John Richardson is a retired lawyer who lives in London, Thailand and Australia. Mr Richardson had a triple joint fusion operation performed by Mark Davies, Clinical Director of the London Foot and Ankle Centre. This is a complex procedure which involves the surgical fusion of the talocalcaneal (TC), talonavicular (TN), and calcaneocuboid (CC) joints in the foot.
Describe your ankle problem
My ankle problems date back to 25 years ago when I broke my right ankle playing football. It was a bad break and forced me to stop playing football. Once you have an injury like that, the joint is always vulnerable. The problem was compounded by climbing injuries I had between the ages of 30 and 50. Eventually, I was walking across some rough ground in Thailand and ended up in intense pain, like an electric current shooting through my ankle.
Why did you choose ankle fusion surgery?
I had a series of scans in Australia which showed I had advanced arthritis. I was going back to London and the surgeon recommended I should go and see Mark Davies. Ankle fusion surgery was my only option for getting back to the activities I love. I was physically fit and didn’t want to spend the rest of my life with a walking stick.
How did you feel straight after surgery?
I had a central pain blocker which provided complete pain relief for the first 72 hours. After that, at times, my ankle did feel pretty uncomfortable, but within two weeks, it settled down. I spent the first week after surgery in hospital.
And the first three months post surgery?
I was in plaster from the ankle to the knee and told not to put any weight whatsoever on my ankle. I was at home in London and sat in the garden reading books. It was just a question of slugging it out – following your surgeon’s instructions and resting your foot. My plaster came off at nine weeks and was replaced by an Aircast boot which protects the ankle but is flexible and easily removed. At that point, under the guidance of a physiotherapist, I started to weight bear.
Three to six months: physiotherapy and weight bearing
You are given a series of exercises to help you learn to use the whole of your foot. Every day, you need to do your stretching exercises and build up your strength by gradually weight bearing. Just over three months post surgery, I had been planning to join friends for a golf tournament in Melbourne. I asked Mark’s advice and he said I could play, providing I didn’t walk around the course. I played five rounds of golf, comfortably walking around 500 yards a day.
Six months and beyond
Eight months after surgery, I climbed Mount Toubaal, the highest mountain in North Africa at 13,600ft. I managed the six hour descent with a very small amount of swelling. A year after the surgery, my wife and I walked a 290km Tibetan pilgrimage route between China and Tibet, including five 18,000ft passes. It was wonderful being able to do such a challenging route without any discomfort or swelling.
What would your advice be to anyone considering ankle fusion surgery?
I would highly recommend Mark Davies and The London Foot and Ankle Centre. I felt very confident in Mark – he tells you exactly what to expect and the process was exactly as Mark had described. Having ankle fusion must be a personal decision for each patient – it is a major operation and it takes time to recover. You have to work hard at your physiotherapy and if you don’t you will end up with serious problems; there is no magic wand. But for me, the benefits have made it very worthwhile without a doubt. I am able to do things I couldn’t imagine doing before surgery.
