Video Transcript for Joan’s Total Ankle Replacement Surgery
Reporter: We’ve all heard of hip, knee, and shoulder replacements. But ankle replacement surgery has received far less attention mostly because the process wasn’t perfected. Now, a promising new ankle replacement is getting strong results from a South Florida surgeon.
77-year-old Joan Rita never imagined a horseback riding adventure would leave her in pain two decades later.
Joan Rita (Patient): “As I was dismounting, I got hung up on the stirrup and ended up shattering my ankle. Ever since then, it has been increasingly painful.”
Reporter: A couple of months ago, she met Dr. Kyle Kinmon and learned about a new approach to ankle replacement surgery.
Dr. Kyle Kinmon, DPM: “This particular ankle replacement is intramedullary guided, and what that means is that we can put it in precisely every time.”
Reporter: A special device holds the ankle in place while a guide is drilled through the heel, into the talus, and up into the tibia. This allows for precise placement of the ankle components. The top of the talus is removed and replaced by a tailored implant component. The tibial components are assembled inside the ankle, piece by piece. Few options like this existed until recently. Dr. Kinmon says past implants were inaccurate and ineffective. This newer implant is designed to improve mobility and reduce or eliminate ankle pain most commonly caused by arthritis following a fall or accident.
Dr. Kyle Kinmon, DPM: “Something to that degree can cause crushing of the bones in the ankle, and they’ll quickly develop post-traumatic arthritis that limits the mobility of the ankle joint and causes severe pain with any ambulation or any activity.”
Reporter: Arthritis from that horseback riding injury had caught up with Joan. But she says she’s looking forward to new adventures now.
Joan Rita (Patient): “From the third day after the surgery on, I haven’t had any pain and haven’t taken any pain pills. So that’s pretty awesome, I think.”
Reporter: Dr. Kinmon says recovery takes about six weeks, followed by several more weeks of physical therapy. The procedure is covered by insurance.
The podiatrists at Certified Foot and Ankle Specialists are board-certified foot and ankle surgeons trained and experienced in all forms of conservative treatment and surgical options, including total ankle joint replacement. The team has successfully helped patients across Martin, Palm Beach, and Broward counties get back on their feet.
About the INBONE Total Ankle System
The procedure featured in this segment uses the INBONE Total Ankle System, developed by Wright Medical and now part of the Stryker portfolio. It’s been one of the more meaningful advances in ankle arthroplasty since its introduction in 2005.
What sets it apart is the intramedullary alignment system the first of its kind for total ankle replacement, using intramedullary modular stems that provide additional fixation in both the tibia and talus. This is the same technology Dr. Kinmon references in the video when he explains how the guide runs from the heel up through the tibia for repeatable, precise component placement. ScienceDirect
The modular stem design solves a problem that plagued earlier ankle implants. Unlike a hip, which can be dislocated to allow stem access, or a knee, which has enough range of motion to accommodate a long rod, the ankle joint offered no such pathway. The INBONE system addresses this by allowing a surgeon to drop small, interconnecting stem pieces into the joint space and build the tibial stem piece by piece, as long or as short as the patient needs enabling fixation comparable to knee and hip replacements without weakening the front of the tibia. ScienceDirect
The system is indicated for patients with end-stage painful ankle arthritis who have failed conservative treatment, including those with traumatic or inflammatory arthritis. That profile fits the majority of total ankle replacement candidates. Research shows that nearly 80% of end-stage ankle arthritis is secondary to prior trauma exactly the kind of post-traumatic ankle arthritis Joan developed after her horseback riding injury. ScienceDirectnih
A 2020 study published in the Journal of Foot and Ankle Surgery analyzed 112 total ankle arthroplasty patients across three age groups. Patients in all groups showed substantial improvement in functional outcome scores, and the differences in complication rates and satisfaction between younger and older patients were not statistically significant. A finding that challenges the older assumption that ankle replacement should be reserved only for elderly, low-demand patients. nih
Published clinical results show 98% implant survivorship at five years, which is a meaningful benchmark for a joint that historically had poor long-term outcomes with earlier replacement designs. stryker
For patients like Joan, the practical result is a procedure that’s precise, reproducible, and backed by nearly two decades of clinical use worldwide.
References:
Cottom JM, et al. Age-Related Outcomes in Total Ankle Arthroplasty: An Analysis of 112 Patients. J Foot Ankle Surg. 2020;59(4):739-742. PMID: 32113827
Raikin SM, Myerson MS. The INBONE Total Ankle Replacement. Foot Ankle Clin. 2010;15(4). doi:10.1016/j.fcl.2010.07.001
If you’re dealing with any foot, ankle or lower leg problems, make an appointment with one of our board-certified podiatrists.