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Osteoarthritis of Foot & Ankles

  • Posted by:Dr. Chaitanya Shah
Osteoarthritis of Foot & Ankles
Introduction

The foot and ankle, act as foundation of your body, its is a complex joint involved in movement and providing stability and balance to the body.

The foot and ankle consists of 26 bones, 33 joints, and network of muscles, tendons and ligaments. It’s a master piece of engineering carrying your weight throughout the life span.

As the ageing begins, one may develop foot and ankle osteoarthritias which may lead to inflammation, swelling of the joints and pain.



Causes:

Osteoarthritis of the foot & ankle is mainly due to mal alignment. If you're flat-footed, bow-legged, or knock-kneed or even if you have high arches, because these conditions put extra strain on your joints or minor to moderate injury occurred during your life span, may develop post traumatic arthritis.



Symptoms:

When you've got foot and ankle osteoarthritis you might have:

• Pain which can get worse with weight bearing physical activity
• Swelling and stiffness
• Trouble walking and
• The movement of the foot and Ankle



The symptoms can develop months or even years due to malalignment or even after past injury. They can get worse over time, but how fast or slowly varies.

You get pain, swelling, stiffness and other problems because the cartilage in your joint thins or wears away.

Cartilage is the thick connective tissue at the end of bones. It protects them and allows them to move easily. If you don't have enough, your bones rub against each other, causing pain.

Because cartilage in the ankle is thicker than in other joints of the body, it takes longer to wear down.

You can get ankle osteoarthritis after one injury, like a fracture, or after many injuries over time, like repeated sprains.



Diagnosis:

To diagnose your condition, your Podiatrist will carry out assessment based on:

• What are your symptoms?
• When did they start?
• Does your pain get worse when you're walking or running, stand for long hours
• Is the pain constant or does it come and go?
• Have you had any injuries in the ankle such as sprains or a fracture?



Your doctor will examine your ankle for swelling and see how well it moves. They'll also check to see if you have any pain during motion.

You will get an X-ray of your ankle. If it shows that the space between your bones is narrow, it could indicate cartilage loss has occurred. It can also spot a bone spur, a clue that you might have arthritis.

The doctors may use other imaging techniques, such as MRI, CT Scan which uses powerful magnets and radio waves to make pictures of the inside of your joint to determine the conditions.



Foot and Ankle Arthritis Treatment:

Depending on your symptoms and what’s causing your arthritis, you might have one or more of these treatments:
• Anti-inflammatory medicine to help with swelling
• Pain relievers
• Braces and supports
• Custom orthotic insoles and shoes to support foot and ankle in aligned position
• Physical therapy
• Steroid medications injected into your join



Surgery for foot and ankle arthritis

Some people need at least one kind of surgery to treat foot and ankle arthritis. Your doctor will suggest the treatment that’s best for you. Surgeries for arthritis include:

• Fusion surgery. This is also called arthrodesis. It involves fusing bones together with rods, pins, screws, or plates. After they heal, the bones remain joined.
• Joint replacement surgery. This is mostly used in severe cases. Your doctor may call it arthroplasty. They’ll take out damaged bone and cartilage and replace it with metal or plastic.




Call on 8454920321 to schedule your appointment with a Podiatrist


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