Brutal honesty ankle OA

Leeg108

Hi I have posted on here before but I’m after a bit of brutal honesty if that possible

i have had OA in my ankle for over 15 years and I have Osteochondritis in my ankle I get little pain but I do get stiffness and I do compensate a lot which sometimes causes my hip to play up

I am a postman and have been for 15 years and i walk 10 miles a day , due to the sheer panic of my condition and after a brutal chat with my doctor who told me to halve my steps , I took the plunge to leave and start a driving job

I miss my old lifestyle massively and it tempts me to go back to it but I’m apprehensive too because of what the future could hold if I choose to walk all those miles five days a week , I’m 40 so I have a long time still working

if people can share their thoughts and experiences I would be so grateful as I’m really struggling at the minute

Leeg108

I would like to know how fast other people Ankle OA has progressed and how it’s affected their ability to walk /distance etc

appreciate any support

Anna

Hello @Leeg108,

I’m sorry to hear that you’re struggling with coming to terms with changes you’ve had to make because of your arthritis. So many of us can understand how you’re feeling, and I hope other members will share their experiences of how they are dealing with ankle arthritis. If ankle fusion or replacement is something you’re considering, there are several encouraging posts about what a difference this has made to member’s lives. Here’s a link below:

https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussion/comment/718610#Comment_718610

If you’d like to talk to someone about how you’re feeling, a free Helpline is available throughout the week. They are very supportive helpful and many of our members have benefitted from having a chat with them. Here are their details if you want to give them a ring:

https://versusarthritis.org/get-help/helpline/

Best wishes to you,

Anna ( Moderator)

Leeg108

Thank you I would really appreciate any experiences and advice

Leeg108

Has anyone got any experiences of how quickly their Ankle OA progressed?

and opinions on whether 10 miles walking each day is excessive

thanks

swimmer60

@Leeg108

I had a lovely postman who had a bike! Could you? These days they've got a van.

Leeg108

Hi no we have to park up and then walk our round which is 10 miles a day

in everyone’s opinion is this excessive ? Or unrealistic for me to maintain this

bearing in mind I’m 40 with at least 25 years more work

Macdee73

https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussion/comment/718785#Comment_718785

Hie @Leeg108

Sorry tohear about your condition. I have osteoarthritis in my ankles which was as a result of a tragic accident. Mine progressed a lot quicker. In 2 years time i had gone almost bone on bone on left ankle and bone on bone on right ankle. At that time i was 31 years old and was told that ankle fusion was the only option. Because of my age they told me snkle replacement was not an option. Because my left ankle had healed in a malunion non alignment position chances of me healing well after redoing a fusion were very low. I decided to wait s while and make use of assistive devices. My shoes are customed to compensate height and anhle of joint.

Sometimes its very fast and for others its gradual. My progression was very fast but up to now i havent had any surgery. 1 walk up to 15km but anything beyond that will be more painful. At times the snkles are painful not because of any activity.

Leeg108

Thank you for your comments I really appreciate hear everyone’s experiences

i think 10 miles a day is unrealistic but it’s so hard for me to let go of a job I love