Daniel Chose Ankle Replacement Instead of Fusion, and He Feels Great

Daniel Plesniarski’s ankle problems started when he was a kid, with frequent sprains. By the time he reached retirement age it had become a real problem.

“My ankle was always rolling to the outside,” he says. “When I was walking, if I stepped on a pebble or something, I was worried that I might fracture it. It was always swollen and painful.”

Arthritis and hard use had taken their toll, Plesniarski says: “My ankle joint was just worn out.”

But he put off getting treatment, in part because a doctor at another hospital system recommended he get the joint fused. “I didn’t want an ankle fusion,” Plesniarski says. “I didn’t want to lose the ability to move my ankle.”

Today, the pain and swelling are gone and the 72-year-old Andreas man says his ankle feels good as new, thanks to foot and ankle surgeon Elliot Busch, DPM, withLehigh Valley Orthopedic Institute, along with the team at Lehigh Valley Hospital–Carbon.

“For patients who have ankle arthritis, ankle replacement is a fantastic treatment option that can give people their quality of life back,” says Dr. Busch. 

Replacing the ankle joint rather than fusing it has several advantages, he says. Fusions remove the pain by removing the joint and letting the bones grow together. But this can affect the way someone walks, Dr. Busch says, causing stress on other joints and possibly leading to “transfer arthritis” and eventual fusions of those joints as well.

With an ankle replacement, most patients will have a quicker recovery, he says, and they will be able to walk normally, eliminating the stress on other joints. “I am very passionate about ankle replacement,” Dr. Busch says, “and I am happy to let people know that there are treatment options available to them in this area.”

Plesniarski received a total ankle joint replacement in October 2024, and he felt well enough that year to host his usual Thanksgiving celebration at his house. “We had 25 people, but I don’t cook,” he says. “I’m just the helper.”

He’s also able to play golf and go fishing with his grandsons, Alex and Luke, and he’s able to go for walks and do other activities without his ankle brace. “I don’t even notice it any more,” he says. 

After the surgery, Plesniarski needed to spend a couple of days in the hospital. He was so pleased with the nurses and staff of LVH–Carbon, he says, that he wrote a letter to the president of the hospital.

“Most people I talk to have heard of total knee replacements but have not heard of total ankle replacements,” says the retired juvenile detention center educator. He definitely recommends it to anyone who needs it, especially if they are suffering like he was. “And especially,” he says, “if they have Dr. Busch and his team at LVHN.”