How did my foot or ankle get this way?

Only a small percentage of the population is born with foot or ankle problems. Most of the problems arise from an injury. This may eventually cause arthritis — a painful and sometimes debilitating joint inflammation. As we age, the symptoms in the arthritic area often become worse and can include, in addition to pain, stiffness and a loss of range of mobility.

Sometimes, especially early on, foot and ankle pain can be treated with medications such as NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) physical therapy, orthotics or other “conservative care” treatments. Over time or under certain sets of circumstances, the pain is no longer relieved using these conservative methods of care. At that point, fusion surgery may be your best or only option for relief.

New techniques and materials, such as the investigational GEM OS^®1 device, may hold the promise of relief without the need for a second surgical procedure in which bone from your body is harvested to use for bone fusion.

If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with a hindfoot or ankle condition that may require fusion or If you have questions regarding the Foot and Ankle Fusion Study, or would like information regarding clinical trial site locations in your area,

                                      please contact us.