What does surgery for total ankle replacement involve?

Surgery usually takes 2 hours and is most often performed under general anaesthesia. The surgeon will make a 15cm long incision over the front or outside of the ankle and remove the damaged joint surfaces. They will then replace these with an artificial joint which is made up of 2 metal components that resurface the shin bone (tibia) and ankle bone (talus bone). In between the metal is a plastic insert. The ankle replacement (prosthesis) is fixed to the bone using special coatings on the metal which bond directly to the bone. The wound is then closed with stitches/sutures and the leg will then be placed in a well-padded plaster splint.