Total Ankle Replacement

During total ankle replacement surgery, a surgeon makes an incision at the front of your ankle, and removes the damaged bone and cartilage. The surface of the joint is prepared for the new prosthetic pieces, implants are installed, and the surgeon checks the range of motion in the new joint.

General anesthesia is most common for this procedure. But regional anesthetics—spinal, epidural, or regional—are also possibilities.

In general, severe complications from total ankle replacement surgery are rare. You should also know that Hancock Regional Hospital has been rated one of the safest hospitals in America by The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit health care watchdog organization; and was named the safest hospital in Indiana on the Lown Institute Hospital Index.

Some of the possible side effects include nausea and vomiting, dry mouth, sore throat, muscle aches, headache, bruising (from the IV), itching, shivering and feeling cold, difficulty urinating, and sleepiness. In older patients, memory loss and temporary confusion are possible. 

If your doctor recommends total ankle replacement surgery and you don’t have it, pain from the damaged ankle could continue to decrease your movement, affecting your ability to move and exercise. That will impact your overall health, making your ankle problem worse. And the longer you wait, the more your ankle joint is likely to deteriorate.

Your health insurance provider may require you to get a referral from your primary care provider to see a surgeon about total ankle replacement surgery.

You can always get a second or third opinion, but it isn’t required. 

Your health history will be compiled and available to the team before, during, and after surgery. If you’re a Hancock Health patient, we will be able to access your records within our system. If you aren’t, we will work with your doctors to get the necessary information. 

Your surgical team will evaluate the situation and help you make a choice that’s right for you and your health. Temporary treatments might be used if your surgery is rescheduled. 

Consult the Price Transparency Tool at HancockRegionalHospital.org for an idea of how much total ankle replacement surgery might cost.

Medicare parts A and B will cover the cost of ankle replacement surgery, but it’s important for your doctor to indicate that the surgery is medically necessary. 

You’ll probably be instructed not to eat anything after midnight on the day of your surgery, and you might also be told to stop taking certain medications or dietary supplements.

You’ll arrive several hours before your surgery and be escorted to the preoperative waiting area.You’ll remove all of your clothing and jewelry, and put on a hospital gown. (Your valuables will be placed in a secure area or may be given to a family member.) You’ll sign any necessary paperwork and a preoperative nurse will take your vital signs, review your medications, and answer any questions.You’ll meet your anesthesiologist and the members of your surgery team. They will mark the location of your surgery on your body. An I.V. (intravenous line) will be placed in your hand or arm, so medications—including general anesthesia—can be administered. If you’re using a different kind of anesthesia, you’ll receive an injection.When it’s time for your surgery, you will be wheeled into the operating suite on a stretcher.

In addition to the surgeon, you have an anesthesiologist, nurses—some of them specialize in working with patients and others assist the surgeon—and support staff who get you checked in and out, compile your records, and more. They all work together, performing their individual jobs, so the procedure is as successful as possible. 

Anything you’ll need for an overnight stay, including a change of underwear, a sweatshirt, glasses or contacts, headphones, and your medications. You might not be there overnight, but it’s a good idea to be prepared.

You’ll breathe oxygen through a mask and our team will track your vital signs as the surgery is performed. You’ll be given either general anesthetic or a spinal block, which numbs the lower half of your body. Your surgeon may also give you a nerve block by injecting an anesthetic in the nerves around the ankle joint to help ease your pain after surgery.

Total ankle replacement surgery typically takes one to three hours. 

While the length of a hospital stay depends on each patient’s individual needs, patients typically leave after one night. 

You’ll wake up from surgery in the recovery room and, as you start to regain feeling in your body, you’ll receive pain medication. After leaving the recovery room, you’ll be taken to your hospital room where you will be able to see friends or family who came with you. 

You’ll be able to talk to your surgeon immediately after your procedure, while you’re in the recovery room.

In most cases, patients receive pain medication immediately following surgery. 

You may be prescribed pain medication, anticoagulants, or other symptom-reducing medications.

Arrange for a walker or crutches for the weeks right after your surgery.Make sure you’ll have help with everyday tasks, such as cooking, showering, and doing laundry. If you live alone, our associates can help you find a temporary caretaker.

Our associates will help you arrange the postoperative care you’ll need.

Your stitches or staples will likely be removed during your first postoperative appointment with your surgeon, about two weeks after surgery. There will be a scar where the incision was made.

Change your dressing daily, starting two days after you leave the hospital. Don’t scrub the incision area.If you have steri-strips over your incision, they will fall off on their own within about two weeks.You may remove your dressing and shower two days after your surgery if there is no drainage from your incision. Carefully pat the incision dry after your shower and reapply the dressing.For about two weeks, don’t submerge your incision in water by taking a bath or getting in a pool or hot tub. When the incisions are completely healed, feel free to resume those activities.

You will likely need to rest and keep your foot elevated for a week or two after surgery. If your job is sedentary, you may be able to return to work around that time. If there is more movement involved, it may take longer.