Better Ankle Surgery

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- When arthritis affects the ankle simply walking can be excruciating.

Fusing the ankle joint or putting in a metal implant can help, but for active patients they could wear out quickly. Now, there is a new procedure that one doctor believes has the potential to last a lifetime.

"I've been riding for almost 40 years now," David Reid, ankle arthritis patient, told Ivanhoe. Harley salesman David Reid's put a lot of miles on his wheels, but ankle arthritis took the fun out of riding bikes.

"It was not only painful, but it would also lock up," David told Ivanhoe.

An ankle fusion would limit his flexibility.

"Once it is fused, the motion is gone 100 percent," Fernando Pena, MD, Orthopedic Surgeon at University of Minnesota Physicians and Assistant Professor in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Minnesota, told Ivanhoe.

Dr. Pena says like the tires on a car, an ankle replacement could wear out quickly in an active person.

"You will destroy it in very, very few years," Dr. Pena said.

However, a new procedure Pena pioneered might last a lot longer. The doctor cut out the defective surface of David's lower ankle joint.

"We are just removing the dome of the bone," Dr. Pena said.

Then, he transplants bone and cartilage from a cadaver.

"We make a similar cut on the piece of the bone that we got from the cadaver and just put it in and fix it with screws," Dr. Pena explained.

Within six weeks the transplant melded into David's ankle.

"We have healthy bone with healthy cartilage all the way across the joint," Dr. Pena said.

"It feels like a new ankle. I'm now taking the stairs again. It's made just a huge difference in my life," David said.

With a new ankle, David's back to his old hobby.

Recovery time for the procedure is about three months. The doctor says it's for active patients from their teens to their forties who only have arthritis on the bottom half of their ankle joint. That type of arthritis is usually the result of a break, severe sprain, or ligament damage and can develop years after the injury. The doctor started doing this procedure four years ago. He's now following patients to find out how long it will last, but he thinks it could be for life. A few other centers around the country are doing similar, but not exact procedures.

If you would like more information, please contact: Deb Luckow Secretary University of Minnesota (612) 273-8095

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