Ankle Fusion
Posted , 2 users are following.
I'm a newbie to this site. Just found it as I have to have ankle fusion soon and I wanted some advice from another lady that has had this done please?
I am nearly 59 and have suffered a dropped foot from a motorbike accident in 1979, so lived it most of my life. In 2006 I had a fixator fitted to straighten my foot as it had turned in very badly over the years. Due to the severed perineal nerve, I cannot pull it up, can only push down a little. Over the years it has stiffened up so not much movement in it anyway but it has started to turn in a little again, and now it's started giving way and is very painful, at times where I can't even weight bear on it all all until it settles down after an hour or two. Very unpredictable. I have recently had a CT scan which shows it's arthritic so not going to get any better. Just waiting for a sterioid injection into it which will hopefully buy me some time to lose a stone and half before going for the fusion.
I just wanted to ask about the effects of having an ankle fused. Can you still drive ok and walk up and down stairs, wear a small heel? (I can only wear about a 1.5 inch block heel anyway, or a small wedge) Ride a bike, exercise?
Would appreciate any advice please.
Many thanks
Brenda
0 likes, 1 reply
leeahmal brenda55723
Posted
Hey Brenda! I'm 19 years old and had a fusion on August 28th, 2020. I broke my subtalar bone when I was 7 and it healed incorrectly which resulted in years of pain until I broke it again and actually broke a piece of bone off! I had tried steroid injections and physical therapy and both only were temporary fixes so finally I met with a surgeon, had a CT, and found out that my subtalar joint had been almost completely destroyed by arthritis! My surgeon cleared out the remaining joint, filed my bone done a little, and put two screws in through my heel. I had a nerve blocker that lasted a month and only had pain at night so pain was very well managed! I was in a plaster cast for 2 weeks then got a fiberglass cast and had that for 6 weeks and was nonweight bearing that whole time. I then had to wear a boot for a month and was able to start walking which was painful and scary at first! I am now almost 7 months post surgery and am doing pretty good! I can still drive good but have a little pain and tightness going up/down stairs. I'm able to wear chunky heels and any other type of shoes as well. Exercising is still a little painful for me but I have tightness more than pain so I just keep stretching it and I'm okay ! I hope your surgery goes well and that you recover well too!
Maleeah