Foot/ Ankle Fusions

The difference of these 2 fusions is the amount of joints that were fused. These few surgeries are typically required in end-stage Arthritis, collapsing flat feet, and Charcot. X-rays are usually taken and at times CT exam is to confirm the amount of arthritis that is present and the amount of joints that need to be fused. Once confirmed the surgeries performed under general anesthetic and joints fused with screws, staples, plates in the ideal position for walking. This surgeries are typically done on the outpatient basis and is required to be non weight bearing for minimum 6-8 weeks. Patient’s need to be appropriately worked up with medical clearance, at times with endocrinology and/or cardiology. Further pending patient’s risk need to be on anticoagulation for risk DVT. In general the is surgery takes many months to fully recover and we advise patient that it will take 1 full year before patient feels 100% better.

Midfoot arthritis or chronic injury to the area is a common problem seen in our community. Injuries to the midfoot from motor vehicle accidents, supporting injuries, falls, or just wear and tear damage the 11 joints 10 bones in this small area. This surgery is very similar to a double and triple arthrodesis recovery with a similar workup. Surgery is under general anesthesia with the use of a popliteal/saphenous block and plates screws and/or staples are used to fuse the damage joints. Patient is again nonweightbearing for 6-8 weeks with use of crutches or a knee scooter this surgery also takes approximately 6 months for patient feels close to 100%.

This point is the commonly damaged due to the amount of use it has in once life time. Patient is with bunion deformities have increased risk of developing this arthritis and can create a lot of additional foot and ankle pain due to compensation. Fusion of this joint is a little easier than the other 2 types of arthrodesis. This is an outpatient procedure under general anesthesia takes approximately 60 minutes said complete and patient is able to be heel weight-bearing in about will approximately 6 weeks.

Most hammertoes and mallet toes require over the joints to be straightened and used to. In the past surgeons would just remove part of the arthritis and not fuse the joints this would cause on stable toes which would be floppy. This surgery is also done on an outpatient procedure usually under sedation were patient is under uncomfortable, local anesthetic is given and the toe is straight and with pins; however, in most cases these pins are in the bone and not sticking out of the skin. Meticulous understanding of the mechanics of the foot is required to reduce the recurrence of these deformities and at times patient are required to wear custom orthotics to prevent the recurrence of these deformities. Patients are able to be heel weight-bearing in either a surgical shoe or boot for 6 weeks with or without crutches.