital after surgery to ensure there aren’t any serious complications and keep some of the initial pain down. You’ll have to wear a splint and use crutches for several weeks while you heal and recover, but your prosthetic ankle should last around 15-20 years.
To learn if ankle replacement surgery might be the right solution for your arthritis, schedule a consultation with our team by calling our office or using our online booking feature today.
