Advice on ankle fusion surgery
So I need some advice on whether to do the ankle fusion surgery or not.
I am 36 y/o and I was born with club foot on both legs. After a series of surgeries during childhood, my left recovered while my right stayed in a club foot shape. I did not do any physiotherapy or anything while growing up and I just wore heeled shoes to make up for the difference between my feet.
The right is around 1.5cm shorter than the other. The thing now is that my left knee is affected due to having carried all my weight throughout the years. I went to a surgeon and they said they can operate my right foot by fusing the ankle in a 90° angle. However they would have to shorten my leg with 2cm which can be covered by customised shoes or high insoles (I did mention that it is already shorted by 1,5cm, but I cannot recall for sure whether they confirmed that it will including this difference or be on top of it..)
They also said that they estimate a 70-80% improvement of my current lifestyle.
However what worries me is that my walking will be so affected by this surgery that I will not be able to enjoy anything barefoot indoors or at the beach. While I am not a sporty person, I consider myself pretty active as I enjoy long walks, going on trails, dancing and swimming in the sea.
I am unsure whether it is worth to do the surgery and whether there is any alternative to improve my current experience without resorting to yet another surgery.
Any thoughts or suggestions are appreciated 🤍