Your talus bone is near the heel of your foot. It's positioned between your leg bones in your ankle and your heel bone. Because of its shape and qualities, this bone is at risk of developing avascular necrosis, which is death of the bone due to a loss of blood flow that delivers oxygen to the area.

Necrosis can happen when a medical condition or injury to your ankle causes damage to a vessel that supplies blood to the talus bone. Here's a look at symptoms caused by this medical condition and treatments you might need from a foot and ankle clinic.

AVN Of The Talus Leads To Ankle Arthritis

When the talus bone dies due to lack of blood flow, the bone can collapse. You may develop signs of ankle arthritis and have pain when you bear weight as you try to walk and go about your activities. Your ankle may even take on a deformed appearance due to changes in the talus bone.

Core Decompression Stimulates Bone Growth

Core decompression stimulates new bone growth, so it is used in the early stages before all the bone has died. This surgery involves removing the dead bone tissue so new, healthy bone can grow in its place. The surgeon also drills a hole in the talus bone to stimulate blood flow and new bone growth. A bone graft might also be done.

Recovery from this surgery could take months. You may need to avoid bearing weight on your ankle for several weeks.

An Ankle Fusion Helps With Pain

If you have a lot of problems with ankle pain, your doctor might recommend an ankle fusion. This involves removing dead and damaged tissue and then fusing bones together with pins and plates to stabilize your ankle. This surgery removes the damaged bone that causes your pain, but it also reduces the mobility of your ankle.

You may need to stay in the hospital a couple of days after this surgery, and a full recovery might take months. You may need to use crutches or a knee walker for several weeks after the procedure.

A Joint Replacement Might Be Needed

Your medical team at the foot and ankle clinic might decide an ankle joint replacement is necessary. If the avascular necrosis led to arthritis of the ankle joint, then replacing the joint with an implant could be the best way to reduce or eliminate your pain. You'll probably wear a cast after surgery and need to use a walker or crutches. It might take several months to a year to heal from a joint replacement.

Contact a doctor like Dr. Christopher H. Peteros, DPM, LLC to learn more. 

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