Patient Success Stories

New ankle supports active life

You won't find Elizabeth Barrett sitting much these days. Since she underwent an ankle implant, the 69-year-old Palos Hills resident is more active than ever, dancing the Polish Hop at weddings and climbing ladders to hang curtains.

"It's fantastic," she says. "I just couldn't do those things before. My ankle had become so weak it sometimes gave out while I was just standing or walking."

Barrett's anklebone had all but worn away from the damaging effects of arthritis, caused by a fracture 15 years earlier. The pain and debilitation had prompted her to ask podiatric surgeon John Grady, D.P.M., for a traditional ankle implant in 1994. His response was "no."

“Traditional implants just did not work well. Newer implants, such as the DePuy Agility Ankle implants that the FDA approved in 1999, do demonstrate success," explained Dr. Grady, the first surgeon in Illinois to perform the procedure.

Dr. Grady describes the new ankle, which he recently surgically implanted in Barrett, as "a breakthrough with impressive results. It's very exciting to see patients like Elizabeth, who have been immobilized for years, regain the ability to live active, full lives. There's a very high satisfaction rate among patients and a 92 percent success rate."

Nobody's more satisfied with the results than Barrett. "The amazing part, aside from my agility, is that I no longer need to take arthritis medication."

The DePuy Agility Ankle implant procedure takes about three hours. Patients usually spend three days in the hospital and must use a cane or walker for about six weeks to keep their full weight off the joint.

For more information on Ingalls Orthopedics, call 800-221-2199.

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