Broken Ankle

So Which Should it be? Getting a Broken Ankle Fused,or Getting a Brand New One?

You wouldn't think it to see it, but many elderly in America are closer to being superstrong robotic Terminator types, the young healthy adults. With three quarters of a million new elderly getting alloy hip replacements and knee replacements every year, they are closer to being indestructible bionic types than us mortals will ever be. They are fast gaining on us even as we speak. The latest joint that is up for replacement now, is the ankle. Every year, grandmas and grandpas in America pay orthopedic doctors a visit for a broken ankle, or for ankles that hurt so much from arthritis, they might as well be broken. A lot of them have ankle cartilage that is so worn, they can barely move, so painful is it when bone grinds against bone.

For all these baby boomers who enter their 70's complaining bitterly of ankles that can barely carry their considerable weight, you have your ankle replacement that takes out the worn out or broken ankle, and puts in a brand-new, space age plastic or alloy part to put them back on their feet (and ankles) again. The whole ankle replacement process has been around ever since the 80s; but not that many people like the idea. In the beginning, the surgery needed to put it in was so complex and poorly developed that there were problems all around. And it's quite expensive too. Medicare will pay for it, but the private insurance companies get away with it if they can. If you have an injured or broken ankle, doctors are much happier to ask you to get ankle fusion, a procedure that is straight out of a horror movie. They just weld all your ankle bones together, so that it becomes one stiff and rigid piece right from your shin to your heel. It simply becomes stronger, and there is no pain because there is no more movement. Whoever thought of that surgery must be the person who suggested that beheading was a great cure for dandruff. There were thousands of these ankle fusion nightmares performed last year alone.

So if you have a broken ankle, or an arthritic one, can you right away choose ankle replacement? Well, it depends. They feel it would be nice if you are not too old, around 60 or so, and are not overweight. If you have diabetes, you probably won't benefit much from the operation. Diabetics don't heal well. And once the operation is done, sometimes they fail; sometimes they go loose. Things are really going well now, and there are not as many failures as there used to be. Very rarely, they have to amputate the limb if infections set in. But then, there are always risks in surgery.

It has gotten so good now that they say that nine out of ten ankle replacement people are likely to have no trouble for the first ten years. Once the alignment is taken care of, and it heals, he can practically have all the activities back in the schedule that any typical old person would have. He may not be able to go jogging everyday, but he certainly could go golfing, and do a reasonable bit of Friday night dancing.