When persistent or severe ankle arthritis from a chronic ankle injury or ankle fracture makes walking, exercise, or climbing stairs unbearable, it’s time to consider your treatment options. Ankle replacement surgery can relieve ankle pain and restore motion when nonsurgical treatments aren’t effective. Foot and ankle surgeons at WVU Medicine routinely perform a variety of ankle surgeries and revisions, from ankle fusion to ankle replacement.
The fellowship-trained experts at WVU Medicine have extensive experience in surgically treating your ankle pain, and they have the experience and expertise to recommend total ankle replacements to people who would otherwise not be considered candidates.
Total ankle replacement is often the treatment of choice for people who want to continue their active lifestyles. Because the artificial ankle joint is designed to more closely mimic the natural movement of the ankle, patients can walk with a more natural gait and experience less pain and a greater range of motion. That spares the other parts of your knee and ankle that can wear out following ankle fusion. Some patients who have had an ankle fusion may be candidates for ankle replacement surgery to restore movement and function.
Conditions We Treat
The clinical expertise of the WVU Medicine team, combined with modern technology solutions, allows us to offer high-quality care for a wide range of foot and ankle disorders and injuries, including:
- Accessory navicular bone (extra bone/cartilage on inner side of foot)
- Achilles tendon tear
- Ankle arthritis/arthroplasty (ankle replacement)
- Ankle fractures
- Ankle instability (looseness or “giving out” easily)
- Arthritis
- Benign bone tumor
- Bone lesion (abnormal bone growth)
- Bunions (hallux valgus)
- Cartilage injuries/disorders
- Cavus foot (high arch)
- Clubfoot
- Flatfoot (underdeveloped or collapsed arch)
- Foot fractures
- Gout
- Haglund’s deformity (bony enlargement on heel)
- Hallux rigidus (stiff big toe)
- Hammer toes
- Metatarsalgia (forefoot pain)
- Orthotics
- Osteochondral lesion of the talus (damaged cartilage/bone)
- Plantar fasciitis
- Posterior tibial tendon dysfunction (collapsing foot)
- Sports injuries
- Sprained ankle
- Stress fractures
- Tendinosis/tendinitis
- Tendon injuries
- Tendon ruptures
Treatments and Services
Our main goal is to alleviate your pain and restore daily function as quickly as possible. We provide evaluation, management, and rehabilitation of problems related to the ankle and foot.
When scans are necessary, we utilize a weight-bearing CT scan, during which the patient is standing upright and putting weight on their foot and ankle while the scan is taken. This type of imaging provides better detail than an x-ray and can evaluate arthritis, foot or ankle deformities, and other diseases that affect the bones in the ankle or foot. Weight-bearing CT scans are available in the Foot and Ankle clinic and, if approved, can be performed in the same visit.
When total ankle replacement is necessary, one option is the Vantage Total Ankle, which is designed to cater to the patient’s natural motion and keeps as much of the natural bone as possible. We use Patient Specific Instrumentation (PSI), incorporating 3D-printed guides based off a patient’s CT scan. The guides are used during surgery to ensure proper placement of the ankle implant.
Appointments and Directions
855-WVU-CARE (855-988-2273)
WVU Medicine Physician Office Center
1 Medical Center Drive
Morgantown, WV 26506
