| What if I don't have triple arthrodesis?
I have already seen two orthopedic pyhsicians that specialize in foot and ankle and have received two completely different opinions. The first, initially
said I would definitely need triple arthrodesis in the future. That is, until he
operated and removed several loose bodies in my ankle that were causing
tendonitis which was the cause of the sharp shooting pains I was having.
Three weeks later he took x-rays of the ankle/foot he operated on and
admitted he was SHOCKED to see that I had normal joint spacing in all the joint involved in the ankle. He kept ordering x-rays from all different views and the joints were normally spaced. When I questioned him about the
triple arthodesis, he said in his opinion that would be the worst thing I could do. Apparently, osteophytes are forming on the edges of the bones and then they eventually break off to form loose bodies which then irritate the tendons.
On x-ray, these osteophytes give the impression that the joints are completely gone, when in fact, it's the edges because there is plenty of
cartilage between the jint itself. Okay, fast forward 2 years and no I'm having
the same problem with my other ankle (the left). I seek a second opinion
from another foot/ankle orthopedic specialist who takes the x-rays, MRIs, etc.
and says in no uncertain terms I need triple arthrodesis on both ankles! and
won't even discuss physical therapy, says joint debridement would offer no
appreciable relief and never even got the record from the previous orthopedist
I had seen. He then left me alone in the room while he checked in on other
patients down the hall. All I heard him say was triple arthrodesis, you need a
triple arthrodesis, a triple arthrodesis is the only thing that will help you, etc.
to every patient he saw. Please, I would like any and all opinions on this.
Oh, the first doc ordered MRIs also, but it wasn;t until he operated, removed the loose bodies and scraped the osteophytes off the edges that he was able to see healthy cartilage behind.
Chi Town
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