Category: Foot & Ankle

The goals of ankle and hindfoot arthrodesis are the relief of pain and deformity and the development of a solid fusion. Since the end of the 19th Century, arthrodesis has been an accepted treatment for painful arthritis of the ankle and subtalar joints.

Primary osteoarthrosis, formerly known as degenerative joint disease, is characterized by loss of joint cartilage and hypertrophy of bone. Osteoarthrosis is a term used to de-emphasize the inflammatory component of this disorder when it was formerly described as osteoarthritis or hypertrophic arthritis.

With springtime in Louisville upon us, the primary care physician and the orthopaedist alike can expect to see more than his or her fair share of ankle sprains. This is an injury that of course occurs year round, but seems to occur much more frequently this time of year.

The single axis subtalar joint is a hinge joining the talus and calcaneus that allows adaptation of the foot on uneven ground. This joint modifies the forces of ambulation imposed on the rest of the skeleton and influences the performance of the more distal foot articulations as well.

The goal of ankle and hindfoot reconstruction should always be to address the presenting concerns of the patient and the deformity, as well as to achieve a stable, functional and plantigrade foot. These goals are accomplished by appropriate preoperative patient assessment and planning, as well as by employing meticulous intraoperative technique and aftercare.

When pain treatments fail, patients who have worn away the cartilage between their ankle bones have limited options. While total knee replacements are quite common, total ankle replacements are not, primarily because they only last 5 – 7 years.

The development of a hallux valgus deformity in children and adolescents is actually an uncommon entity. Most of these occurrences can be treated nonoperatively. Surgery is often deferred until skeletal maturity because of historically high recurrence rates and inconsistent results.