In the last ten years I’ve had surgery eight times on my right ankle. Most of them were ligament reconstructions and finally a complete ankle fusion. Making the decision to fuse my ankle was one of the toughest decisions I’ve had to make but with the chronic pain, instability, degenerative arthritis and inflammation I agreed. It’s going to be two years this June and although it’s been a very long recovery and endless hours of physical therapy I can say I’m feeling good about it. One of the biggest challenges is finding shoes that help me walk. With an ankle fusion you have no range of motion so I need orthopedic shoes to help me out. I wear a pair of MBTs but would like to find something different that still provides the support I need, any suggestions? I’d love to hear your story and how you are dealing with the ankle fusion -- was it the right decision for you?
~Gimpy
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I had ankle fusion surgery Dec 7 2007, so I'm just a little over 4 months post op. So far I've good results. I'm not suffering with as much pain as before the surgery. I'm short on time but I'd love to swap stories with you. I'll get back with you later.
Mary Kay aka Gimpy
April 28, 2008 - 2:57pmThis Comment
Hi Mark Kay aka Gimpy : ),
June 28, 2008 - 9:01amI am 32 yo female who was in a severe car accident in July 07 and underwent 2 unsuccessful surgeries on my ankle. On May 13, 2008, I finally had to have my ankle fused. I am still in a cast (6 weeks post-op), and my doc is saying he will likely keep me casted for 4 more weeks, then the walking boot.
I just had a couple of questions for you, since you had your's done so recently it must be fresh on your mind. First, when did you doctor start physical therapy? Were you still in the walking boot?
Also, do you walk with a limp when barefooted?
Where do you purchase your shoe modifications? My doc tells me my right leg is now 3/4" shorter than my left leg, so will definitely have to have shoe modifications.
Any advice would be appreciated!
Thank you,
Jennifer
I just had the surgery done on the 17th, severe pain for the first 2 days. They just took out my stapes yesterday,Let me know how you are doing. Thanks. dogtickman@aol.com.
July 3, 2008 - 11:52pmHow are you doing?
~Ang
July 7, 2008 - 7:41pmJust checking to see how your ankle is doing & if your pain level is better. I am almost 3 months post-op, and in a walking boot/air cast. My doc hasn't given me permission to bear weight on it without wearing the boot, nor am I allowed to test the range of motion of the joint yet. I see my surgeon next week, so we'll see what he says. I'm concerned about going back to work and being on my feet 8 hours/day!
August 7, 2008 - 7:58pmI had my ankle fusion in 1967. I had lots of pain until tennis shoes became fashionable. I wear Sketchers most of the time. I can't wear regular shoes because there's no extra cushioning in the sole.
January 6, 2012 - 5:10pmAt first I went to the places that rebuild shoes. They were so expensive and I found that I could do just as well by adding things to my shoes myself.
I put some felt pads at the heel to support the injured foot. If I stand straight my right foot is about 2" off the ground. (It was set too high..but that was so long ago and it was the best they could do at the time.)
After so many years I've experimented with lots of things to make walking easier. As I said, since tennis shoes are "in" I do really well now. I do have a bit of arthritis in the area, though. It's only discomfort...I can't say it's a very severe pain.
I can't wear any type of slipper, and I can't walk barefoot. I use an old pair of tennis shoes around the house.
Several years ago I went to an orthopedic surgeon to ask if he could straighten my foot. He said, 'Yes, but I wouldn't recommend it."
I was so disappointed! His reason was that the recuperation would be difficult, (I am 72 years old now) and I would have more arthritic pain after the surgery.
It would be nice to be able to wear dress shoes occasionally, though.
I know your post was written over 3 years ago. I hope you have done well. The body adjusts to lots of things and with modern methods you'll be fine. If I had my accident more recently I probably would be OK today.
You'll do fine...be optimistic!
Hi. I am a 15 year old girl who has had many surgeries including having a fused ankle. Now I know you are wondering, why is a 15 year old on here?!?! But I am here to tell you I know you're pain. When I was born, I was born with congenital short femur and tibia, simply put I was born with one leg shorter than the other. I was also born without having a fibula. When I was born the tip of my big toe on my right leg touched the top of my left knee. Of course my parents wanted to do whatever they could to help me live the life of a normal child. They went to a hospital in Delaware and got the opinion of what they should do. They told my parents to amputate was my only option. They told my parents that I would never be able to walk, run, ride a bike, or even crawl. But fortunately my parents didn't give up. They found another doctor who resides in Maryland. Dr. Dror Paley an orthopedic surgeon who performs many surgeries including limb lenghthening surgeries (the kind that I have had many times. Of course because i don't have a fibula i had to get my ankle fused. This procedre along with the limb lengthening was first done for my first time when I was only 12-14 months old. For the longest time I had to wear a shoe on my right foot with a lift on the bottom. I got stares, surprisingly mostly from adults, when you think, adults were the ones who told us younger ones that it's not nice to stare, well at least my mom did. I know about the physical therapy as well. Thank goodness I have a high pain tolerance. If I didn't I'm not sure how i could deal with all of the surgeries i have had in my lifetime of 15 years.Because I was so young I of course didn't know what the right decision was fo me. But my parents did. Finding shoes is hard. Especially with me being a teenager, all the hot trends out there and being a girl, I see so many shoes that I love. That I wish i could wear but I can't. And because of that shoe shopping for me can become a little depressing and is one of my least favorite things to do. But because also having a fused ankle isn't the only thing that makes it hard for me to find shoes (my right foot is a a bit wide), I'm not sure how much I can help you. But, I'm not going to let that stop me, I didn't let anything else stand in my way. I mainly wear sneakers because looking at the heels is hard for me. I found that New Balance is a good shoe, becuase it's wide enough for my foot but also gives me support because I don't have much of an arch. Hope I helped!!
August 18, 2008 - 7:35pmTHANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for sharing your story!!! And yes you did help...like all the other stories on this blog -- WE are not alone!!!
I had my very first ankle surgery when I was 15 -- they had to fuse my metatarsals. It wasn't until 10 years later that I began to have more ankle issues that lead to my complete ankle fusion.
I know how frustrating it is not being able to wear shoes that are "in" or cute but am thankful that I can walk. However, I just went to an orthopedic specialty shop and was able to pick out a nice pair of shoes (black flats) and they added a small lift (since one leg is shorter than the other now) and a rocker-bottom on it. The "rocker-bottom" allow me to have heel-to-toe movement that I lost after the fusion. They did such an amazing job on it that it's not even noticeable. So people don't stare anymore ;-)
Not sure if you've read some of my other posts on this blog but I also were MBTs and Curves shoes (through Avon) that have a rocker bottom on them and work well. I'm with you on the shoe shopping it is depressing but have found a new joy in shopping for accessories!! They are the right size and color :-)
Besides the shoe issue, how is your fusion holding up? Have you had any other problems since your fusion? I'm so glad that you and your parents did give up!!!
Thanks again for sharing your amazing story with us.
Take care,
~Ang
August 20, 2008 - 11:45pmMe too. I love shopping for accesories as well. But besides the shoe problem my ankle fusion is fine. It's been fused since I was about 12-14 months old. I have some movement in it. I have found now that I can wear some heels but not for a long time. And I don't wear them that often either because its so uncomfortable. Just like you I am glad that I can even walk since the first doctor told my mother that I would never be able to walk, run or do anything like a normal child would. And there are those times that I think about what I'll do when I am older. How will I ever look "stylish" in clothes. How will I ever find someone if I wear those cute outfits but have to wear sneakers or orthopedic shoes that look orthopedic. No offense to anyone!! But then I realize there are other people less fortunate than me. That didn't have that second opinion that I did, there are guys out there that will love me for who I am not what I look like or what I wear, and I get my shoes at Nordstroms cute shoes at that, i can make any outfit look good with whatefver shoes I am wearing !! But going through all this has taught me so much. When I see someone who has had an amputation or any other problem maybe like mine or yours, the ideal thing that most people do is stare and feel sorry for them, but I don't. Because that's not what they want. That's not what I want. And I'm sure no one wants that. God has truly blessed me, us. My life could have gone down another road. I wouldn't be here today telling you my story unless my parents did what they did and I'm grateful for that. My mom has been a single parent since I was 3 years old. I admire her and her strength so much. Because if she would have gave up, my life could have changed. But she didn't :P!! And I thank God for that. Well other than the fusion I had limb lengthening surgery. I have had about 3 or 4 of them done. My last and final one was when I was in the 8th grade. That was 2 "school" years ago. Now both feet touch the floor. I can run, walk, ride a bike and my favorite dance dance dance. I could do those things before but it was hard because my hips were uneven but now I can do those things and do them with style!! Haha. Thanks for reading my story!!
August 21, 2008 - 7:20amHello Ms. 15 year old girl. I am 37 years old and I can relate to what you are going through. I was runned over by a big truck when I was 7 years old. It got my left leg from my knee down. My left foot was completely deformed. I had about six surgeries done, plus several skingraphs that left my legs with big scars in different places. I also have a leg shorter than the other. I had tried to find help to fix my foot during my late teen years with no luck. What help in regard to wearing styling shoes was boots. Even though my left foot was not straight but crooket to the side.About two years ago, I had a ankle fusion surgery with reconstruction of my left foot. Now my foot is straight but still deformed.My leg is shorter than before and still hurts, but not as much as before. I now I need to find a way to exercise, but walking is painful. If you have any advise about working out with an ankle fused, please let me know.
August 24, 2008 - 10:37pmThank you for your story and I wish you the best, Bye Bye!