October 6th, 2014
Should You Consider Surgery for Total Ankle Replacement?
Have you been experiencing severe and chronic ankle pain? Does your pain prevent you from performing your normal daily activities? Do you have a known condition of osteoarthritis? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, you may want to consider surgery for total ankle replacement as a medical option.
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a condition affecting more than 27 million people in the United States. OA is a chronic disease that causes deterioration of the cartilage inside a joint. Cartilage covers and cushions your bones at the joints, allowing the bones to slide over one another. When the cartilage has broken down, the underlying bone becomes exposed. When enough cartilage surface wears away, bone rubs against bone within the joint—causing the pain and stiffness of osteoarthritis.
If the condition worsens, extra bone (called bone spurs) may develop around the joint. If you have been noticing a loss of flexibility, limited movement and pain/swelling in your ankle joint you may be experiencing the progressive symptoms of osteoarthritis of the ankle.
You may also have symptoms like these as a result of severe damage to your ankle joint. This could occur because of bone fracture, infection, or rheumatoid arthritis.
Surgery for total ankle replacement (also called ankle arthroplasty) can relieve the pain in the ankle, and is different from ankle fusion (or arthrodesis), which would eliminate motion of the joint. You can have surgery for total ankle replacement done in only a few hours and begin your process of recovery right away. The surgery consists in your doctor removing and replacing the damaged bone and cartilage.
Our doctors at Rothman Orthopaedic Institute specialize in these procedures, performing over 2,300 surgeries each year. We lead the region in complex reconstructions including surgery for total ankle replacement. As a nationally-recognized team, we are consistently ranked as among the best by US News & World Report. For more than 40 years, the Rothman Orthopaedic Institute has been at the cutting edge in orthopedic science and technology, providing thousands of patients with the hope of a better, more pain-free life.
If you would like the chance to discuss your options for dealing with your ankle pain, the doctors at Rothman Orthopaedic Institute are glad to be there for you. You can call us today or visit our website to schedule an appointment.