@ktgirl Hi Carol. I was asking questions of my podiatrist yesterday about my ankle that I fractured badly 2 years ago. I lost some cartilage in the injury and have a smaller joint space and have been looking to what helps prevent having an ankle replacement or joint fusion in the future. I got custom orthotics made which help me a lot. He also told me that there are surgeries to scope and clean up the joint, they can also inject a "cushion" material. I asked what that was, and it is a jelly that comes from the comb of a rooster. Eventually your body will digest it so it is a temporary treatment. There are also cortizone injections, but too much of that weakens the tendons. They also can inject some stem cells which can help heal, but it won't replace the hyaline cartilage that was lost. I hope not to have to make a choice like this in the future, but I was surprised on what can be done without replacing the joint.