- [Voiceover] In an effort to provide
anatomical motion,
doctors developed The STAR Ankle.
The new total ankle replacement
for ankle arthritis.
(electronic music)
- [Dr. Scott] What is arthritis?
It's inflammation of a joint.
And it typically causes pain, swelling,
stiffness, difficulty and ambulating
depending on which joint is affected.
I mean particularly with the ankle,
it's inflammation caused by some type
of wearing away of the cartilage
that normally covers the ends of each bone.
The ankle replacement developed as
a response to the standard for ankle arthritis
which is fusion.
And the concept developed
in an effort to preserve some type of joint motion,
I mean it was very difficult to do in the ankle
because there's not a lot of room in the ankle joint,
the bones are a lot smaller,
so the answer at that point
was really only fusion.
One of the limitation with fusion
aside from the movement being
eliminated in the ankle,
is that it can also cause arthritis
in other joints around the fusion area.
The replacement is an effort to maintain
the motion in the ankle.
And now certainly it's not normal motion,
but it is motion that is beneficial
in terms of movement, functionality,
as well as taking some of the pressure off
the other joints around the ankle.
I have the experience I have in my fellowship
doing a number of total ankle replacements
and really was excited about the STAR
because it provided some good options
for ankle replacement.
So when you look at the amount of bone
that's available in an ankle joint,
you really would like to minimize
the bone resection or how much bone you remove.
In some cases, in the older ankle replacements,
you are removing a lot of bone from that joint,
either if you try to do a fusion later,
or a new replacement,
it was hard to fill that space there.
The advantage of the STAR Ankle Replacement
is it really resurfacing,
so you're removing minimal bone.
And it allows a space there
that can be easily filled with a new prosthesis
if it ever has to revised or even a fusion if necessary.
I was the first orthopedic surgeon
to be certified and only have Allie
to perform the procedure.
And it's really taken a fair amount of time
to developed new state of the art prosthesis
to do the surgery.
Another consideration,
was also just the way the prosthesis was designed.
It's a three component prosthesis.
So that means that you have a tibial side
which is on the ankle.
You have a talar side which is down below that area,
and then there's a separate component in between.
And it allows for more degrees of motion in the ankle,
almost more of a normal movement in the ankle.
The advantage is
that there's better motion with the STAR
in terms of more degrees of motion,
there's extension and flexion and twisting and turning,
something a little bit more that is mimicking
a normal ankle joint,
as well as the minimal bone resection
that's required to do the procedure.
Recovery time for a total ankle replacement varies.
But if it's a strict total ankle replacement,
the overall recovery time though
can take two to three months,
just in general,
because you're trying to strengthen your ankle now.
You maybe not used to it moving as much
as it does now,
just because of the new motion
and the new replacement in there.
So it does take some time to recover from.
Patients can expect a good longevity
from an ankle replacement.
I think it's reasonable if placed well
and placed correctly,
it can last 20 years.
Unfortunately, a total ankle replacement
isn't going to hold up to the impact of running,
running marathons,
or any of that type of strenuous activity.
But, I think it's safe to say,
and I think it's reasonable
for a patient to go out for a walk,
swimming, yoga, Pilates, biking.
I mean these are all things that I think
are appropriate.
When we meet and discuss total ankle replacement
as an option,
there has to be expectations.
And I need to make sure
the patients expectations are the same as mine.
The ankle replacement is designed to eliminate pain,
because we're removing the inflamed
arthritic surfaces from the equation.
So when the FDA approved it in 2009,
I felt it was a new and up to date option
for treating ankle arthritis.
And I felt like this was something that I
definitely wanted to offer my patients.
- [Voiceover] The STAR Ankle.
The new total ankle replacement.
A mobile ankle to improve your mobility.
(electronic music)