Some patients have symptoms in the ankle joint because their leg or foot is not straight. Surgeons can help relieve pain and improve function by straightening the leg or foot. These procedures can be combined with ankle arthroscopy or cartilage resurfacing.

To best align the ankle for function and pain relief, the surgeon will cut and reposition bone and then hold the new position with metal pins, screws, or plates. If the surgeon needs to also lengthen the limb, either a bone graft is used or the bone around the ankle is gradually stretched (like Turkish taffy) using pins, rods, and wires. The postoperative course typically involves a short hospital inpatient stay and a six- to 12-week period of limited walking and standing when patients use crutches, a walker, or a wheelchair as the bone heals.

References

Instr Course Lect. 1999;48:279-85.

Periarticular osteotomies: the importance of limb alignment.

Crawford HA, Amendola A.

Sports Medicine Clinic, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada