I had a Right sub talar ankle fusion 8/29/11. During the healing I had the
pins and needles that some of you are reporting; the Physicians Assistant
prescribed Amitriptyline which solved the problem for me (he said in some
cases the tingling may not leave).
The bigger issue that I would like you all to know is that I started having hip weakness on the same side within 16 months of the fusion, around December '12. By December '13 I was considering hip joint replacement. What I have learned since the Right hip replacement (Feb '14) and a Left knee replacement (Oct. '14) is that the lack of an ankle joint has repercussions that I wasn't forewarned about: I was told that I would loose my calf muscle because the ankle movement creates the calf, but I wasn't told that my hip would be affected, even though I got hip exercises in PT. At the time of recovery I wasn't having any hip problems, so once I started walking on the foot the hip exercises went by the wayside. I did notice occasionally that I was beginning to walk a bit bent over (whenever I caught a glimpse of myself in a store window, for example), and it did seem to relieve some pressure on the hip.
In hindsight I believe that poor posture in my recovery and discontinuing the hip exercises contributed to the loss of the hip joint. Since hip replacement I've noticed that I do good PT, regain strength, range of motion, etc only to loose it again when I stop the PT exercises. Upon having the left knee joint replaced I had to focus on the knee recovery and once again the PT on the right hip lost priority; the result is always the same - the hip gets so weak that it feels like it will slip out of joint, walking becomes painful, etc. I feel that I have learned that I have to be proactive and monitor my progress.
I think that the ankle fusion prevents development of necessary glute and other hip muscles...this is just MY theory and I am not a professional. I only know what stages I've gone through, my observations, and my final acceptance of a daily workout routine, which is finally leading me to a comfort and strength level that I find acceptable. I am 65, but I do line dancing 2-3 nights a week, go to the gym now daily, do my own home maintenance, walk the dogs 3-4 times a day, etc. Most of my younger friends can't keep up with me. I had amazing recovery with both the hip and the knee, but the decline of the hip strength occurs EVERY TIME I slack off on the exercises and I truly think it is because of the ankle fusion....SO if you have an ankle fusion PLEASE do your hip strengthening exercises regularly and DON'T STOP! Maybe you won't need to have the hip replacement!!!
Hope this has helped someone. Good luck to you all. Would love to hear back from you.
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I had a Right sub talar ankle fusion 8/29/11. During the healing I had the
pins and needles that some of you are reporting; the Physicians Assistant
prescribed Amitriptyline which solved the problem for me (he said in some
cases the tingling may not leave).
The bigger issue that I would like you all to know is that I started having hip weakness on the same side within 16 months of the fusion, around December '12. By December '13 I was considering hip joint replacement. What I have learned since the Right hip replacement (Feb '14) and a Left knee replacement (Oct. '14) is that the lack of an ankle joint has repercussions that I wasn't forewarned about: I was told that I would loose my calf muscle because the ankle movement creates the calf, but I wasn't told that my hip would be affected, even though I got hip exercises in PT. At the time of recovery I wasn't having any hip problems, so once I started walking on the foot the hip exercises went by the wayside. I did notice occasionally that I was beginning to walk a bit bent over (whenever I caught a glimpse of myself in a store window, for example), and it did seem to relieve some pressure on the hip.
In hindsight I believe that poor posture in my recovery and discontinuing the hip exercises contributed to the loss of the hip joint. Since hip replacement I've noticed that I do good PT, regain strength, range of motion, etc only to loose it again when I stop the PT exercises. Upon having the left knee joint replaced I had to focus on the knee recovery and once again the PT on the right hip lost priority; the result is always the same - the hip gets so weak that it feels like it will slip out of joint, walking becomes painful, etc. I feel that I have learned that I have to be proactive and monitor my progress.
I think that the ankle fusion prevents development of necessary glute and other hip muscles...this is just MY theory and I am not a professional. I only know what stages I've gone through, my observations, and my final acceptance of a daily workout routine, which is finally leading me to a comfort and strength level that I find acceptable. I am 65, but I do line dancing 2-3 nights a week, go to the gym now daily, do my own home maintenance, walk the dogs 3-4 times a day, etc. Most of my younger friends can't keep up with me. I had amazing recovery with both the hip and the knee, but the decline of the hip strength occurs EVERY TIME I slack off on the exercises and I truly think it is because of the ankle fusion....SO if you have an ankle fusion PLEASE do your hip strengthening exercises regularly and DON'T STOP! Maybe you won't need to have the hip replacement!!!
Hope this has helped someone. Good luck to you all. Would love to hear back from you.
January 6, 2015 - 4:40pmThis Comment
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