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Ankle arthrits at 37

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amanda91058
amanda91058

I am 15 weeks post ORIF for three fractures in my ankle and a fractured fibula and I also ruptured the ligaments in the outside of my ankle. My bones have healed really well, however the ligaments haven't causing my foot to tilt inward. I had an appointment with my surgeon yesterday and was informed that I now have quite a bit of arthritis in my ankle. My surgeon is considering sending me to a specialist, but he was unsure if surgery to fix the ligaments would be a possibility because of the arthritis. Anyone else dealing with an issue like this?

0 likes, 2 replies

2 Replies

  • kpower
    kpower amanda91058

    Posted

    Amanda,

    That is certainly bad news about arthritis in your ankle.

    What I don't understand is how you developed arthritis just 15 weeks post-op. Arthritis usually takes some time to develop since that cushioning joint cartilage has to be worn away to produce symptoms. Also, your ankle joint may be out of alignment due to your injury.

    So I'm guessing your ankle injury resulted in quite a bit of cartilage destruction. That's a hunch.

    If I were you I would postpone indefinitely any surgery your physicians are going to recommend until I got a handle on the ligament damage, and any cartilage erosion.

    There are alternatives to surgery for ligament and cartilage issues: some may work for you, or may not. You wouldn't know unless you made the effort to do research and get more medical workups and opinions.

    Wishing you the best.

    • amanda91058
      amanda91058 kpower

      Posted

      Thank you for the response! My surgeon did mention that the arthritis may have been present prior to my current injury. I had sprained the same ankle when I was 14, but what is odd is I had absolutely no symptoms of the arthritis prior to my most recent injury.

      My ankle joint is definately out of alignment which can be seen on my xrays and is a result of the ruptured ligaments not holding the bones in the proper position.I have been in physical therapy since March 19th of this year and my foot has only moved back in the right direction approximately 4 degrees. I am continuing with physical therapy at this point.

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