Hi All,
I was hoping someone might have had experience of ankle surgery and let me know if they found it helpful or not. I saw an orthopaedic surgeon on Tuesday and he’s recommended ankle fusion to help correct foot drop and stop my foot going into extensor spasm when I try and walk. I’ve had an ankle splint up until now, but it doesn’t give enough control, and they say botox or tendon reattachment won’t work for me; but the idea of fusing the ankle bones seems really scary and once it’s done there’s no going back. I will also mean 3 months trying to get about without putting any weight through that foot, which with very poor balance I know is going to be really difficult.
I’d love to hear from anyone who’s been through similar surgery and whether or not they felt the improvement was worth it in the end.
Thanks, Diane X
l have severe foot-drop, and have tried wearing a splint. But having the foot that position for any length of time is very uncomfortable - and l find l fall ‘over’ the foot as my knee is stiffens. l would imagine having the ankle fused would be the same but permanent. l do have a friend who has her ankle fused due to rheumatoid arthritis. So very different from our problem.
l have a SAFO - which is a silicone ankle foot orthosis. This is more comfortable then a splint. l would dearly like to try one of the new WalkAide Fes’s - that are wire free. l have been on a waiting list for an appointment for 10 months. Which is - l think shocking.
So l would be not be keen to have my ankle fused - as it is not reversible - and hopefully something else might come along to help. And do our ‘ortho-paedic surgeons’ understand MS?
Five years ago - l did fall and l fractured my ‘good’ ankle. Spiral fracture - which l had metal plates/screws/wire to support it. lt was suggested to me about having that fused as l now have arthritis in the joint. l declined. Since then l have been on a high dose of vitamin d3 - as my bone-density was poor. Now it is OK - but l am still - and always will be taking my D3.
Be interesting to see if anyone else answers who has had it done.
All the best.
Oh Diane, I read your post with interest. I am no longer able to walk and use a wheelie full time, with hoists for transfers.
Foot drop was an early problem for me. and I do believe thats what put me in a wheelchair so early on. I did get a foot orthosis, but it was so difficult to wear and I couldnt get any shoes on and sandals had to be fastened so tight, that it cut my circulation off.
I gave up using it and that was that! Physios seemed to think they could do no more for me. i supposed if I had persisted i may have faired better.
Now I am bothered with not foot drop, but foot flop! In bed my feet flop this way and that way, plus I have heel pain that no-one can cure.
I am seeing the ortho gang in March to see if anything can be done.
I am not looking for any surgery to solve the problem, as that is a bit extreme.
Back to you…as you say, you have poor mobility/balance now, so 3 months on crutches or whatever, will be difficult.
Not sure whether I`d agree with the surgery…difficult one that…but whatever you decide on, I wish you good luck hun. I dont think there have been any/many posts about this subject.
luv Pollx
I’m in limbo but had an ankle fusion 18 months ago. I’m more than happy to talk about it - just message me 
Katalina. I`d like to read more about how fusion has been for you.
luv Pollx
I don’t have foot drop but my ankle was a bit of a mess (I have Ehlers Danlos and have dislocated / torn / damaged the ankle several times). The surgery was pretty straightforward. I stayed overnight and was discharged with a full cast but on loosely because of swelling - with a number to call if the cast gets too tight. I went back at 12 days to have the stitches out and the cast changed. The next appointment was (I think) at about 8 weeks for a cast change and an X ray to see how the fusion was professing. I had my cast and non weight bearing for the full three months - a fellow patient managed to get his cast off a couple of weeks earlier.
You must not weight bear at all for the three months but you can ‘touch toe’ to the floor for balance. Also you must keep the foot elevated for the first week to 10 days, If you don’t it will really swell and ache and you may have to have the plaster taken off to avoid cutting off the bloid supply - but they will explain all this.
I had a lot of problems as I have a serious thrombophilia so was on twice daily self administered heparin shots (but still got a massive clot!) I also have PTS from previous clots in that leg so my foot was going black within minutes if it wasn’t elevated - even two plus months after the op. Like many on here I have balance problems and I also have problems with subluxing hip joints - my right being much worse than my left (I had my left ankle fused). This meant mobilising was very hard for me. I struggled with various options: frame, crutches etc but the above combination of issues meant that I was largely confined to bed/a wheelchair for the three months. Stairs I had to do on my bum with frequent pauses going upstairs as pushing up with my bad hip was very painful. The leg has to be kept dry so I bathed by ‘washing down’ with a bowl of water.
I knew it was goIng to be a long process so planned ahead and got lots of reading material, sewing projects, dvds etc. Nevertheless I was glad when the three months was up!
For me it was definitely worth doing - my pain and functioning is greatly improved though I do think trying to mobilise afterwards caused a lot of problems with my hip which I hadn’t anticipated at the time and which has taken a long time to recover from.
One thing I would say is that if your gait is affected as mine had been for years this can cause a domino effect elsewhere. If you have bad foot drop your compensating gait may be creating problems elsewhere: hips, knees, spine etc. Only you can decide whether its worth going ahead but they actual operation and recovery - though drawn out is OK. As I said - you won’t have some of the issues I had.
The scar is really neat - a fine line no more than three inches on the inside of my forefoot that is fading nicely.
If I missed anything please ask.
Hi All,
Thanks for all your comments. It was good of katalina to share what she went through with her surgery. I know there is a chance that the surgery won’t improve things and it would be foolish of me to think the surgeon fully understands the problems I have other than the problems I have with that one leg. I went for a gait analysis which was where the ankle fusion was first suggested, but I know my walking worse than it was then. Like ‘spacejacket’ my knee stiffens as my foot extends and I fall over my foot even with a splint on. The ankle fusion operation does feel a bit like grasping at straws.
Not an easy decision to make. A crystal ball would be nice though.
Thanks everyone,
Diane X
Thankyou katalina, for the taking the time to explain all about it.
It sounds a horrible experience, but I am glad it is over for you.
pollx