Ankle Fusion Surgery: Symptoms, Classification, Diagnosis & Recovery

Before the treatment, you should:

• Talk to your doctor and seek answers to your questions before saying yes to the surgery.
• Undergo physical examination to check whether your body is in a position to tolerate a surgery and assess the chances of contracting an infection.
• Avoid eating solid foods at least 12 to 15 hours before the surgery.

During the surgery, you are given either local anaesthesia or sedation to numb the entire ankle area. The doctor makes a small cut on the lateral side of the ankle through the skin so that the joint can be seen clearly. If more visibility is needed, the doctor makes an extra cut in the front of the ankle.

The doctor then uses a saw to remove the articular cartilage on the surface of the joint bones. The diseased bone is removed, exposing the healthy part of the bone. The healthy bone surfaces are compressed using large screws. The bones join naturally through deposition of bone material as is the case with natural fracture healing.

Sometimes, a doctor may place an artificial bone graft or a bone grafted from your fibula to ensure fast healing of the bony surfaces. Before placing the screws, the doctor carefully positions the ankle to ensure maximum movement possible. The ankle is placed at 90 degrees to the lower leg and the heel is slightly outwards. Then the skin is brought back in place and sutured together.

Ankle fusion recovery time depends on how seriously you take the following precautions after the surgery:

• You need to keep the leg raised and give yourself cold compression to avoid swelling.
• You may sometimes feel tingling sensation early in the morning once you put your leg down. This is because sudden rush of blood towards the ankle when you change the position from an elevated position.
• You should take pain medicines as directed by your doctor.
• You should come back to the hospital 10 to 15 days after the surgery to get the stitches removed.
• You will have to carry the splint for 6 to 12 weeks.
• Your doctor will put you on a no-weight bearing program for 6 to 12 weeks. This period can be extended if your doctor finds that healing is not fair enough.
• You will be advised to go ahead with gentle physiotherapy after removal of splints to prevent stiffness in joints.

Alternate treatment options:

Arthroscopic ankle fusion surgery: This procedure is similar to the open ankle fusion surgery. However, the incision is very small and the entire procedure is carried out by inserting an instrument that has a camera attached to one end. It helps the doctor clearly view the interior cartilage and bones. Faster recovery and healing are the two advantages of this approach.

Ankle joint replacement: During this procedure, the entire ankle joint is replaced. The advantage of this technique over ankle fusion is that it retains complete movement of the ankle.

Ankle Fusion Recovery Time

• The minimum time that it takes to recover from fusion recovery is between 12 to 15 weeks.
• During the first 6 to 8 weeks, you are not supposed to put any weight on the ankle. If you do anything like that, it may disturb the natural healing of the joint.
• During 8 to 10 weeks of a recovery period, your doctor will advise you to get an X-ray done. If the healing is good, you will be allowed to conduct the light physical activity with the help of cast boots.
• During 10 to 12 weeks, you can increase the physical activity, but you will be asked to take help of supportive ankle devices.