After a traffic accident in 2018 that required brain surgery, Mr. N.K.P (born in 2000, Bac Ninh) began to have unusual symptoms in his left ankle. Due to bone damage that was not detected and not thoroughly treated, he suffered a fracture of the sub- spearhead, and the joint of his foot gradually became crooked, causing his figure to lose for 5 years. The entire psoas and psoas joint and the psoas and heel joint are stripped and semi-struggled, leading to serious joint degeneration and axtile deviation.
Since 2021, Mr. P's left ankle has suddenly swollen, not broken but swollen, getting bigger without a fever. The family took him to 5 major hospitals and tried Asian medicine methods at the same time, but the condition recurred, swelling increased 2-3 times and pain, causing him to almost lose mobility. The family was financialally exhausted, and he himself fell into a deadlock.
During that time, the signs of swelling and redness of the leg - combined with a history of folk medicine - caused most medical facilities to focus on treatment in the direction of soft tissue infections, without specialized intervention in joint structure. The inflammation kept recurring, and every time he was exercised heavily, his legs became bulging, causing Mr. P to get more and more pain.
In August 2025, Mr. P was admitted to the Department of Orthopedic and Neurological Trauma, Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases. After controlling soft tissue inflammation, doctors assessed the image of ankle damage and consulted with the Orthopedic Trauma Center (Ho Chi Minh City) to propose the optimal plan.
MSc. Dr. Vu Giang An - the person directly treating the patient - said: "The patient had a paralysis of the psoas and equal-edged hook joint, with deformed axis and degeneration of both joints due to prolonged apnea. The joint structure has been eroded unevenly, it cannot be simply adjusted".
The team decided to have a complicated surgery: cut the lower third of the xeon, use this bone to shape and weld the tendon-throat joint - heel-throat joint, combined with a screws to fix the leg axis. The goal is to reduce pain and restore your figure, even though you limit the natural movement of the joints.
This is the first case of the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases applying this technique - a method that requires high level of orthopedic skills, modern support equipment and in-depth consultation. The previous external fixed method was not suitable for this situation. After surgery, the patient needs 3 weeks to remove the heel, return to the exercise and at least 1 year to completely remove the fixed system. Fortunately, he did not have underlying medical conditions and was in good shape, so he responded to treatment smoothly. However, due to prolonged damage, the muscles and tendons especially the heels have become small, and the stiffness of the joints makes it difficult for the back to perform flexible movements such as running, swimming or playing sports.
After nearly 4 weeks of treatment, the patient recovered well: the surgical site was dry, swelling was significantly reduced, and movement improved.
MSc. Dr. Vu Giang An recommends: All bone and joint damage, especially in weight-bearing joints such as the ankle and leg, should be examined and treated early at an orthodized facility, absolutely do not apply folk medicine to avoid joint deformities and severe degeneration.
