Ankle reconstruction surgery

Before your operation

• If you have your own X-rays please bring them to the clinic with you
• No food, drink or smoking for six hours before surgery (you may have sips of water up to two hours before surgery)
• Contact the Fortius Clinic in advance if you have any cuts, abrasions or skin problems on the leg being operated on

Staying in hospital

• Usual stay: one to three nights
• You will have a ½ plaster backslab dressing for the first two weeks
• A physiotherapist will give you advice about using crutches to keep the weight off your foot
• Make sure you book a post-operative follow-up appointment when you are discharged

What to expect after your operation

• Swelling: minimise this by keeping your foot elevated above your heart
• Pain: you will be given a prescription for pain relief medication on discharge. Keeping your foot elevated will also help minimise pain
• Bleeding: you may notice some oozing through the bandages. If there is heavy bleeding, please contact  the Fortius Clinic as soon as possible. Keeping your foot elevated will minimise bleeding
• In most cases, overall healing is expected to be fair at three months, good at six months with no swelling, and back to normal at 12 months
• Stay in bed for the first two to three days with your foot elevated above the level of your heart on three or four pillows
• Move around only when you need to, for example to wash or use the toilet. Do not put weight on the operated leg
• An ice-filled plastic bag placed over the foot or resting the foot on the bag will help ease the pain and swelling
• Take pain medication as prescribed when necessary
• Do not get the dressing wet or remove it
• Keep your foot elevated above your heart as much as possible for the first few weeks after your surgery

Looking after yourself when you return home

If you develop a fever along with increased pain and discharge from the wound, please contact the Fortius Clinic as soon as possible for advice, or consult your GP.

Follow-up appointments

Everyone is different, so healing and post-operative programmes vary from person to person. However, the follow-up appointments below are typical:

At 7-14 days:

• The dressing is removed and changed
• If necessary, sutures (stitches) are removed and ends trimmed
• A fibreglass cast may be applied and a cast shoe supplied
• Weight-bearing: partial to full weight-bearing as you are able to
•  Continue to elevate and rest leg as much as possible

At 6 weeks:

• Cast removal
• Referral for physiotherapy supervised exercises
• You may now bath as normal and allow the wound to become wet. Dab dry rather than rub with a towel

At 10-12 weeks:

•  Final review

If you have any questions, please contact us for advice.