With surgery, patients who suffer from advanced foot and ankle arthritis can find freedom from pain and immobility.
Osteoarthritis of the feet and ankles is a condition that causes swelling of the feet, inflamed tissues, pain, and a loss of mobility. It can be developed due to:
- Wear-and-tear of cartilage in the joint
- Injury
- Flat arches or gait abnormalities
While osteoarthritis can be treated with nonsurgical options such as oral medications, steroid injections, or physical therapy, advanced osteoarthritis may require surgery.
Learn more about surgery for foot and ankle arthritis below, and consult with Dr. Frankel at Frankel Foot & Ankle to determine if it is the best treatment for you.
Foot Arthritis Surgery
When do you need surgery for foot arthritis?
Surgery is generally the last choice to heal foot arthritis pain and improve mobility. It is recommended for people who have arthritis that is steadily progressing or if alternative nonsurgical treatments were not effective.
Patients with advanced arthritis may find that surgery is the only option to fix their arthritic feet and ankles. Intense pain that impacts quality life and mobility is an indicator that surgery may be the next best treatment for patients with arthritis.
Examination
Dr. Frankel will examine your foot carefully to look for signs of swelling, stiffness, and pain with movement. Your gait will also be analyzed, and any abnormalities such as bone spurs will be noted. You may also need X-rays.
Surgical Procedures for Arthritis
There are several procedures for arthritis surgery, depending on what your podiatrist deems is best for your situation.
1. Arthroscopy Debridement
You may undergo arthroscopic surgery, which is minimally invasive and typically used for early-stage arthritis. Bone spurs are shaved and inflamed tissues are removed, also known as debridement, to reduce pain and improve mobility.
Although this is an excellent procedure for the early stages of arthritis, arthroscopy is not applicable for late-stage arthritis.
2. Arthrodesis
A more intensive surgical procedure for foot arthritis is arthrodesis. Arthrodesis is an ankle fusion procedure, or the practice of fusing bones together and removing cartilage. The bones are held together with metal plates.
A drawback of this procedure is the loss of mobility from ankle fusion, but it is successful in reducing pain and restabilizing the joint.
3. Arthroplasty
Arthroplasty is another procedure for healing pain from osteoarthritis in the ankle. It consists of a full ankle replacement to maintain mobility, compared to the loss of mobility from arthrodesis.
However, like arthrodesis, arthroplasty has a drawback in that the replacement requires surgical maintenance every 10 to 12 years.
Foot Surgery Recovery and Foot Care
Recovery time differs depending on what procedure you had, but the standard recovery time for foot arthritis surgery is between 6 to 12 weeks with a full recovery after 6 to 9 months.
You will need to stay off your feet for several weeks. For the first week or two, keeping your foot elevated above your heart will help reduce swelling and pain due to surgery. A surgical boot or splint may be used to protect the foot and ankle until the foot can bear weight.
After the surgery, you may want to consider some nonsurgical methods to prevent aggravating arthritis in your feet and ankles. Some methods include:
- Physical therapy: Physical therapy can help your feet and ankles remain limber and stable after surgery and improve your mobility.
- Wearing proper-fitting shoes: Reduce pain and prevent arthritic conditions by wearing shoes that are comfortable, fit your foot, and provide support to your arches.
- Doing low-impact exercises: Instead of doing high-impact workouts, try low-impact exercises such as swimming, biking, or walking on trails to protect your feet and ankles. You should especially try to avoid high-impact exercises on harsh surfaces such as cement.
- Having a regular Epsom salt bath: Treating your feet to a warm Epsom salt bath every week feels great! It will also reduce swelling and relax your muscles to ease arthritic pain.
Benefits of Foot Arthritis Surgery
While surgery is never a podiatrist’s first option for treating arthritis, it has long-lasting benefits for patients with advanced arthritis:
- It drastically reduces pain due to inflamed tissues and worn cartilage.
- It improves the mobility of the foot from arthroplasty and gives patients the ability to return to an active lifestyle.
- Surgery leads to a better quality of life.
- It improves the appearance of the foot by removing bone spurs and calluses due to arthritis.
Several weeks of recovery is well worth a lifetime of freedom from arthritic pain and restrictive movement.
Take the next step to recover from foot arthritis.
As the patient, the choice is up to you to opt for foot arthritis surgery. Put yourself first and heal your advanced arthritis pain with surgery.
Visit Dr. Frankel to heal foot arthritis.
Dr. Frankel founded Frankel Foot & Ankle to provide patients in Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey tri-state area with the latest advances in diagnostic technology and treatment for sports medicine conditions, foot and ankle trauma response, and innovative surgical and regenerative approaches. Contact Frankel Foot & Ankle today.
