We’ve all heard of hip, knee and shoulder replacements, but little has been reported on Ankle replacement surgery. That is because the process was not perfected. Now, a promising new ankle replacement is getting rave reviews from a South Florida surgeon.

77-year-old Joan Rita never imagined a horse back riding adventure would leave her reeling in pain two decades later.

“As I was dismounting, I got hung up on the stirrup and ended up shattering my ankle. Ever since then, it has been increasingly painful,” Rita said.

A couple months ago, she met Dr. Kyle Kinmon, and learned about a new ankle replacement surgery.

“This particular ankle replacement is intramedullary guided, and what that means is that we can put it in precisely every time,” Kinmon said.

A special device holds the ankle in place, while a guide is drilled through the heel, into the talus, up into the tibia, to allow for precise placement of ankle components.

We actually remove the top of the talus, which is replaced by the tailored component of the implant. We also assemble the tibial components inside the ankle, piece by piece.

Few options have been available until now. Dr. Kinmon says because past implants were inaccurate and ineffective. According to him, this new implant can improve mobility and decrease or eliminate ankle pain, which is usually caused by arthritis resulting from a fall or car accident.

“Something to that degree can cause crushing of the bones in the ankle and they’ll quickly develop post-traumatic arthritis that limits the mobility of the ankle joint and causes severe pain with any ambulation, or any activity,” Kinmon said. Arthritis created by that horseback riding injury caught up to Joan, but she says she’s looking forward to new adventures thanks to her new ankle.

“From the third day after the surgery on, I haven’t had any pain and haven’t taken any pain pills. So, that’s pretty awesome I think,” Rita said.

Dr. Kinmon says recovery takes about six weeks, with several more weeks of physical therapy, but this way the procedure is covered by insurance.