Total ankle replacement is now a treatment option for the management of some patients with debilitating ankle arthritis. The newer designs of ankle replacement have allowed patients to become more active, and help the pain of arthritis with good results observed in 80 percent of patients for up to 10 years after surgery. Unlike ankle fusion which eliminates pain and arthritis by permanently stiffening the ankle joint, ankle replacement is designed to permit some motion of the joint following surgery. This has important advantages since there is less stress on adjacent joints, and the likelihood of arthritis developing in these joints is therefore lessened considerably. Recovery from surgery is generally rapid, and full walking on the foot and ankle is usually permitted about two weeks following surgery.