Common questions relating to Total Ankle Replacement

What are the risks

• 1% risk of infection, lower for deep infection, but this can be very serious requiring more surgery.
• 5% will fail in the first ten years, some of these could be much sooner
• Fractures can happen around the joint replacement - these can be more complex to fix than a native ankle
• DVT/PE blood clots can occur after TAR, whilst this is less common than hip and knee surgery, you will be given medicine to thin the blood and reduce this risk further.

How successful are they

After a Total Ankle Replacement patients usually repot their pain reduces to 1 or 2 out of ten. Walking distances improve. You would be expected to return to driving, work and leisure activities like golf, walking the dog etc by 6 to 12 weeks. 95% last ten years or more.

When can I drive again?

6-12 weeks

When can I go back to work?

6-12 weeks depending on your job

What is the recovery timeline?

We would expect a return to driving and increased walking by 6 weeks post operation, work between 6 and 12 weeks depending on job. Full recovery can take a whole year (swelling, stiffness).