First Patient Undergoes Total Ankle Replacement Surgery at Inova Mount Vernon Hospital

Patient suffered for years with foot pain

Charles Fedorko is fishing again after undergoing surgery.

Charles Fedorko, 63, a vehicle mechanic from Dale City, Virginia, had been experiencing ankle and foot pain for as long as he can remember. “I had bad swelling, and it just got worse and worse,” he says. “I could barely walk on it.”

He decided to make an appointment with Oliver Schipper, MD, an orthopedic foot and ankle specialist at Inova Mount Vernon Hospital (IMVH). Dr. Schipper discovered that Charles had severe ankle arthritis, as well as a significant high arch foot deformity that caused his foot and ankle to turn inward while walking.

Dr. Schipper says he tried everything short of surgery to help Charles, from shots to ankle braces. But nothing solved the problem. After discussing the risks and benefits of surgery, Charles decided to proceed with ankle replacement surgery.

Charles underwent the IMVH Total Ankle Replacement Program’s first ankle replacement surgery on April 6, 2018. Due to the complexity of Charles’ foot deformity, Dr. Schipper says the procedure required both an ankle replacement and extensive foot reconstruction. Dr. Schipper says ankle replacement surgery has a steep learning curve, which is why he is one of the only doctors in the area who performs it.

“[Charles] did great,” Dr. Schipper says. “He stayed in the hospital overnight and went home the next day. He’s been walking on the ankle replacement for the past few months and is back to regular activities.”

Charles, who has already had both knees replaced, says his recovery from ankle replacement surgery has been very smooth, and he’s grateful he had the surgery done. “There’s no other hospital I’d rather go to if I had the choice,” he says.

Inova Mount Vernon Hospital Joint Specialists

To make an appointment with the Inova Mount Vernon Hospital Joint Replacement Center, call 703-664-7493.