How Does Ankle Fusion Treat Arthritis?

Arthritis is a name for diseases that affect the joints, resulting in pain and inflammation, and may hinder your ability to walk and perform your daily activities. Mostly, the condition will develop from degeneration of your cartilage from a past injury. Your arthritis treatment Phoenix can include ankle fusion which involves fusing the bones in your affected ankles to reduce pain and swelling. Ankle fusion will work effectively, especially where standard treatments fail to offer relief from pain. Surgery will come with risks, but the results will mostly be worthwhile. The discussion below will talk about how and when the procedure happens.

When Do You Need Ankle Fusion?

Your doctor will recommend ankle fusion if you are experiencing severe arthritis in your ankle, causing pain, stiffness, and inflammation symptoms. You may find it difficult to walk with these symptoms. For mild and moderate arthritis, your doctor will recommend treatment options like pain medications and corticosteroid injections. Only severe symptoms that affect how you walk and perform your daily activities will require ankle fusion surgery.

How Do You Prepare for Ankle Fusion Surgery?

Before treatment, you will have a consultation session with your doctor, where you will give comprehensive details about your current medications and lifestyle habits. Your doctor may ask you to stop some medications until after surgery. You may also need to quit smoking before surgery because it delays healing. Your doctor will perform imaging tests, including CT scans, X-rays, ultrasound, and MRI, to give images of how your injury looks. On the night before surgery, you will not eat or drink anything after midnight. Lastly, plan for a drive home, as your feet will not function normally after the surgery.

What Happens During Your Surgery?

Your doctor will give you spinal anesthesia to numb all the feeling from your waist and sedation to help you relax. During treatment, one healthcare provider will watch your vital signs throughout surgery. Your surgeon will cut your skin, remove cartilage from the injured joint, and connect your bones in their correct position. Your doctor will then close the cut skin with stitches.

What Happens After Surgery?

After surgery, your doctor will brace your leg to keep it from moving. You will likely have a lot of pain after surgery, but your doctor will give you pain medications to help with the pain. You will need to rest a lot and keep your leg raised often. You can resume eating as soon as you can. You will need follow-up appointments to help your doctor keep track of your healing and replace your splint with a cast after a few weeks. Additionally, your doctor will schedule physical therapy for a few months to give your leg and ankle strength.

You can develop ankle arthritis from an injury, an infection, or an autoimmune disease. However, the most common reason for ankle arthritis is cartilage degeneration from an old injury. Severe arthritis needs a different treatment, like ankle fusion, to join your ankle bones and compress them together to help them heal. Your doctor will advise you on preparing for treatment and what to expect after surgery.