Ankle Replacement Surgery

Ankle replacement removes the worn surfaces of the shin bone and the talus and resurfaces them with metal components separated by a plastic bearing. It is done for end-stage ankle arthritis, most often after old fractures or repeated sprains, or in rheumatoid disease.

It relieves pain while keeping ankle movement, which protects neighbouring joints better than a fusion. Implants wear and loosen sooner than hip or knee replacements, and heavy or high-impact users do better with fusion.

What Ankle Replacement Surgery involves

Through a 10 to 15 cm incision on the front of the ankle, the surgeon moves the tendons and the nerve and vessel bundle aside and opens the joint. Cutting guides, often patient-specific and planned from a CT scan, are aligned with the leg and thin slices of bone are removed from the tibia and the dome of the talus. Trial components check alignment and movement, then the final metal parts are press-fitted so bone can grow into them, and a polyethylene insert is placed between. A tight Achilles tendon may be lengthened and ligaments balanced or a heel bone realigned in the same sitting.

Who is a good candidate for Ankle Replacement Surgery?

Usually considered when pain from ankle arthritis persists despite bracing, injections and footwear changes.

• People over about 55 with moderate activity demands
• Good alignment of the leg and hindfoot, or deformity that can be corrected
• Arthritis in neighbouring foot joints, where keeping ankle motion matters most
• Healthy skin and circulation around the ankle

It is usually not the right choice if:

• Active infection or a history of deep ankle infection
• Charcot neuropathy, severe diabetic neuropathy or poor blood supply
• Death of the talus bone (avascular necrosis) affecting a large area
• Heavy manual workers and runners, for whom fusion lasts better
• Severe uncorrectable deformity or ligament instability

الخيارات التقنية

• Fixed-bearing implant: The plastic insert locks to the tibial component. Most widely used modern design.
• Mobile-bearing implant: The insert glides between both metal parts; an alternative with similar reported results.
• Patient-specific instrumentation: CT-based cutting guides that shorten surgery and help alignment.
• Ankle fusion instead: Arthrodesis is the main alternative and is preferred for young, heavy-demand or neuropathic patients.

ماذا يحدث خلال علاجك

Surgery takes 2 to 3 hours under spinal or general anaesthesia, often with a nerve block behind the knee that keeps the foot numb for up to a day. You wake in a padded splint with the leg elevated, and stay in hospital 2 to 4 nights.

الإعداد لرحلتك

Plan for 14 to 21 days in Istanbul. Your surgeon reviews photographs and your medical history before you book, and you meet in person the day before surgery for examination, marking and consent with a professional interpreter.

• Stop smoking and nicotine at least four weeks before and after surgery; it is the single biggest avoidable cause of wound problems
• Tell the team about every medicine and supplement you take; blood thinners, some herbal products and hormone treatment may need to be paused on your doctor's advice
• Arrange for someone to travel with you or to be reachable, and keep the first days at home free of work and lifting
• Book a changeable return flight; your surgeon confirms when you are fit to fly

التعافي والنتائج

Elevation is the priority for the first 2 weeks because the skin on the front of the ankle heals slowly. Most protocols keep you non-weight-bearing in a cast or boot for 2 to 6 weeks, then progressive walking in the boot with physiotherapy. Expect ordinary shoes at about 3 months and continued improvement for a year. Swelling that lasts many months is normal.

• Back to everyday activity: 6 to 12 weeks before unaided walking
• When results show: Pain relief from about 3 months
• How long they last: Most implants 10 to 15 years

سياسة السلامة والمخاطر والتنقيح

Complication rates are higher than for hip or knee replacement, largely because of the thin soft-tissue cover.

• Delayed wound healing or wound breakdown over the front of the ankle
• Deep infection, which may require implant removal
• Fracture of the inner or outer ankle bone during or after surgery
• Loosening or sinking of the talar component over time
• Nerve injury causing numbness on top of the foot
• Persistent stiffness or pain, and blood clots in the leg
• Revision or conversion to fusion, needed in roughly 1 in 10 within ten years

Every written proposal arranged through Clinic-Y states what the clinic covers if a correction is needed. Ask for it before you book, not after.

Cost of Ankle Replacement Surgery in Türkiye

Clinic-Y does not publish a single price for Ankle Replacement Surgery, because the honest figure depends on your case. What moves it:

• Implant design and whether patient-specific guides are used
• Extra procedures such as tendon lengthening or heel realignment
• Length of hospital stay and physiotherapy included
• Pre-operative CT and standing X-rays

Send your photographs or reports and you receive written, all-inclusive proposals from suitable teams, side by side. Reviewing your case is free.

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