Moving Beyond Ankle Pain J uanita Winner suffered from painful ankle arthritis. Her condition was due to age-related degenerative changes in her ankle, although other conditions may also cause arthritis to occur. Winner’s pain was disabling, as it would only allow walking for short distances and times. She continued to experience pain despite conservative measures such as anti-inflammatory med-ications, activity modifications, bracing and heating pads. She even used medications at night to help her sleep. After years of frus-tration, her Rheumatologist referred her to Albert W. Marr MD, an Orthopedic Surgeon with OrthoWilmington. He recommended a STAR Total Ankle replacement. In 2009, after a clinical trial that began in 2001, the STAR ankle was approved by the FDA for ankle replacements. The STAR Ankle is the only FDA approved total ankle with a mobile bearing – a mobile bearing more closely imitates the function of a natural ankle – providing a return to near-normal mobility. While used in Europe for over 20 Hundreds of surgeons throughout the US are seeing increasing success and satisfaction with ankle replacement. 6 WBM july 2014 years, the implant builds on the success of over 25,000 uses worldwide. More than 600 US surgeons have now trained on implan-tation and the appropriate patients for the new device, and have begun using it. After her ankle replacement surgery, Winner received a cast, and began a recovery process. She had virtu-ally no pain, but needed to keep her leg elevated for a few weeks in order to reduce the swelling in her foot. After her incision site healed, she began physical therapy and was weight bearing as tolerated by 6 weeks after surgery. Within 6 weeks of physical therapy, she regained mobility and flexibil-ity in her ankle. A year and a half after the procedure, she described her ankle as being “100% better,” and “back to normal.” At 70, she is able to ride her tricycle almost ev-ery day, and does water aerobics 3 times a week. She recommends others with painful ankle arthritis to see Dr. Marr to determine whether they are a candidate for ankle replacement surgery. FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT US AT: www.StarAnkleReplacement.com Based upon his experience across the breadth of foot and ankle procedures, Dr. Marr of OrthoWilmington remarked, “the total ankle procedure is very satisfying for patients – the goal is to enable them to return to a more active, pain-free life.” Using the STAR for ankle replacements provides a “safe, repeatable means of improving a patient’s quality of life.” These comments were echoed in a statement issued by the American Orthopedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS). This US- based organization of orthopedic surgeons stated, “Total ankle replacement surgery is a safe and effective treatment option for select patients with ankle arthritis.” With the support of the AOFAS and other authoritative bodies, now nearly all insurance companies provide coverage for appropriate ankle replacement candidates.
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