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Sunday, September 5, 2010	Enquiry line: (+44)(0)113 2185908/09	Email: Nick Harris

Latest News

Advice from Nick Harris on Rheumatoid Arthritis and Ankle Surgery

Source:'Ask the Doctor', Yorkshire Evening Post, 02/05/2007

Dear Doctor... I have rheumatoid arthritis which has severely affected my right ankle. I am only 40 yet I can hardly walk due to the pain. In desperation I have searched the internet and found information on ankle fusion and ankle replacement. What is the difference and how do I know which operation would be best for me - if any? Nick Harris, consultant orthopaedic surgeon with special interest in foot and ankle surgery, BUPA Leeds replies... Both ankle replacement and fusion are good for relieving pain related to ankle arthritis. An ankle fusion can also improve stability, however the cost is a loss of ankle movement. Providing the other joints around the foot and ankle are normal it is possible to compensate for this without an obvious limp. However if other joints in the fooot are affected, which is common in rheumatoid arthritis, a fusion can aggravate the arthritis in these joints. Ankle replacement preserves ankle movement and may protect other joints around the foot, which might help in your case. It tends to be reserved for patients aged over 60 with post-traumatic or primary ankle arthritis. In patients with inflammatory arthritis such as rheumatoid there is no age limit and the decision as to which option is best is made on an individual basis and depends on the extent of the disease and the levels of activity of the patient. If your arthritis is bad enough that you are now considering surgery, I would recommend consulting an orthopaedic surgeon specialising in ankle surgery, in particular both procedures.

Previous Press

Advanced Examination Techniques in Orthopaedics Edited by Nick Harris

Source:Buy (Cambridge University Press)

This book covers clinical examination in orthopaedics at an advanced level, bringing together important techniques and concepts that can normally only be found in large, specialist surgical texts. It adopts a systemic approach, taking each region in turn, and uses bullet points, key information tables, algorithms, summary boxes and clear photographs or line drawings to present information in an easy-to-read way and to and highlight important hints and common pitfalls.

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Leeds fast becoming centre of excellence for ankle replacements

Source:Leeds Teaching Hospitals

Patients needing ankle replacements are walking away from Leeds General Infirmary with greater success rates thanks to pioneering work in the Orthopaedics Department. The success has also inspired an international company to invest in the department to help make it a 'Centre of Excellence.' Mr Nick Harris, consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Leeds General Infirmary is one of the surgeons leading the work. Mr Harris said: "Over the last two years we've seen a great deal of success with our ankle surgery." "Since ankle replacement surgery began around 30 years ago it has been prone to failure with many people having to have an arthrodesis - where a joint is fused or glued together". "More recently, however, ankle replacement surgery has become much more reliable. Currently we are using the Ankle Evolutive System (AES) - a replacement ankle made by Biomet. We have performed 50 ankle replacements in the last two years, making Leeds one of the hubs for replacement surgery in the UK."

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