If you have arthritis in your ankle that means you’ve worn out the joint between your tibia (shin) and your ankle bone, also known as the tibiotalar joint. Arthritis in the ankle isn’t as common as it its in other joints, but it is very painful. A previous ankle injury may have contributed to your arthritis. If you’ve rheumatoid arthritis it, too, can contribute or lead to arthritis in your ankle.
If you’re diagnosed with arthritis in your ankle, your podiatrist or other health care provider may recommend inserts for your shoes. These help cushion and your support your foot. Your podiatrist also probably will tell you to ease up on high impact activities such as running, dancing, basketball and similar sports.
Your podiatrist may recommend that you undergo arthroscopic surgery if you ankle arthritis is limited and if small bone spurs have arisen around your ankle joint. The surgeon will “shave” the bone spur during arthroscopic surgery in order to help improve the motion in your ankle joint.
A very effective surgery to relieve ankle arthritis that’s more extensive is known as “ankle distraction,” in which the surgeon places pins in your leg and foot to “distract” (pull apart) your joint’s surfaces, giving them a chance to heal. Many if not most patients who undergo this surgery report that their pain subsides considerably over time. Foot/ankle function also improves.
A common ankle distraction procedure is known as the Ilizarov Technique. Named for the Siberian orthopedic surgeon who invented the procedure in the 1950s, the technique really started making headway in Western Europe in the 1980s and has made its way “west” ever since.
If you undergo the Ilizarov Technique, an external frame (“fixator”) will be placed across your ankle joint. The Ilizarov frame supports your foot, ankle and tibia with tensioned wires, akin to the technique of wires supporting a suspension bridge.
The Ilizarov frame allows you to bear your full weight on the leg so that you’ll be able to pretty much resume your life as before while your joints heal, which is a very good thing since you’ll be wearing the frame for about three months. Your ankle will immobilized the wires, so it may be necessary to wear a rocker sole shoe while you’re going through the treatment.
The frame works by opening up (distracting) your ankle joint. You’ll visit the surgeon periodically so that he or she may put more tension on the frame so that your soft tissue will be stretched incrementally, thus opening your joint and alleviating your arthritis. The frame is kept in place by wires that cross your tibia and your heel bone. Your surgeon often will combine the frame placement with an arthroscopic debridement of your ankle joint.
If you have ankle arthritis and want to find out if you are a good candidate for this procedure. You need to find a surgeon with experience in this field. These procedures are complicated and surgeons who have done this type of procedures are the best source for consultations.
Copyright (c) 2010 Dr Alireza Khosroabady DPM
Dr. Alireza Khosroabady is a Fellowship trained foot & ankle surgeon. He did his Surgical training in NY and his fellowship at the Rubin institute for Advanced Orthopedics/International Center for Limb Lengthening at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore with world renowned Orthopedic Surgeons. He is practicing in LA, CA. More information @ http://www.fixmyfoot.com you can also request his free book by going to http://www.fixmyfoot.com/books
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