Total Ankle Replacement- Patient Victories

We often have patients with incredible success stories after their recovery from surgery.  One of our main goals at OFAC is to get patients back to doing what they love to do whether it is playing outside with their kids/grandchildren, walking their son/daughter down the isle, going to grocery store or even competing in the Olympics. Our team works hard every day to accomplish these goals with our patients. 

From time to time, patients share their successes with us and in turn we would love to share them with you.  We are happy to introduce you to some of our amazing patients. Jeff McNally- Professor & Avid Cyclist Jeff McNally had a total ankle replacement with Dr. Berlet 3 months ago. He is a fitness fanatic from Ann Arbor, Michigan and he suffered from severe arthritis in his ankle, inhibiting to do what he loved to do, cycle. After surgery he chronicled his recovery. By 6 weeks he was riding his bike 8 miles every other day, he rode from Chelsea to Ann Arbor at 9 weeks (32 miles), and did 67 miles at week 12. We are happy to report Jeff met his goal of riding a century, 100 miles, this weekend and he feels great.  Jeff ‘s advice for patients is that they need to choose a surgeon that is best for them, in his case; it was Dr. Berlet and his team. He felt very comfortable with them from his initial visit after doing much research on the web. He understood that he may have some decreased motion compared to the ankle that was never injured, but he has learned to adjust his activities and does not consider it a limitation. According to Dr. Berlet, Jeff had severe arthritis of his ankle with an otherwise good foot. He had a lifetime of fitness and was very hesitant to fuse his ankle as this would limit his activities that define him and his quality of life. He traveled to Columbus for a consultation and we discussed the option of ankle replacement as an alternative to ankle fusion. The ankle replacement fit his needs for pain improvement while preserving function and motion of the ankle. I am very pleased with his early recovery and know that he will continue to improve for a year after surgery.

Congratulations Jeff – you worked hard and the short-term result is excellent. We are proud of you and look forward to hearing about your other accomplishments.