The Painful TAR

Total ankle implants have evolved consistently over the past decade, and with improvement in design, the frequency of total ankle replacement (TAR) use has increased. Implant survival, ease, and accuracy of implantation have all been shown to improve with second and third generation TAR designs, but even with improvements, complications remain a concern. One such complication is residual pain following an ankle replacement. The etiology of a painful TAR is multifactorial and includes infection, soft tissue impingement, neuritis, heterotopic ossification, periarticular arthritis, and aseptic loosening. Careful surgical technique can prevent several of these pain generators, whereas others may occur spontaneously. It is important to identify the underlying cause of persistent pain following TAR, as the etiologies described above are treatable. Level of Evidence: Level 5. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Source: Techniques in Foot and Ankle Surgery - Category: Orthopaedics Tags: Special Focus: Challenges in Total Ankle Arthroplasty Source Type: research