“Does ankle surgery require general anesthesia?”
I will have ankle surgery next week. Does ankle surgery require general anesthesia?
8 Answers
No. Ankle surgery is usually done with a spinal nerve block where the anesthesiologist injects some numbing medicine around the nerves in your lower spine so that it makes the lower half of your body numb for about 1-1.5 hours. We also typically use nerve blocks around the leg that last longer so that pain is minimal for several hours after the spinal block wears off.
Depending on the procedure, General anesthesia may be the best option. I recommend discussion with your foot and ankle surgeon regarding this aspect of the surgery