A year and a half ago I had I had an ankle fused in early December. My first race after the operation was in early March. Lining up at the starting line several of us old timers were talking about aches and pains. I mentioned my fusion surgery and thought I was the tough guy of the bunch. Much to my surprise one guy was undergoing chemo and another guy had his hip replaced in mid-January and pulled up his sorts to revel the scar. As others have said, wait as long as possible before taking the plunge.