FDA Approves New Ankle Replacement!

It’s time to do your happy dance if you have arthritic ankles desperately in need of surgical intervention!  Here’s why.  On May 27, 2009, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the Scandinavian Total Ankle Replacement (STAR) System.

The STAR system is different from other total ankle replacements in that it may keep some range of motion in the joint.  According to the FDA release, “The new prosthesis is a mobile-bearing device, which relies on bearings that move across a surface of polyethylene, a flexible plastic. The device is the first of its type.”

The STAR system has been through clinical trials here in the U.S. and has been used in other countries.  According to Small Bone Innovations, Inc., the owner of the STAR system, “the S.T.A.R. Ankle has a 30 year development history” and “is designed to mimic normal ankle movement and function through its three functional components.”

So, congratulations to Small Bone Innovations, Inc. and to all the people that will have a better quality of life because of it!