Salem orthopedic surgeon Dr. Kelly McCormick has been performing ankle replacements for three years, and while people may not be familiar with the procedure, he says the procedure is fairly common. Dr. McCormick’s patient Mary Davis first damaged her ankle during a basketball game in high school nearly 50 years ago that resulted in several years of pain, torn ligaments and sprains. A surgery to repair the torn tendons and ligaments provided her some relief, but the pain reappeared around age 50. Mary tried to deal with the pain by taping the ankle to keep it secure, but over time the pain became too much and she went to see Dr. McCormick.

Dr. McCormick gave her the option of an ankle fusion or total ankle replacement. To test out the options, he provided Mary with a boot that simulated the mobility of a fused ankle, and after an hour of wearing it, she decided that a total ankle replacement would be the best choice for her.

Mary received the INBONE® Total Ankle System replacement from Dr. McCormick at Hope Orthopedics in October 2013, and after four weeks of recovery and six weeks of physical therapy, Mary was back on her feet, pain free.

The opinions of Dr. McCormick and Mary Davis are theirs 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.