Eighty percent of Americans will experience foot and ankle pain at some point in their lives.
This pain can be caused by an injury, ill-fitting shoes, diseases such as arthritis and diabetes, poor circulation, genetic abnormalities or simply wear and tear over time. We offer ankle and foot care for pediatric, neurological, orthopedic, diabetic, geriatric and sports-related needs. At CoxHealth, our specialists use the latest technology to assess and treat your foot and ankle problems. We offer quick diagnoses followed by a care plan designed to fit your needs, reduce your pain, and help get you back in motion.
We explore conservative treatment options first. However, if surgery becomes your best option, rest assured that our experienced team will be with you each step of the way.
Learn More About Ankle Fusion
Ankle fusion surgery involves fusing bones together with the use of rods, pins, screws or plates (fixation devices). After healing, your bones remain fused together. The surgery involves either external or internal fixation devices. Your orthopedic surgeon will determine which is best for your specific situation.
In external fixation, surgical pins are fixed inside your leg and ankle bones to keep the bones in place, and an outer metal rod and pins hold the bones in place until they heal. With internal fixation, the cartilage at your ankle joint is removed, and your ankle and leg bones are compressed with plates and screws so that the bones fuse. Your surgeon may encourage your bones to fuse by inserting bone-graft material, often obtained from elsewhere in your body.
After surgery, the screws and plates usually remain in your ankle after healing. The ankle joint may have a smaller range of motion than before surgery, and other health joints may compensate for this loss. Some patients walk so well after healing is complete that others may not be able to tell which ankle was fused; however the greater load on the other joints may eventually result in arthritis.
Ankle fusion may allow for more stability and less pain than other ankle surgeries.
