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Avenging Your Ankles: A How-To On Ankle Arthritis

Jun 17, 2016
Arthritis is one of those medical terminology words that we hear about all the time, but what we don’t hear is exactly what it is, what causes it or how to treat it.

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Arthritis is one of those medical terminology words that we hear about all the time, but what we don’t hear is exactly what it is, what causes it or how to treat it. Put simply, arthritis can be defined as the inflammation of the joints, which deters those joints from working how they normally should. Ankle arthritis specifically affects the joints of the foot and ankle. There are varying types of ankle arthritis, and each of them originates from a different source.

TYPES OF ANKLE ARTHRITIS

Ankle arthritis usually arrives on the scene in one of three ways:

  1. Osteoarthritis causes the cartilage in the joint to gradually wear away, which results in painful bone-to-bone contact in the ankle or foot. This type of ankle arthritis is prevalent in people ages forty and older.
  2. Posttraumatic arthritis also causes the cartilage in the joint to wear away. However, this form of arthritis usually originates from an injury to the foot or ankle, particularly fractures and dislocations.
  3. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that attacks the synovial fluid covering of a joint in the foot or ankle. Progressively, the fluid invades the surrounding chambers of ligaments, tendons and cartilage, which causes joint deformity and pain.

SYMPTOMS AND TREATMENTS

Symptoms of ankle arthritis usually develop gradually and manifest themselves in forms of pain from any type of motion with the foot or ankle, tenderness when pressure is applied to the affected joint and redness and/or swelling of the joint.

Unfortunately, there is no known cure for arthritis, but there are several ankle arthritis treatment options available such as:

  • Medications including NSAIDs, analgesics for pain relief, DMARDs for rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis medications, and gout medications
  • Support devices such as a cane, custom braces called ankle-foot-orthosis and custom made shoes with stiff soles and rocker bottoms that will minimize the pressure on the foot
  • Physical therapy treatments
  • Surgeries including an arthroscopy that will remove loose cartilage, arthrodesis that will fuse bones of the joint to make one bone, and arthroplasty, which involves totally replacing the ankle

If you suffer from any of the symptoms stated above, then it is imperative that you contact us immediately, as prolonged arthritis of the ankle can lead to a foot deformity. We encourage you to come experience the best ankle arthritis treatment Dallas has to offer and get back to a happier, healthier you.