Anatomy

The ankle joint has three bones:

  • The lower end of the tibia (shinbone)
  • The fibula (the small bone from the lower leg)
  • The talus (the bone in the socket of the tibia and fibula)

Ligaments help to hold the ankle joints together. Tendons attach muscles to bone. The Achilles tendon is the most powerful in the foot and allows for the range of motion to be at its peak. Cartilage is the firm, white, and flexible connective tissue in articulated joints. In the ankle, the cartilage lining is one-quarter of an inch thick and allows for both the softness of shock absorption and the toughness to last a lifetime. Ankle arthritis affects the bone and cartilage.

About

For those patients that are not candidates for an ankle replacement, arthrodesis remains the gold standard. Patients can walk without a limp using modern techniques to remove minimal amounts of bone and position the ankle so the joint below moves well.

Ankle arthritis occurs when the cartilage covering the ends of the bones that form the ankle joint degenerate. When there’s movement in the arthritic ankle, pain typically increases.

Arthrodesis takes the ankle bones and mechanically joins them into one. By eliminating the motion, pain is reduced in the arthritic joint.

Man with ankle pain

Symptoms

An arthritic or worn ankle joint has some or all of the following symptoms:

  • Ankle swelling
  • Bruising
  • Stiffness
  • Weakness in the ankle and foot
  • Instability

Wright Medical Technology

Surgeons at Florida Orthopaedic Institute use several of the ankle fusion products from Wright Medical Technology. These same surgeons have been instrumental in the design and refinement of many of these products. Wright has led the way with an impressive history of ground-breaking products for the foot and ankle industry. These include the ORTHOLOC® 3Di Ankle Fusion Plating System and the VALOR™ Hindfoot Fusion Nail System.

FAQs

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Learn everything you need to know about ankle fusion in our free downloadable guide.

Download Ankle Fusion Guide (PDF)

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