Total Ankle Replacement: Who Is a Good Candidate Today?
Implant designs and patient-specific guides have widened the conversation between arthrodesis and arthroplasty.
Podiatrify Clinical Editorial Team, Editorial Staff
Podiatric Medicine & Research
- Published
- Published Aug 29, 2026
- Last reviewed
- Last reviewed Sep 2, 2026
- Reading time
- 3 min read
- Audience
- Patients & clinicians
- Evidence level
- Moderate Evidence
Clinical summary
Total ankle arthroplasty preserves motion for end-stage ankle arthritis. Candidacy depends on alignment, bone stock, soft-tissue envelope, activity level, and comorbidities such as neuropathy or active infection.
Patient view: plain-language reading.
Arthrodesis or arthroplasty
Ankle fusion reliably relieves pain but removes tibiotalar motion. Replacement preserves motion but carries revision risk. Many patients are candidates for either, which makes shared decision-making central.
1 clinical section hidden in Patient view.
References
- 1.Comparative cohort literature on total ankle arthroplasty versus ankle arthrodesis. Verify specific studies before citing.
Summaries are editorial. Verify details against the original publications.
Clinical Review. Written for clinicians and podiatric medical students. Editorial standards
Podiatrify provides educational information and risk guidance and does not provide a medical diagnosis. Symptoms involving severe pain, rapidly spreading infection, black or blue tissue, major trauma, loss of circulation, or systemic illness may require urgent medical evaluation.
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