Ankle Zimmer Total Ankle Replacement

[cnb9020]

Hello everyone!

I am glad I found this thread. I am 29 and scheduled for a TAR in November.

A little about my history:
Broke my medial malleolous in April 2017 and had surgery with 2 screws placed
Could not move my foot to point or flex after months of PT
Went to another surgeon who said the bones were placed incorrectly and had now healed that way.
Went to 3 more and received the same opinion
November 2017- new surgeon reset my ankle to try to put the bones in the correct position. Also performed an Achilles tendon release since I had had no movement since April.
May 2018- ankle still won’t move, scope scheduled for end of May.
Early May I tore my meniscus on my other leg and had to have knee surgery
Ended up going to see one of the top surgeons who says it has been misdiagnosed and he does not believe it is fixable without a total ankle replacement.
Previous surgeon thinks he can scope it to try to correct it (30% success rate)
Surgery scheduled for Zimmer ankle replacement for November 21.

I am 29 and fit. I’ll be the youngest person they perform this surgery on in this office.

Those that have gone through the TAR, should I try another scope, or go ahead with the replacement? I haven’t walked normally in over 2 years, but currently I am okay with most day to day activities though stairs and hills are hard, can’t stand for more than 10 minutes, can’t walk more than 20 minutes.

Thanks everyone!

 

[marieltha]

Feet are very complicated. I hope you get some replies. I am going to follow your thread.
You might ask @Josephine specifically for her knowledge/experience with both.
Good luck.

 

[Jaycey]

@cnb9020 Welcome to BoneSmart! One of our newest members in the ankle forum just posted yesterday. I'll tag him to come along and chat @NewlyHip . @KCDewie and @Larryr might also have some advice. Most of our members who have been through TAR are very happy with the result.

 

[NewlyHip]

Hello.

Sorry for the medical issues you are experiencing at such a young age. In general, someone your age would be expected to have ankle arthrodesis as opposed to ankle arthroplasty. The reason is that arthrodesis is better able to withstand the greater stresses a young person would likely place upon the ankle. That being said, each patient is unique with unique circumstances. If you feel you have a highly experienced surgeon, then I would defer to them on how to proceed.

I was hesitant about getting the surgery because I could not find much information on ankle replacement. This is certainly because the procedure is so rare. My surgeon does about 85 percent of the ankle replacements in a large city and he only does about 50 per year. This lack of data made me realize it was most important for me to locate a great surgeon and just trust their judgment.

Best wishes as you move forward!

 

[Josephine]

@cnb9020 since your ankle has been well and truly messed up at the outset, I would suggest you settle for the TAR.

I’ll be the youngest person they perform this surgery on in this office.

In this case, I suggest you look for a surgeon who has done a great number of TARs, no matter what the age. You need this one to be spot on at the outset.