Dr. Justin Daigre, orthopedic surgeon with the Surgery Center of Decatur (Decatur, Ala.) was featured in a segment discussing ankle replacement options and the progress the procedure has made over the years. The story focused on the advancement in technology for joint replacement and how ankle replacements are now an option for patients with severe arthritic or problematic ankles.

Dr. Daigre explains that while reliable, ankle fusion procedures reduce range of motion. Like with a knee replacement the surgeon looks for bone on bone degeneration during an X-ray consultation. He states if a patient’s ankle is bone on bone they may be a candidate for total ankle replacement. According to Dr. Daigre “The ideal patient would be someone who is a little bit older, but is still active. It’s that patient that wants to reserve their motion so they can still do those activities.”

The opinions of Dr. Daigre are his alone and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Wright Medical.

Any results are specific to this particular individual only. Individual results and activity levels after surgery vary and depend on many factors including age, weight and prior activity level. There are risks and recovery times associated with surgery and there are certain individuals who should not undergo surgery.