Hello! I had a full ankle fusion in April of 2010. I had it because I was in a head-on collision in 2001 that shattered my ankle and the arthritis had become so bad I could barely walk at all. I had to be out of work so much due to pain and doctor's appointments, and three days after my surgery my teaching position was ended. It is now September, and I am in physical therapy. I live in a small town, and I don't think my local physical therapy place knows much (or any) about ankle fusion. For many appointments, they have tried to move my ankle or get me to do things that are impossible to do. I do enjoy my pool therapy appointments, because I love being able to freely move in the water. I have gained so much weight since my first accident, because it is so hard for me to move around and I get so tired of being in pain. The pain now is less, but I feel like I'll never be able to work or get around ever again. I am on short-term disability and paying for COBRA, but it is so hard to pay the bills and keep going. I feel so lost sometimes and very depressed. I saw there were others who had this surgery, but the posts are old so I was wondering if anyone was still on here. I have considered looking for a new physical therapist in a neighboring town, what do you think? If you had ankle fusion surgery, did you go to physical therapy? What sorts of things did you do? I know it would help me if I could lose weight and get some weight off this ankle, but I have a hard time staying active. Any advice?