[briejer]

Anyone have experience with a fused ankle? I'm 6 months post op of having my subtalar joint fused. My Dr. says that I'll have to limit my hiking, and that is hard to accept. At 5 miles I'm hurting pretty bad. Before surgury I was 20+ miles a day no problem. Any input or suggestions? Foot wear? Training ideas? Time to buy a mule?

[polarbear]

Is the range of motion of the ankle limited now?

[Allison]

I'm a candidate for the same surgery, and they are telling me it will be no problem hiking and skiing on it once it heals. Six months seems early given the severity of the surgery though.

[Bob K]

I think the there is essentially no motion. I have had bad knees in the past, which is not nearly as bad as a fused ankle. There is a chance that you will stress and injure the joints in your legs, knees, and feet, that are compensating for the ankles, but my advice is to do as much as your ankle, doctor, and will power will allow. How far you walk was never really the point anyway. Being outdoors, exercise and overcoming challenges is always good. It is a new set of challenges, but the same feeling of tremendous accomplishment when you face and overcome them. Good luck. We are rooting for you. -

[Allison]

I'm sure the orifinal poster would gladly elaborate, but the subtalar joint is betweent he talus and the calc (heel bone). if you grab onto the very bottom of your heel and give it a wiggle, you will see how much ROM a normal person has in that area. It's very little when compared to the ROM of the ankle joint proper, where your foot meets your leg. Still, it's a moving part in the pretty complex foot and ankle system. Subtalar fusions are almost always done to alleviate arthritis in the subtalar joint, iffin I am not mistaken. No joint=no arthritis.

[briejer]

I have motion up and down , just no side to side. The subtalar joint absorbs 80% of the impact. The problem is now the true ankle joint absorbs all the impact. I'm 6'6" and 230# so there is quite a bit of load on my ankle, and it lets me know it. Anyone know of some new fangled footwear that will help? I never have to worry about twisting my right ankle again I do have to worry about wearing out the true ankle joint prematurly, I'm still young(36) and need to make this body of mine last.

[Allison]

Lowa has some boots with a super cool ankle joint thingy that you might like. I can't remember the name right now but if you look at their website, the ones with the big plastic cuff will stand out. I have a pair for field testing and they are great for on-trail hiking, but if you do a lot of off-trail, they are not the right boot. Also I can't stress enough the need for orthotics if your feets or anlkles are messed up. PS. I assume you already hike with trekking poles, but if not, that is the place to start.

[briejer]

The Lowa BIOMEX is a pretty cool boot, but with being fused ankle support isn't my concern . My concern is impact. By orthotics , do you suggest seeing a pedietrist, or going with a "Superfeet" style insole?

[Pixi_shels]

I always twist my ankle on a hike. After a good night sleep it goes away. Shels

[Allison]

Well, you might start with Superfeet, but you will ultimately probably end up getting real custom orthotics where they make plaster impressions of your feet and make orthotics from there. They generally run about 500 bucks, and last a year or two if you are on your feet a lot. Insurance usually doesn't cover them no matter how good a reason you have for needing them. PM me if you want details on getting hooked up with the orthotics students at UWMC. I've had them make me a few pair, and it's been a big help. Once you have a "real" set made, you see why they are so ungodly expensive....they are completely handmade and custom, and by their nature, the materials compress and wear out over time. I have about five pairs of custom ones now, and my favorites are cork, so they compress every time I take a step.

[polarbear]

Briejer, you might want to check out what is mentioned on footwear at the bottom of this link.

[solohiker]

[Allison]

My policy will pay for Vicodin, amputation, and time on the couch, but not orthotics.

[briejer]

I have no insurance so no guessing game there. I will be looking into the orthotics next week. Thanks everyone for the input

[nordique]

After a period of increasing right ankle pain in my first 37 hikes this year, on my newish right ankle replacement, I went to see an ortho doc, with my CT scans. He said I had a void under my ankle replacement device which put me in danger of the device collapsing into that void. He said he could fill that void with bone bits and stabilize my ankle with two screws. That surgery was on May 31 and I've mostly been on crutches since then. Last Tuesday I did my first hike without crutches or a cane: two miles. The foot was a bit sore after the hike--which was also pretty slow and with minimal elevation gain. Since I retired eleven years ago, I've hiked three days a week and climbed at Vertical World another three days a week. I've been unable to climb at all since my surgery but I might try climbing again soon, though I will need to rent a right foot climbing shoe since my 'new' right foot is now larger than my left foot. So, I'm four months out now, and done with PT and massage therapy. Have any of you been in a similar situation? I'm curious to know when/if I might be able to walk, hike, and climb again.