There are both surgical and non-surgical alternatives to ankle replacement surgery. First line treatments for arthritis of the ankle are non-surgical methods. Several of the non-surgical methods provide relief because they limit motion, thus decreasing the irritation of the arthritic joint. One such method is the use of shoe inserts (orthotics),... Read more
The main advantage of ankle replacement surgery is to relieve ankle arthritis pain and to preserve motion in the ankle joint. The alternative to ankle replacement surgery is ankle fusion. Ankle fusion is a more traditional surgery for ankle arthritis; in this procedure the cartilage is shaved off the bones of the ankle joint, which are then... Read more
Ankle replacement is designed to treat arthritis of the ankle. This type of arthritis is most commonly caused by osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis or post-traumatic arthritis. Osteoarthritis is "wear and tear" of the cartilage in a joint. Rheumatoid arthritis is caused by a system-wide disease process, which affects the entire body. ... Read more