u/CustomerObjective129

First off, I am in Australia and can self-refer to allied health, and need a GP referral to specialist doctors.

I have end stage OA and have already been referred to an orthopedic surgeon, with about a 2 month wait.

My goal is to delay surgery as long as I can by figuring out how to reduce pain while being able to do daily activities and simple exercise, and in particular to reduce the burden being put on other parts of my body due to my wildly compensatory gait.

I am not sure who is best suited to help with this?

Physio? Podiatrist? Someone else?

I have been diagnosed with end stage ankle OA. I have been referred to a surgeon but pretty sure my only surgical option is going to be fusion which I am not mad keen on tbh.

I'm seeking recs for podiatrists/physios/exercise physiologists/any other relevant allied health professionals in Cbr with experience in this area who can help me with managing pain and reducing impacts on the rest of my body while still being able to do as much as possible.

I have a 5yo kid and end stage ankle OA. He, and his friends, are very curious about why I use a walking stick sometimes, etc.

I explained to him that I don't have any cartilage left in my ankle, so the bones are bumping together and it hurts.

Next thing I hear him explaining to his friends that his Mum can't walk because she has lost her shark skeleton 🤣🤣

Hi,

I have been diagnosed with post traumatic OA in my ankle. The surgeon has told me that I am not a candidate for TAR and basically my only option surgically speaking is fusion.

I am really concerned about the long term impact of fusion on my other joints and would love to hear from younger people who have had a fusion how things are going 5, 10, 20 years down the track.

Secondly they have recommended I wear hiking boots. I am skeptical about this recommendation because I find anything I try either puts too much pressure on my ankle and hurts, or doesn't provide enough stability. Any recommendations for hiking boots that balance these competing needs?

I have known for ages my ankle would degenerate following serious injury and 5 surgeries nearly 15 years ago. At the time my surgeon gave me a 50% chance the fix would fail and I'd be fused by my 30th birthday. The fix succeeded but I was told it would eventually degenerate and "when it is too painful come back and we will fuse it".

Well I have made it to 42 and the pain is now so bad and gerting worse rapidly. I just got my xrays back and they are plain as day: "severe ankle OA with high grade joint space loss". And though I thought that was what it would say and thought I was prepared, I am so upset and really struggling to cope.

I intend on getting multiple medical opinions as I only want to fuse if and when it is really necessary. But I am feeling just so lost and sad and everything hurts so bad. I don't really have a question I just needed to get that out.

I just went to book online and the booking system is telling me I can walk in. Has anyone done this? Is the wait time reasonable?