The Centers for Advanced Orthopaedics is redefining the way musculoskeletal care is delivered across the region with locations throughout Maryland, DC, Virginia and Pennsylvania.
I sustained a compound dislocated fracture of my right talus in May 2019. This was missed on my initial visit to a different provider three weeks later and their subsequent followup visits. I was told “no fracture”, just soft tissue injury. Pain and discomfort persisted/increased. In August 2019 I was seen by another ankle specialist at another practice group and he immediately made the correct diagnosis, but only offered ankle fusion as a treatment. I was reluctant about this and elected to wait and watch, hoping for the best, but pain/discomfort and my ability to walk just continued to worsen.
For the last 30 years I would run/jog a few miles several times weekly. This was no longer possible, as every step I took hurt to a greater or lesser degree. (By the way, I am a stoic of sorts, with a high pain tolerance; when I finally got to see Dr. Neufeld he expressed he was surprised I was walking with this fracture). Had to go up and down stairs one step at a time, with heavy reliance on the rail.
In January 2020 I encountered a neighbor walking in an ankle boot and learned he had recently had total ankle joint replacement done by Dr. Neufeld. I was not even aware such a procedure was available/possible. So I had an appointment with Dr. Neufeld in January 2020. By that time he determined there was progressing avascular necrosis of the fractured talus and offered total ankle joint replacement; I agreed. Then Covid became an issue, and “elective surgeries” were put on hold.
Finally had total ankle joint replacement surgery on 01 July, 2020.
Post op discomfort was minimal (remember though, I am a stoic). Took gabapentin at night, for about a month. Endured the trials and tribulations of a soft cast, then hard cast (both with assistance from a knee scooter), for about six weeks. Switching to a walking boot at six weeks was exhilarating and getting rid of the boot a few weeks later was even more so. Swelling was present for months, but has gradually subsided and is now very minimal at most. Now, six months out, I walk without pain or discomfort, and stairways are no longer a challenge; I take the steps a bit slowly, but no major problem. The joint gets a bit stiff when I do not move it for a while, but range of motion and motor functions are intact. Sensation in the foot is significantly decreased, but, I believe, is slowly but surely recovering.
Given my injury and the problems it caused, the outcome of this procedure performed by Dr. Neufeld is as close to a miracle as anything I have ever experienced.