Growing up playing sports, Randy Voss endured many nicks and dings. But his ankle surgery Beenleigh took the most abuse.
In a surgical procedure called arthroscopy, a surgeon inserts a thin, flexible instrument with a camera and light into the joint through a small incision. Then, the surgeon can remove bone spurs or other tissue that is causing problems.
Debridement
In this procedure, doctors can remove nonviable tissue from your wound with a scalpel or other sharp medical tools while you’re under anesthesia. This can help reduce infection and speed healing.
Another method of debridement involves sterile maggot larvae that eat away dead tissue while keeping healthy skin intact. This can prevent dangerous bacteria from growing in the wound and may be used in tandem with surgical debridement for severe infections that don’t respond to antibiotics.
After surgical debridement, your doctor will put a sterile dressing on your ankle and wrap it in a splint or boot to keep the area protected. You will then be moved to a recovery room for observation while the effects of anesthesia wear off. When you wake up, you will be given specific instructions about weight bearing and dressing care. You can return to your normal activities after several days unless your surgeon instructs you otherwise.
Arthroscopic Surgery
Pros: Arthroscopic surgery can repair torn ligaments; remove broken pieces of cartilage; and reduce inflammation in the lining of your joints (synovium). It can help keep cartilage intact and delay the need for a knee replacement. Cons: There is a risk of damage to other areas of the joint from instruments or debris.
The procedure is usually done as a day surgery in an outpatient surgical center. You will be given general or spinal anesthesia. Your surgeon will make a small incision to insert the arthroscope. He or she may also make other smaller cuts to insert tools that will repair, resect, release, or reduce the damaged tissue. The joint is then irrigated with fluid to clean it and enhance visibility.
Your surgeon will view the repaired tissues on a video monitor. Then he or she will close your cuts with sutures or narrow strips of sterile tape. Depending on the problem, you will be given instructions about pain, swelling, bruising, and physical therapy.
Total Joint Replacement
This surgery replaces a damaged knee joint with an artificial one. It is usually performed when other treatment options have not relieved your symptoms or pain. The operation takes a few hours and is done in a hospital or surgery center.
During the procedure your doctor will talk to you about the risks and complications that may occur after total knee replacement. The most common are infection, blood clots, stiffness or problems with the implant such as loosening or failure.
You will be encouraged to begin movement and weight bearing activity soon after the surgery. Your doctor will instruct you in a graduated exercise program that will help speed up your recovery. The success of this surgery depends on aggressive rehabilitation and a high level of patient motivation. Typically, patients are able to return home from the hospital after three days. However, some people spend several days in a rehab facility before being discharged. Some may need to stay longer if they live alone and need to make arrangements for home care or special equipment.
Ankle Fusion
This surgery combines the bones of your ankle joint together (fusing/arthrodesing) to remove painful worn surfaces. It can also involve removing part of your damaged bone and putting in new metal hardware to hold the bones in place.
This can be performed using a keyhole procedure or with a large incision. Once the surgeon has accessed your ankle they will clean it and prepare the joint surfaces for fusion. They will shave down any bone spurs, breach the underlying bone to access bleeding surfaces and then use a surgical saw to cut the tibia and talus to make them flat against each other.
This reduces movement in your ankle and means that you will walk with a limp but this is usually only a minor inconvenience. You can still do most day to day activities but high impact exercises like running may be difficult. The good news is that other joints in the foot can take over some of the up and down movement.
