Transcript
Good morning! This is Dr. Matthew Hyzy, on Friday, talking about our “Favorite Fridays” on how to avoid ankle surgery and ankle fusion. We’re also going to discuss the other options at Centeno-Schultz Clinic for ankle arthritis treatment, so we can avoid the surgical side effects after ankle surgery and ankle fusion.
What Is Ankle Fusion?
Ankle fusion is taking the main shinbone and fusing it to the foot bone, and also the heel bone to the main foot bone. So there are two joints that could fused.
The fusion is a major surgery where a large rod can go through the bottom of the heel bone to the shin bone as a fusion. (See Figure 1)
There’s also a technique of a crossing of three screws to fuse it. And there’s a newer technique where they put a big plate on the front of your ankle and fuse it to the talus or the first foot bone.
Typically, those fusions are lifelong and there’s significant complications of bruising, bleeding, infected bone or fractures of the bone. After the fusion, we’re unable to remove those screws and plates and improve the function after fusion.
How Do We Avoid Fusion?
Well, at Centeno-Schultz Clinic and Regenexx, what we’re able to do is use blood PRP, and we’re able to use ultrasound and X-ray to precisely inject inside the joint, all of the ligaments that support the bones, as well as the back of the subtalar joint, or even inside these small Sinus Tarsi ligaments. That would be called your Subtalar joint.
We have platelet-rich plasma and bone marrow concentrated stem cells to help your ankle pain, your ankle arthritis, and avoid the side effects of ankle fusion. Please give us a call if anybody recommends ankle fusion so we can have a second opinion and try to avoid those surgical complications.
Dr. Matthew Hyzy from Centeno-Schultz Clinic talking about our “Favorites on Friday” to avoid ankle fusion by treating ligaments and inside the joint of your ankle with blood PRP or bone marrow stem cells. Thank you. Have a good day!
