I was offered this following a foot fracture, but in fact I turned it down and decided to soldier on with the pain and the limp.
The reasons that I turned it down were:
- the recovery and non-weight-bearing period is long - 6 weeks in plaster, 6 weeks in boot and 6 months till full union of the bones. This is assuming that all goes according to plan.
- the absence of movement between the fused bones in the foot can lead to extra stress on the ankle joint, which can then itself give problems over time.
It seemed to me that I would be likely to still limp afterwards, so nothing gained there; and that I could not guarantee that the pain would ease sufficiently to make it worthwhile. I also had to factor in that my OH is not really able to look after me during the recovery period.
However, there are papers online that indicate a successful outcome, so it is worth looking these up on google.
If you decide to go for the surgery, then I would recommend getting a knee trolley - you can get indoor and outdoor versions. You can hire them from: www.wheelfreedom.com. I hired one when I was in plaster for a long time with broken foot and it increased my freedom of movement greatly.
Good luck with all this - it is a real pest!