I already had one ankle/foot reconstruction ten years ago that resulted in fuck all and now I'm looking at one (maybe two) of these surgeries in my near future. Wondering if any of you hosers have experience you're willing to share.
That sounds terrible and I’m sorry you’ve had to deal with that. I don’t have any experience with that.
I have a condition called tarsal coalition. Had 2 ankle surgeries in high school and college. Now at age 37 I’m limping around and sometimes need like 20 mins of stretching before I can get out of bed. Looking at doing a fusion surgery in my foot. Which I’m told will severely limit my range of motion but should make the pain much better. I’m a tennis pro so not being able to move around isn’t ideal. Not really sure where I’ll go yet. My pain has gotten so much worse this last year I’m not sure I can avoid the fusion much longer.
There was a very active poster on redraidersports.com who had both ankles fused That's about the extent of my knowledge on the subject
I’ve had a couple of clients have ankle fusions. Choosing between that and forever pain would be pretty tough. I’m sorry you’re going through this.
Similar tale here re: increase in pain. I hobble to my truck every night after coaching basketball like an 80 year old (I am 48). Sounds like fusion severely limits range of motion, but basically eliminates the pain - so it is definitely a mixed bag. And anecdotes are all over the place: I read that some people end up basically unable to even drive due to lack of flex in their foot, while others say they still swim/bike/jog/etc. without much limitation. I went with a guy the first time who did a reconstruction to try and preserve my range of motion and function, so maybe get some more opinions. It worked pretty well for about 5-6 years, but now I’m back to my ankle having zero cartilage and a million bone chips/spurs. Maybe your situation would make for a better result.
I'm a workers comp lawyer so see these procedures a lot. You all are correct that it won't hurt anymore but you'll have significantly decreased range of motion. My personal opinion is keep your ROM as long as you can until you can't deal with the pain any longer. No going back after the surgery.
Not sure about ankle specifically, but my dad had a wrist fusion a few years ago and although it has some range of motion drawbacks he had to get used to, he'd do it again with no hesitation. For him, the instant pain relief was well worth the trade off. That said, I imagine having your ankle fused would be a bit more cumbersome throughout the day than a wrist.
Have absolutely no first hand knowledge, but remember reading about others where the opinion was if they were suggesting an ankle fusion now, even if you didn't get it today you'd be getting one in 5 years. Talk to your doctors and ask them to walk you through each option. Ask for their opinion and make a decision.
You can also consider viscosupplemental injections for the ankle if it's an arthritis based issue. Will help with the pain.
this right here If the pain is constantly unbearable to the point where you can't enjoy activities that require the full ROM then surgery is probably your bes bet Once they fuse it that shit its done and that ROM is clipped
I have had it- did it about 12-15 years ago. Surgery and Recovery was fine, the rehab absolutely sucks ass, but in the long run I am 100% happy that I did it. AMA
I roll my ankles just walking more than the average person should. I asked a Doctor friend what was going on and he told me I’ve got “bitch ankles” and there’s no cure Hope this helps
I roll my ankles all the time. Quarter inch crack in the sidewalk? I’m rolling them. However, I have self proclaimed “weak ankles.” Don’t have it in me to call them bitch ankles.
Post op motion depends on what joints are going to be fused. Is it just the ankle joint proper or are the adjacent joints being fused? The more joints fused the more stiff (obviously). If it’s just the ankle joint was there any discussion of ankle replacement? Some of that is based on age and expected activities but it’s worth asking about.
I have a fused ankle as a result of a triple arthrodesis procedure in high school. I also still have pain. The recovery period for that surgery was a good 9 months. It was tough when I was 16, can't imagine it being any easier on an adult.
What’s your activity level like these days? You able to hike, ride your bike, etc. to a satisfactory level? What specifically was the worst part of rehab? What complications/problems does that ankle cause you today?
That’s what I asked about first and doc said I’m not a candidate for AR because of my age. Said the actual replacement doesn’t last very long (10-15 years) and I’d be looking at maybe 3-4 surgeries to keep replacing the replacements as they wear out.
I had bitch ankles and used to roll mine all the time. Doctor looked at X-rays and laughed at me. Had surgery on it 7 years ago haven’t rolled it since. Now I have one bitch ankle.
Hello. Agree with MrOutlaw on the Ankle Replacement. I'm Ortho with a Foot and Ankle fellowship. Total Ankles have rapidly evolved in the last ~10 years along with the indications. Gomez35 feel free to DM me if you don't want to discuss in public but Where do you live? Who did you see? Why are you thinking about a fusion? What was your index surgery? How old are you? How fat or not fat are you? Smoker? Activity level or desired activites post op? Other medical problems?
As a PT I would recommend an ankle fusion be the absolute last resort. Not having any mobility in your ankle would have residual effects on the knees and hips as well
As a radiologist, my experience with ankle fusions is opening the ankle X-ray, seeing it looks like a bomb went off multiple times, yelling “GOO!!!” silently in my head, and then closing the study for the next sucker to read. AMA
My level of activity is pretty decent to be honest, Running is out, can't do it for longer than say a quarter mile, it may be mental but to me it just does not feel right. Hiking, Biking, Swimming no issues at all, same with lifting weights. No issues at all. Worst part of the rehab for me was getting the strength back and learning how to push off again, my pt made me do these exercises like speed skating (pushing off from side to side) breaking that scar tissue was painful. The only complication I had and still deal with is if i roll my ankle, it wont roll due to no give in it- I tend to fall instead. Again its something I have gotten used to so I am much more aware of uneven ground or broken sidewalks.
This seems like a very clever plot by Leeroy Jenkins! to increase his feet pic collection. I will not be DM’ing you anything!