Are ankle replacements common?
James Nunley: Ankle replacements are actually extremely uncommon, with less than 3,000 done per year, compared to about 250,000 hip replacements each year. Not many doctors are trained in this kind of surgery. At Duke, we have three leaders in the field, and we’ve probably done more ankle replacements in the last year than any other place in the United States. We were also instrumental in developing the techniques used for ankle replacement.
