Are there any hunter/jumper riders out there who have had a total ankle replacement and gone back to our sport? I’ve had many injuries/failed surgeries leading up to this and do not want to do an ankle fusion (you can not later have a joint replacement, a fusion is permanent loss of motion and can fail). I’m 30 and giving up jumping is something I can not stomach. Compete in the meter to meter 10s currently and looking for personal anecdotes to getting back to riding after an ankle joint replacement.
following I haven’t had this surgery yet but I am sure it has been said that if my latest surgery fails then that will more than likely be the next step.
JumperGal24, sorry that I don’t have experience to add that you’re looking for, but your post caught my eye. My husband has had multiple tendon/bone damage in his ankle over the years. Was told last year by his ortho that since there isn’t “ankle replacement” like knee replacement, he is stuck dealing with his pain limitations or can choose ankle fusion. May I ask what area/city you are in or what the specific type of surgery you may be facing? Would like to know more as a possible remedy for DH!
Lusoluv - they have been doing ankle replacements for 10+ years. Your husband needs a different ortho. I know my doc does them in Baltimore & my old doc in NoVA does them as well.
I had what was effectively an ankle recon about 15yrs ago now. At the time i was jumping fairly seriously. I had been operating on the stuffed joint for about 5 yrs too and was after the surgery pain free for the first time in years. I did find i had some pain again after jumping but it was nothing compared to before. I also found MDC flex irons helped a lot with pain management.
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I did not know they did ankle replacements! Crazy.
After looking it up, I may be able to provide a bit of help. I (obviously) did not have replacement, but I had complete reconstruction done on my right ankle about 7 years ago. Literally every tendon and ligament were torn, scoped out a lot of scar tissue, had to shave down bone to create room for repairs connective tissue. Now, according to this information, http://www.aofas.org/footcaremd/treatments/Pages/Total-Ankle-Arthroplasty.aspx , your recovery time doesn’t sound terribly. “Weight-bearing usually begins a few weeks after surgery.” With my ankle reconstruction, I was non-weight bearing for FOUR MONTHS. It was miserable, but I eventually got back to where I was before with riding and jumping. Now I have some mild pain that has returned, but nothing near what it was before. My knee is a bigger issue, because who needs good joints?
I’d say you have a significantly higher chance of going back to your level of jumping with the replacement than the fusion. That much is clear. The only advice I can give is, do NOT skimp out on the physical therapy, and do everything the doctors tell you to. I was never one to follow doctors orders (like a broken foot is going to stop me from riding!), but for this surgery I was too scared not too.
I’m interested in this. I had an ankle replacement in August and am now 5 months post-op and am itching to get back to riding. But I will tell you that the recovery is tough, and I’m not yet sure if I’m stable enough to get off a horse yet. (I think I can get on, but getting off presents more of a problem since I might jam the ankle on the way down.) If you have the surgery, let me know how it goes. Recovery is supposed to take a year, and I’m really starting to believe my surgeon. On the plus side, my mare now comes to my vehicle to get a pear so I can check her over for cuts and scrapes. I’d be interested in hearing about anyone else who has had the surgery and returned to riding.
I returned to riding but now ride gaited, no way could I post. Also bought a shorter horse and mount from the oposite side on my good ankle.
I have had serious ankle issues for about 8 or so years now, and had my second surgery last October. This surgery removed a bunch of scar tissue, bone spurs, and apparently there was a cyst in there too. So with all that and the soft tissue problems, I’m always in pain.
Anyway, I wanted an ankle replacement. I basically BEGGED the doc for one. But I am only 31, and he strongly advised against it. His argument was that the technology is just not up to snuff, unlike knee and hip replacements. The ankles fail, and they fail sooner rather than later. He wants to just keep an eye on it and do more surgery if needed, or a fusion. He never said anything about not being able to do a replacement after the fusion, so that’s interesting to hear.
My recovery was a year, and then some. I’m jumping again, albeit little things because my boy is young. But I don’t have increased pain with jumping, as of now.
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[QUOTE=DoodlesMom;9015440]
Anyway, I wanted an ankle replacement. I basically BEGGED the doc for one. But I am only 31, and he strongly advised against it. His argument was that the technology is just not up to snuff, unlike knee and hip replacements. The ankles fail, and they fail sooner rather than later. He wants to just keep an eye on it and do more surgery if needed, or a fusion. He never said anything about not being able to do a replacement after the fusion, so that’s interesting to hear. [/QUOTE]
I’m 61, so the ankle replacement was a better choice for me. There might still be fusion in my future, but once there is a fusion that’s the end of movement in the ankle. The life expectancy of the replacement is about 10 years, and then it might have to be done again. I know it is not recommended for younger people for that reason. Also, it is limiting, although there is some pain in the tendons.
I’m just worried about being able to get off my horse. She’s 16.3, so it’s a bit of a slide off anyway, and she’s used to me holding onto the saddle for stability. I’m interested that the other poster said she couldn’t post to a trot anymore. If I can’t do that, I’ll probably have to get my girl a new home. :mad:
[QUOTE=sharvin101;9015518]
I’m 61, so the ankle replacement was a better choice for me. There might still be fusion in my future, but once there is a fusion that’s the end of movement in the ankle. The life expectancy of the replacement is about 10 years, and then it might have to be done again. I know it is not recommended for younger people for that reason. Also, it is limiting, although there is some pain in the tendons.
I’m just worried about being able to get off my horse. She’s 16.3, so it’s a bit of a slide off anyway, and she’s used to me holding onto the saddle for stability. I’m interested that the other poster said she couldn’t post to a trot anymore. If I can’t do that, I’ll probably have to get my girl a new home. :mad:[/QUOTE]
I am just remembering that I met a lady a year or two ago at the barn who had just finished recovering from an ankle replacement. She was roughly 65, and was overjoyed. She said she could ride again, with no pain (she didn’t board with us, so I’m not sure what she rode). So there is hope!
My main issues are between the Calcaneus and the Talus, so a fusion is actually not terrible, since there isn’t a massive amount of movement there anyway. I do still have pain when I dismount, occasionally. My guy is only 15.3 as of now, so it’s not terrible. But I rode my friend’s 18 hand Clyde the other day… NOT something I could get off of on a regular basis!
I have a trail riding friend who had both ankles replaced…as in, totally replaced. Her recovery was slow wth lots of PT and the prosthetics were over $50,000 each. She had to wait several years because her insurance considered it experimental until the replacements were more commonly used.
She has decided to retire from riding because of the risk of injury …so her two horses are also retired. Because she had both joints replaced, she was off for a year anyway…
I am so appreciative of everyone’s replies. The unknown is absolutely the worst part. I am opting for an experimental cadaver cartilage replacement - they are risky but can put off the replacement for a few years if it takes. The recovery is 6 weeks on crutches, 8-12 weeks in a boot, and no impact activities for 9-12 months. So it’s looking like riding is a long way out, but the way I’ll get through it is looking forward to jumping again. Hearing what stirrups provide comfort and any encouraging stories like getting back to jumping after major joint surgeries is absolutely everything! Thank you!
OP, have you had the surgery yet? Cadaver cartilage freaks me out, but if it works and is better than either replacement or fusion…
I feel sad reading all the post. I wish folks would do real research and stop trusting what the doctors tell you. Look at Cochrane reports and if you can’t read medical research get someone to help you. Much of what is posted above is unproven medicine. Guys these surgeries are based on someones ideas of what might help. There is little research done on most surgeries and ankle replacements though better than they used to be are a last resort for the desperate or people who have totally shattered their ankles.
I know you think your surgeons are knowledgable but most are just doing what they heard at the last conference. There are a few great ankle surgeons in the country . They mostly work on athletes.Try Mission Memorial in Baltimore but never have surgery unless there is nothing to lose.
For example people go to ER with chest pain and find out they have a blocked artery, over 70% of cardiologist will recommend doing a stent. Wrong there is no evidence that stents help people unless they have had a heart attack. However complications and stroke from unnecessary stents are a serious complication. At a cardiology conference mega data was presented to surgeons and yet almost all surgeons said they would continue to do stents even with the hard evidence they were useless and dangerous( unless you have had a heart attack already).When asked why the rplies were “because i’ve always done it”!
Doctors make the same cognitive errors as everyone else but shockingly even with hard evidence they said they won’t change, is it money ,maybe or is it human behavior ,absolutely.
Yes I’m in cognitive science.
amastrike you are so correct, again I thought they had quit doing that surgery. Very poor results with real serious risks.
I completely trust my ortho, but I also like to know what’s out there so I can think about it. I’m hoping my ankle holds out at least a few more years, but I don’t know. The last steroid injection didn’t help at all. I’m pretty much planning on avoiding surgery until I can’t walk without crying, because I can’t afford to take 2-3 months or more off.
One word: lawyers. Most doctors aren’t going to risk the monumental malpractice lawsuit that would result if they didn’t do a stent and the patient died.
So here’s an update on my ankle replacement. Getting off the horse is now no more difficult than it was before the surgery. Although that ankle is a little stiff, I’m not finding that riding is a problem other than the fact that I’ve been off my horse for a year and need to get my seat back. My opposite hip is giving me some trouble because it has been bearing extra weight, but I’m swimming in a saltwater pool several times a week, and that helps significantly. Lela has not been the queen bee that I thought she would be and I had a young Pony Clubber help me get back on for the first 3 rides to get over the fear factor. Somewhere in the last year Lela has settled into a more mature horse. I’m gradually trusting that the ankle is not going anywhere and so long as I’m careful, I can pretty much do whatever I can handle. But being in recovery for over a year has taught me that I don’t bounce back as easily as I once did, so sticking with a plan and resting when I need to is very important. I’m lucky in one sense in that I can’t push so hard I hurt myself because I’m building back the muscle strength. I do dressage, so I’m not planning to jump, but I’m pleased that I can get back on and ride without the pain that I was experiencing last year.
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Just for info too - I have an ankle fusion and I ride and jump without any problems. I am a classified para rider which means I can use a rubber band to secure my foot in the stirrup for all competitive riding, and I have the fused ankle stirrup two holes longer than the other leg to compensate for the lack of ankle flexion, but other than that it’s not the ankle that stops me jumping bigger than 3ft, it’s the fact that I’m a wimp and considerably fatter than I used to be!
For me (just for other people searching on this topic) ankle replacements aren’t offered really here so I would have had to travel to the US for surgery and self funded. Which I would have done if my surgeon had been truly confident it was the best option. But his advice was that for active young people (I was 25 at the time) I’d wear the replacement joint out by the time I was forty and then be really stuffed. So fusion was the best option. I can’t run anymore but I can pretty much do everything else, including ride dressage and jump.
Thanks everyone, especially @mmeqcenter and @nzrider - it’s so helpful to hear success stories!
Update on my surgeries: I had cadaver bone and catilage grafts done in March of 2017. I was on crutches for a few months, then the boot, etc. The recovery period is about a year to have all the new grafts incorporate. This week (12/1/17) I had a surgery to clean out the scar tissue from that operation, and the doc said that some of the grafts took and some have not (not hugely surprising given the severity of my joint degradation). I am going to start riding in a few weeks (already have sat on a horse and ridden with a stirrup for a few hacks) and am hopeful this bridge will get me through 5 more years until replacements are better. Please keep sharing your stories, it’s hugely helpful!
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UPDATE: I’m back in the saddle and jumping up to 1.10 meters! I have to ride in a large brace that provides stability, and I certainly have better days than others, but I’m riding. I’ve lost a lot of range of motion in my ankle, so my right stirrup is about 4 holes longer than my left, but that’s as much as I can handle. Some days I feel crippled and some days I feel okay. Icing after every ride helps take the edge off. My bone and cartilage graft only took about 50%, so there will still be surgeries down the road. At this point I’m just glad to be able to walk and ride.
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