Total Ankle Replacement issues

Hi. I had my TAR done 14/12/13 and the first physio was 6 weeks later to try partially weight bearing with two cruthches. Prior to this I'd been strictly no weight bearing. Physio exercises started about two weeks later. I don't think you should be in any hurry to weight bear. It's a long road ahead. If your leg has lost a lot of muscle tone, as mine did, you could try building up the muscles which will help when you do start walking. I hope this helps.

Hi.  I had my TAR done on Dec. 4, 2013.  3 weeks later I was in an airboot and after 3 more weeks was walking in normal shoes and gradually built up strength just through increased walking distances up to about 5 miles daily.  My doctor never wanted me to do any physical therapy which surprised me but my results have been steller.  I am 13 months out and extremely active and no pain.  I am 61 years old.  I feel very fortunate.

I had my TAR done in Glasgow (100 miles from home) on 13/12/14. I was told to put my full weight on it  from next day. Initially I had a plaster back slab but after a week was fitted with a moonboot. I was told I could dispense with that last week - 29/1/15 and am now walking unaided in normal shoes, although there is quite a bit of swelling and getting into shoes is difficult. I see the surgeon again in 5 weeks but she told me that physio probably would not be necessary: gradually increasing the distance I walked would be sufficient. She said to walk as much as I could but to cut back if it was too painful or there was increased swelling. So far I've only walked around the house and for a few hundred yards outside. I'd be interested to hear waht kind of physio you get.

Hello Wayne

I saw the surgeon for the final time yesterday and she seemed pleased although she's referring me to a podiatrist for a consultation. Twice last week I walked the dog for 2 miles or so through the woods. I've just finished cleaning all the outside windows using stepladders and I've spent half an hour splitting logs for the woodburner. So I think I'm doing OK. But I do still get pain at the side and back of the ankle. As I sit here it's throbbing gently although I don't need painkillers but I probably won't do much more today. I guess it will take time for the swelling to disappear completely and the wound still has a small scab on it.

I'm sorry to hear that things don't seem to be going so well for you. Do you know who manufactured your prosthesis? Mine was made by an American company called Wright Medical which my surgeon uses exclusively because she thinks their product is the best.

I had an ankle replacement on 3rd Dec 2015. The surgeon had done 70 previous implants and used the latest BOX prosthesis. We discussed implant life and he feels that the hardware is still developing (we're now in generation 4)  and the 10 year figure commonly quoted is a rolling historical average that will be exceeded by later implants. 

I was forbidden to put ANY weight on it for 4 weeks and then gradually load it up first to half and then full bodyweight over a further period of 3 weeks.

The only pain I have experienced is from previously wasted muscles and tendons as they are put under new pressure, but these are now slowly but surely recovering .

It's now just over 3 months since the procedure and I have been walking entirely unaided for a couple of weeks (no sticks) and whereas I was initially very slow with limited range, this is now rapidly improving.

​Indeed I  yesterday spent a couple of hours shopping with my wife unaided and on foot in the local mall.

 So, I'm very satisfied that things are moving onwards and upwards

John

 

Hi Wayne,

Aged 67 and had TAR on 12th Feb 2015.

I was concerned that I had no physio info from the hospital, so got GP to refer me to local hospital.

Then I spoke to the surgeons nurse who said no physio till the 7 week clinic, then they will advise.

So, I've started weight bearing and now at approx 50% (at about 5 weeks) when pain allows.  Just going vertical was extremely painful, but that gets better every day.  Now I can walk with one crutch around the house and quite sprightly with two around town.

Pre-op it was getting worse by the day.  Now it gets better by the day.

I have imagined a program of Nordic Walking as my main physio activity having been down to 200yds max with a stick.

Hopefully you are now getting physio attention and all continues to progress.

We all knew it would be a long road back but I am happy I went this route rather than a fusion (which seemed to be a longer recovery than TAR).

Take care,

Paul

Hi

I have mine on 3/3/2015 and I will start the fisio tomorrow, I have a walker from the beginner, I remove the walker to sleep after the first week, now I put almost my total weight and no pain, I have abandoned the boot one week ago and use my hunting boots, I make ankle moves from the second week. Mine is a Salto Tournier I have 54 years old, and my surgery was made in Portugal by Dr. Paulo Amado

Daniel

I hope your hunting boots give as much rigidity to the joint during these early days while the prosthesis is bonding with the bone. My surgeon was very anxious to keep me in a cast for the first 5 weeks and then a boot for another 4 including in bed. I complied because he has done 70 of these procedures and had impressed on me the difficulty/impossibility of a revision

john