Total foot and ankle care

Ankle fracture surgery

Three bones make up the ankle joint. These are the tibia (shinbone), the fibula (the smaller bone in your leg), and the talus (a bone in your foot). Different kinds of injury can damage the lower tibia, lower fibula, or talus. Only one of these bones might break, or you might have a fracture in 2 or more of these bones.

In certain types of fractures, your bone breaks, but the pieces still line up correctly. In other types of fractures, the injury can move the bone fragments out of alignment. If you fracture your ankle, you might need ORIF to bring your bones back into place and help them heal. During an open reduction, orthopedic surgeons reposition your bone pieces during surgery, so they are back in their proper alignment. In a closed reduction, a healthcare provider physically moves the bones back into place without surgically exposing the bone.

Internal fixation refers to the method of physically reconnecting the bones. This might involve special screws, plates, rods, wires, or nails that the surgeon places inside the bones to fix them in the correct place. This prevents the bones from healing abnormally. The entire operation usually takes place while you are asleep under general anesthesia.

Ankle Fusion

Fusion is one treatment option to relieve pain in patients who have a worn-out joint due to arthritis or a traumatic injury. It is also a treatment option for people with a severe deformity such as flat feet, high-arched foot, or a club foot in which the ankle joint is also deformed, unstable, or damaged

Types of ankle fusion surgery

Calcanoecuboid Fusion

The hindfoot consists of four bones and three joints. The talus, calcaneus, cuboid, and navicular bones are separated by cartilage and create the talocalcaneal, talonavicular, and calcaneocuboid joints. A calcaneocuboid fusion fuses together the calcaneus and cuboid bones of the hindfoot.

Midfoot fusion-

The midfoot consists of the navicular, cuboid, and three cuneiforms. A midfoot fusion fuses the bones of the midfoot that are causing your pain and disability.

Subtalar fusion

Talonavicular fusion

The midfoot consists of the navicular, cuboid, and three cuneiforms. A talonavicular fusion fuses the talus and the navicular bones.

Triple arthrodesis

The hindfoot consists of four bones and three joints. The talus, calcaneus, cuboid, and navicular bones are separated by cartilage and create the talocalcaneal, talonavicular, and calcaneocuboid joints. A triple arthrodesis fuses together the three joints of the hindfoot.

Ankle joint replacement

Ankle replacement surgery is the replacement of a damaged ankle joint with an artificial implant. The ankle joint (tibiotalar joint) is where your shinbone (tibia) rests on top of a bone of your foot, the talus. Arthritis can affect this joint as well as other joints in the foot. Over time, the smooth cartilage on the surface of the bones wears away. This can result in pain, inflammation, and swelling of your joint. Ankle replacement surgery is a procedure to replace this damaged joint to eliminate this pain and swelling. Typically, the procedure takes place under general anesthesia. Your surgeon will make an incision in your ankle to access the affected joint. Next, your surgeon will remove the damaged parts of your tibia and talus bones. Your surgeon will attach artificial metal joints to the remaining bone surfaces, with a piece of plastic inserted between them.

Foot Fusion Surgery

Foot fusion surgery is carried out to permanently join or stiffen the joint between arthritic bones. It is used to treat a wide range of conditions including arthritis, flat feet, rheumatoid arthritis, and previous injuries such as fractures caused by wear and tear to bones and cartilage.

The operation, which usually involves staying overnight in the hospital, is performed under a general anesthetic with an added injection in the leg to numb the foot after surgery and reduce pain. In most cases the surgeon makes one or two incisions (cuts) in the foot, depending on which joints are being fused together. The painful damaged joint is removed and the bones are stiffened with plates and screws that remain in the foot to increase stability and allow the bones to fuse (join) as they heal. If the extra bone is needed to help the bones join, this can be taken from another area of your body or from the donor's bone; however, you will be able to discuss this with the surgeon before the procedure.

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