Ankle Triple Fusion anybody?

[Cattledog]

I had a right ankle triple fusion and three toe correction 3 months ago. I've had 2 x rays showing the ankle healing well and fusing ( according to the Surgeon ).

I had the cast finally removed last Wednesday. Up to this point I've not really had any pain at all until they removed the cast. Now the ankle hurts and it swells up a lot.

I must add that I am walking on it a fair bit. Is this pain and swelling to be expected? As it has gone so well thus far I thought when the cast was off I would be out and about, so as to speak.

Has anybody else on here had a triple fusion and can relate to my experience?

I didn't ask the Doctors what to expect as after waiting 3 hours I just wanted to get out of the place!

[jazie]

Hi there

I have had my ankle fused. I havnt heard of a triple fusion, is that when they fuse it in 3 places?

I didn't feel any pain after the cast came off but my foot did swell up for quite a while after, even now it swells if I stand too much.

I remember the surgeon saying if I had any pain it was best to contact him sooner rather than later.

If it was me I'd get it checked out.

Good luck

[Hidden]

Why do you get your ankle fused? Sorry I am trying to get my head round all this. My left ankle is completely f&*%ed excuse my french! I am now walking on the side of my foot and it's that bad that I tend to buckle! My skin on my foot is really dry and I've noticed I am starting to walk with my foot inwards... Hope all goes well xx

[sarahmushie]

My fiance has had the procedure on both ankles, he said the pain and swelling is normal and also, as you are now walking on your foot in a different way, you will encounter some initial pain. Even after years of having the procedure, my fiance still has a few bad days with the pain.

[joyous1965]

hi i had double ankle fusion in june this year i have 3 screws in it one on either side and one thru my heel thats uncorftable i had 2 infections in mine wouldn heal up took 3 months just to close im still o0n crutches and in moon boot im only walking on it properly for bout 5 to 6 weeks now and it swells up . i wasn allowed to walk on it till it had healed so u shouldn be walking on it till then im afraid plus i couldn have my enbrel either and other meds till it had healed horrendous then last week caught liitle toe same foot not sure if its broke but its black and blue ouch , im seeing the rhemuy on friday ... im waitin for my foot app to come thur... i also had all the bones took out of my toes in that foot in 2012 and the metarsal bone moved and shaved .. i had my right shoulder operated on in feb this year as well , not been a very good year for me as i lost my job on nov 1 3th as well trhu ill health after 15 years ... if ur cast is tight go back straight away as i didn and i had an infection when took cast off aghhhh i had to sleep in my moon boot as well xx

[Cattledog]

Well, thank you all for your replies. I do feel better about it now, especially after reading about Sarah's fiance!! Perhaps I'm just too impatient. As I said, the surgery went well. They stuck in one 8mm bolt and four 6mm screws....looks quite good on the x ray! I was only non weight bearing for 6 weeks and then gradual walking, still had the "heavy" cast on for 12 weeks.

Been taking my dog out for a run using an electric mobility scooter. He's an ACD and loves running alongside! I would recommend them to anybody who worries about not giving their dog enough exercise when they're laid up!

Once again, thanks for all your help and best of luck to all of you.

[Hidden]

Hi Cattledog,

I had a triple fusion to my left ankle a year ago. I still get pain and swelling with it but was told to expect it because the foot was realigned and the arthritic joints will have to do more work. It has, however, stopped me from falling over so much so I remind myself of that every now and again.

Because of a slight misalignment of the fused toe, I need to wear a insole which was arranged by the podiatrist. It does reduce the pain on the other parts of the foot considerably as it spreads the weight more evenly but sadly this means I'm still not able to wear normal shoes.

I'm glad to hear about your dog walking though. I have a mobility scooter which I'm desperate to get on the road, once they get round to doing my ramp. I'm hoping that this will be the way forward for me dog-wise as I've put my name down as a foster home for rescue dogs which would not be able to cope in a kennels.

Good luck with the ankle. Keep up with the exercises but make sure you rest it and keep it elevated when it gets too swollen.

[bnbhaines]

I'm going in May or June for a double fusion & an ankle realignment. I had a subtalar fusion & an arch reconstruction in 2017 which didn't work out so well for me but I think it's because he didn't realign my ankle so I was severely over pronated which caused a lot of pain around the fusion site. I'm hoping for the best with this one as it will be my last one on that foot. I just want to regain my mobility. i've been walking in the Exosym devices which has worked out well but I want to be able to walk on my own two feet.

[Cattledog in reply to bnbhaines]

Hey, good luck with your op!

Just for your information my ankle eventually settled down although mine was slightly misaligned as well. Had to go back in to have some bone ground down on the fifth metatarsal which didn't go too well but I'm glad I had the ankle op done.