ankle replacement surgery

I had my ankle replaced October 8th of 2024. Recovering from ankle surgery takes a lot longer than hip or knee. First 2 weeks you have to stay off it completely, so I hopped to the bathroom with a stationary walker. Had to be nose above the toes for 2 weeks. Am I glad I did it? Definitely. I was bone on bone and pain was waking me up every night with stabbing pain. Had not slept through the night for about 4 months before surgery. Pain of surgery was less than pain of old ankle for me. At 10 months I am fully functional. Actually I was fully functional at 6 months, but now I move faster. Everyone is different! I just knew that I would not be happy with life as I was. I am an active person. Had to get going again. If you do it, follow doctors and physical therapy advice!

Do you have limitations for activities

@pamankle I had total ankle replacement just over a year ago. I still have some swelling (which probably would be less if I did more elevation instead of little to none during the day, it drains away at night). The best person to ask about any limitations is your doctor (the specialist), he or she can better advise you.
I have no problems with walking, have good mobility, but won't be doing any jogging or rough hiking. the main thing is doing ALL the Physical Therapy, it's the only way you'll get range of motion back. Don't try to push it, the bone must heal around the implant, and the tendons, etc. that they have to move to get to the joint have to have time to heal, too. Yes, it's a painful recovery, but the pain will go away and it's wonderful to walk without pain in that ankle.
Oh-one more thing.... one of the PT nurses at the physical rehab center I went to after surgery told me that even though you elevate your leg all day, you need to lay down, too, and rest several times a day because that with the leg elevated will allow the fluids to drain all the way up and be eliminated. Ask your doctor how to prepare your home, too.

Thank you surgery scheduled November. Did you have any alignment corrections?

@pamankle I don't know about alignment corrections, but I'm guessing that since it was bone-on-bone, maybe... however, at least it was even, not at a slant or other 'angled' wear, my doc said that was good, otherwise they'd have to level the bone ends.

Here's what they did (I was mercifully out): Measured, marked, and drilled a hole in my upper shin (tibia), and inserted a post. attached a rod to the post. Measured, marked, and drilled two holes at the bottom of the tibia and inserted posts for the rod to go between. This lined everything up. Made the incision, moved tendons, ligaments, soft tissue out of the way.
drilled holes into the tibia and the talus, shaped the bone ends, and inserted the posts of the metal pieces very securely. There's a curved plastic piece that goes between them that allows for natural movement when walking. Re positioned the tendons, soft tissue, etc. They took out the aligning posts for the rod somewhere along the line and closed up with internal and external sutures, and staples.
You will need to have competent help at home, or else go to a rehab facility, so be sure to have that all arranged before your surgery. You'll need a shower bench or shower chair, and practice getting in and out of the shower with it beforehand, and also practice getting on and off the toilet, you will not be able to put your foot on the floor until your doctor says it's ok to, so you'll need to practice all that stuff, also getting your bottom-half clothing on and off. You'll be wearing a walking boot eventually - I just cut the inside seam of a couple pairs of slacks and got some loose-legged bottoms, too. Your unaffected leg will be doing all the work for a while, so talk to your doc about strengthening it well before your surgery.
Helpful tools are a reacher-grabber, pants-pull/push, long-handled shoe horn, and you will need a walker for when you can put weight on that foot again, otherwise a wheelchair. Oh-and a way to keep your cell phone right with you all the time or within reach- I found that a small cloth bag on a long soft strap around my neck or cross-body worked well.

@pamankle - one more thing, forgot this one,sorry.
My doctor had the anesthesiologist do a nerve block from the knee down, and I strongly recommend that. It's excellent for after surgery, getting as good a night's sleep as you can, and then the next day or so it'll wear off and you will need the potent pain relievers - no ifs ands or buts about it, you will need them, so take them, don't be shy about asking for them. I had Delaudid for the first few, then could drop back to a lesser one (Norco). You'll want them for a while, I took it for about 8-10 days and then went to Tylenol. The glorious thing about it is that when the pain finally goes, your ankle's gonna feel good again.

@uisge I had an ankle replacement in December of 2024. I used a knee scooter after. It pays off to practice. I had to change sides of the bed, couldn’t use 2 of our three bathrooms, and had to go the long way around the living room coffee table to get to my recliner. I used sponge bath wipes to shower. Good luck. BTW I am playing doubles tennis 5 times a week now. I use an over the shoe ankle brace to prevent ankle rolling which would be a mess.

@uisge I also had the nerve block. It worked well but when it word off the pain went from zero to 8. Used an opioid for a day and then ibuprofen.

@afm You had a splendid recovery! that over the shoe ankle brace is genius...
I had a knee scooter, too, but turns out the walker was much better for me than the scooter once I got the walking boot, until then I was in the wheelchair because of the soft dressing and no weight on that foot.

@pamankle - check out @afm's info, too.very helpful.

@uisge I feel very fortunate and grateful. The brace is great and very comfortable. It’s made by Tayco - Easy-On Sports Brace - AthleticX Brace. Movement forward when walking is practically unrestricted. It has stiff plastic on the sides held tight by velcro strip fastening.