failed foot fracture fusion with advaced arthritis now - Foot Problems Message Board

footmendn · 06-23-2008, 05:31 PM

Shoes, medications and weight loss has not helped the last 4 years. Does anyone have success with fusion of foot to alleviate pain and increase function.

janewhite1 · 06-23-2008, 06:06 PM

Where was your fracture, and what type of fusion are you considering? Did your doctor tell you the names of the bones involved?

footmendn · 06-23-2008, 06:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by janewhite1

Where was your fracture, and what type of fusion are you considering? Did your doctor tell you the names of the bones involved?

Majority of joints in foot other then toes. Ankle fine but foot swollen and enlarged and swollen. Walking and weight bearing pain and swelling. Reaches a point where you wonder if a amputation and replacement will make you more functional. Just like to get active again thanks for responding gary

janewhite1 · 06-23-2008, 08:12 PM

I doubt it's really the majority of your foot joints, there are at least a dozen of them (exact # anyone?) It's probably either a fusion of the arch joints, (putting the talus, navicular, cuboid, and calcaneum together, called triple arthrodesis) or fusion in the midfoot, the tarsal-metatarsal joints. If you have limited and painful side-to-side motion, it might be the triple.

In either case, fusion should improve arthritis pain, although it takes a long time to recover fully from the surgery.

Fusion does make the foot somewhat stiffer. Tripe arthrodesis eliminates most sideways motions of the ankle, whereas the tarsal-metatarsal fusion has less noticeable effects. You will need to be a little careful to protect the surrounding joints from added strain.

Will you get active again? Define active. If active is playing professional basketball, you might want to reconsider. If you are talking about getting around comfortably, sure, that should happen. Stuff in between, I don't know.

Before you agree to the surgery, ask the doctor a lot of questions. Exactly which joints is he going to fuse? Will a bone graft be required? What will the recovery time be like? What are the risks? Will you have any permanent limitations afterward?