Ankle endoprosthesis

The ankle jointis part of the skeletal system, which is the foundation of our body and one of the more complicated parts of the human skeletal system. It is prone to many injuries, making it one of the more common reasons to visit an orthopedist.

An ankle replacement is used for people with advanced osteoarthritis, severe painand impaired function due to ankle problems. It is used when conservative therapy has failed. Ankle endoprosthesis is most often used in elderly people due to limited physical activity in their case.

Ankle endoprosthetics is an operation that involves “replacing” the articular surfaces of the ankle and knee joint using implants. Currently, different types of implants are used in this type of surgery – the choice of implants is decided by our qualified orthopedic surgeon, taking into account the condition of the tissues of the joint in the patient requiring surgery.

Procedure
Before an ankle replacement surgery, local anaesthesia is applied. After exposing the bony parts, the doctor prepares the tibia and ankle bones so that individual elements of the endoprosthesis can be fitted in the best possible way. . After their placement, the implant is fitted – it is fixed to the bone with special bone cement or without cement. The last step in the operation is a layer closure with a drain left in the knee. The whole procedure, thanks to the latest technology, takes only up to 2 hours in the clinic and is carried out on an outpatient basis.

Rehabilitation
After the implantation of an ankle endoprosthesis the patient is recommended to move in the first days on crutches. In order to speed up the period of convalescence and regaining full fitness, we recommend walking with a full load. An important element of recovery is individuallyconducted movement therapy with our physiotherapist, professionally selected exercises, who will propose a personalized rehabilitation plan. Thanks to the personalizedexercise plan, the time of recovery is reduced to as little as 6 weeks, when the patient can begin to perform tasks that require more effort. Driving is possible only when the patient is able to make fast movements of the limb without feeling pain and when he/she is not taking painkillers that may affect the ability to drive.