Active grandma wouldn’t be stopped in her tracks, so she had life-changing ankle replacement

Learn more about MercyOne Orthopedics Care

At 64, Kim Hopp of New Hampton, Iowa wasn’t ready to rely on a wheelchair to get around. The pain in her left ankle and foot had become so severe, she walked on the side of her foot to compensate.  

After years of ankle pain due to arthritis and a serious infection, the active grandma had ankle replacement surgery at MercyOne to get back on her feet.

Her treatment for ankle pain began with two years of consistent steroid injections. Kim’s primary care provider said there was nothing more she could do to decrease the pain; it was time to think about having ankle replacement surgery. “I knew I wanted to do it, because my four grown sons and their wives have seven grandchildren between them and one on the way. I want to stay active,” Kim said.

Kim’s ankle had always been weak because of a lot of arthritis in her ankle and foot. Then, one morning, she woke up and couldn’t walk down the stairs due to the pain. “I have a high pain tolerance, but this was more than I could bear. I ended up in the hospital for five days due to septic arthritis in my ankle.”  Because of the pandemic, she couldn’t have any visitors, including her husband of 40 years, Lynn, and family.

Setback to success

Moving forward to May of 2024, she had a bone biopsy with Tyler Mulkey, DPM at MercyOne North Iowa Orthopedics Care in Mason City, Iowa. He told her the infection was gone, so they could proceed with a treatment plan. Dr. Mulkey, a podiatrist, realigned her foot and inserted screws in her heel before performing a full ankle replacement in September.

“Through all of this, from my stay in the hospital with septic arthritis to my surgery, the care at MercyOne was just awesome. Dr. Mulkey always took his time with me, answered all my questions and even got to know my family and me personally. He's a fantastic doctor,” Kim said.  

Recovery was lengthy, but Kim was determined and followed all her doctor’s instructions. She had a cast on for six weeks, transitioned to a walking boot and started low-intensity physical therapy at MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center. Kim was able to start stretching and use the bike with the boot, and the therapists worked to alleviate scar tissue.  

Finally, in December, she began walking on crutches without the boot and doing more intense physical therapy.  "At first, I was tentative to walk without the boot, but I worked hard to gain strength,” Kim said.  

Back at the gym

Kim said she has always been an active person, “I’m not very good at sitting around. Even when I was using a scooter during recovery, I'd go around the track at the gym with my left leg up.” Now, Kim can walk more than two miles at the gym without pain. Kim also plans to try orthotics in her shoes for more support when she walks.

Advice and encouragement

Kim said her surgery has been life-changing, “For anyone who is struggling with long-term debilitating pain in an ankle and considering a replacement, I encourage you to go for it. It’s the best decision I ever made, because if I didn’t, I would’ve been in a wheelchair or using a scooter for the rest of my life. Now, I can do what I want to do and stay active for my grandkids,” Kim said.  

“I can’t say enough about the care I received at MercyOne with Dr. Mulkey. The whole experience has been excellent.”