How is ankle replacement done? What is the success rate of surgery?

shalini patnaik
Healthiness India
Published in
4 min readJan 28, 2020

The problem of joint impairedness has been very common among the people of the present generation. It’s not that the problem has cropped up suddenly, but the increasing case of this problem has highlighted its complication as one of the major issues, and one such example is the ankle impairedness. However, the best solution for this problem is the ankle replacement surgery.

What is ankle replacement surgery?

The ankle replacement surgery is done only when the ankle joint has got impaired or damaged and is replaced with artificial implantation. In normal cases, the ankle joint is the position where your sheen bone rests on the top of a bone of your foot.

But when it’s fractured due to some injury or due to the wear out of cartilage of the surface bone a replacement is required. This can result in swelling, pain, and inflammation in your joints.

The ankle replacement surgery is a medical procedure to replace the damaged joint to eliminate swelling and pain. Typically the surgery can be done under general anesthesia. And, it is done by placing an incision in place of the affected joint in your ankle so that you can walk normally.

The artificial metal plate is attached to the remaining bone surfaces by inserting a piece of plastic between them. These days the surgery is conducted all over India, the best orthopedic doctor in Chennai is best for conducting ankle replacement surgery.

When do you need an ankle replacement surgery?

You may need an ankle replacement surgery if you face a growing problem of severe arthritis, or if there are symptoms like stiffness, inflammation and severe pain in the ankle. The need for replacement may also occur in the case of three main types of ankle arthritis:

● Rheumatoid arthritis — It is a system-wide autoimmune disease that affects joints.

● Arthritis — This is the result of the past injury or fracture

● Osteoarthritis — It develops due to the wear and tear of the ligaments.

In the general case of an ankle problem, the doctor recommends physiotherapy and prescribe medicine. But if the symptoms tend to get severe, then ankle replacement is suggested.

Moreover, if your arthritis is not critical, then you can opt for an alternate option like ankle fusion, and arthroscopic debridement.

What is the risk involved in ankle replacement surgery?

In most cases, ankle replacement surgery comes with a positive report. Then it also has some risk which includes:

● Damage of nerve
● Blood clot
● Bleeding
● Infection
● Wearing out of the components
● Non-alignments of joint bones

How is ankle replacement surgery done?

The ankle replacement surgery is done by a team of highly-qualified specialized surgeons. The whole operation may take a few hours and involves the following process:

● It is done through general anesthesia to reduce the pain and the discomfort of the patient.
● The vital signs are carefully monitored, like heart rate and blood pressure.
● After cleaning the affected area, the surgeon may make an incision through the muscle of the ankle.

● Then a new metal joint is attached to the affected area, and the whole place is plastered.
● For the easy gliding of your feet, the surgeon also inserts a piece of plastic between the new metal joint spaces.
● The surgeon then makes other necessary repairs as required.

What is the success rate of ankle replacement surgery?

With the advancement in science and technology, the design of the newer generation ankle replacement has improved a lot. The improvement of the biomechanics makes this process of the ankle replacement surgery a lot easier.

In most cases, this process can be averted with alternatives that are working wonder these days. The chance of failure has also got reduced to a large extent.

In a few cases of old age, the chance of success rate of ankle replacement surgery may vary. But overall, the success rate has increased a lot in the case of ankle replacement surgery.

In most cases, ankle replacement surgery comes with a favorable report. It also has some risk which includes blood clots, bleeding, and infection. But, despite that, the modern improvement of biomechanics ankle replacement surgery has become a massive success in India.

FORTIS MALAR HOSPITAL CHENNAI

Address:№52, 1st Main Rd, Gandhi Nagar, Adyar, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600020

Phone:099625 99933

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