Comparison of Gait Biomechanics: Ankle Fusion Versus Ankle Replacement

Long-term concerns about arthrodesis, including accelerated adjacent joint degenerative disease, altered gait biomechanics, nonunion rates, and activity limitations, provided an impetus for the development and refinement of total ankle arthroplasty in the treatment of end-stage ankle arthrosis. There has been a relative paucity of literature with regard to the actual impact of these surgical treatments on gait biomechanics. We present a summary of the available literature on this topic, with the goal of illuminating the differences in gait biomechanics between ankle fusion and ankle replacement.