arthritis in ankle due to corrective surgery for a club foot

aliann

Hi

I was treated surgically for a clubfoot as an infant which involved bone grafting, physiotherapy and wearing of a aluminium splint at night and having a built up shoe till the age of 15. Treatment left me with the right leg an inch shorter than the left leg and the right calf thinner than the left leg and the right foot shorter and slightly wider than the left.

The affect ankle was been very functional and I has never really hampered in any activity though the couldn't run very fast. Worked as a nurse for 20 years and never had any real issue.

the last four years my right ankle started to swell and became painful. An x-ray and appointment with an orthopaedic surgeon 2 years has shown that arthritis has affected the right ankle and I will need a ankle replacement or ankle fusion but the surgeon wanted to leave any surgery for as long as possible. Now I am finding that the pain from the ankle is getting worse and there is more swelling and less movement.

I wanted to ask if other adults have experienced this problem and if an ankle replacement is successful with this type of situation?

many thanks

Aliann

[Deleted User]

Welcome to Arthritis Care Forums Aliann from the moderation team

As mods we are here to help with any problems you may have on the message boards.

There are lots of lovely people here with a wide range of experiences with arthritis and the problems of living with the condition. Just join in wherever you like you will be made very welcome.

I look forward to seeing you posting on the boards.

Best wishes

Mod JK

stickywicket

Hello aliann and welcome from me too. From what I know (very little ) I think it's fairly common for OA to set in where a club foot joint has previously been operated on.

I have many years of RA under my belt and I've collected an assortment of TKRs and THRs but my ankles did a DIY job of fusing themselves so I've no experience of ankle surgery.

I hope others will be around with more personal info but the forum is amazingly quiet right now. (Maybe they've found a cure and we're the only ones left )

Anyway, I put 'ankle replacement' into the Arthritis Care search engine above (small, pale blue button) and these former threads came up which might be of help: http://tinyurl.com/npd69z7

I also had a look at Arthritis Research UK. There is research going on as to which patients get the most benefit from such surgery. Maybe the most relevant bit is that opposite the surgeon's photo. http://tinyurl.com/o2h6bbu

Just a thought. Do you / have you seen an orthotist? Depending on how things are with you orthotic insoles and / or surgical shoes might help. I couldn't possibly walk outdoors without my surgical shoes; even indoors, on the flat, is very difficult. They make a big difference.

prefabkid47

Hi aliann
Just picked up your posting.
I see stickwicket (SW) has responded and given links to former threads including my postings.
Having suffered acute pain in my left ankle which left me barely able to walk an xray showed there was little or no cartilage left due to either RA or OA (experts couldn't agree!).
I had ankle replacement in June 2011 and gave detailed updates under the threads 'Ron's new ankle'.
To date,as far as I can judge,all is ok though get some discomfort.This could partly be due to putting extra pressure on this leg due to pain in my right leg (have very recently now been told that both my right knee and hip are both 'knackered' my GP's words).
There seemed to be some reluctance to offer surgery but increase painkillers to their maximum................ :?:
No doubt there will be further postings on this subject.......... :!:
Ron

dreamdaisy

It is common for OA to set in after a joint has experienced some form of trauma (I broke my upper left humerus in January 2014 and I know about it now) but it can also start apropos of nothing. OA is the most common form of arthritis, affecting between 8 - 10 million people in the UK. I have two kinds of arthritis and my OA affects both ankles, both knees and the hips are joining in because they can. :roll:

Surgery is usually helpful but there's always a chance that things won't turn out as well as hoped for. It's not a 'quick fix' because the healing and recovery time is often longer than the patient wants but I reckon the success stories outnumber the naysayers. Surgery will not happen however until a certain level of damage has been reached - it sounds as though you may be getting to that point. Are any other joints being affected? DD