In osteoarthritis of the ankle joint, symptoms and treatment will largely depend on the type of injury and the degree of neglect of the patient's condition. Do not neglect the diagnosis, so you should consult a specialist. Only the attending physician will tell you in detail how to cure osteoarthritis of the ankle joint, what is so dangerous in itself, and whether it is possible to get rid of this problem forever.
Causes of the disease
During the development of osteoarthritis of the ankle, 2 groups are distinguished: primary (occurs without special reasons) and secondary (appears due to external negative factors). Other names for this disease: crusarthrosis (right or left ankle sufferer) or osteoarthritis. In osteoarthritis of the lower leg, degenerative processes occur in the cartilage tissue, which subsequently causes a number of abnormalities.
In most cases, the disease is found in older men and women. Over time, organs in the internal system do not function as actively and properly, and in some cases, failure results in thinning of bone and cartilage tissue. In normal condition, the joints slide freely during movement without touching each other.
If they are adversely affected by osteoarthritis, the joint becomes deformed and begins to rub against another joint. This causes an extra load, which then goes to the bones, causing its deformation. When the joint is damaged again, the surrounding tissue is further affected. The legs lose their mobility and do not tolerate a large load (with paresis).
Other reasons
A common cause of ankle hemarthrosis is active physical activity, which has a direct effect on the musculoskeletal system. At risk are people whose work is associated with carrying heavy burdens or other active work. A similar cause causes a disorder in professional athletes or in those who have been actively involved in sports for a long time. Due to incorrect loads, considerable pressure is exerted on the limbs, which subsequently causes injuries.
Acute osteoarthritis is a common problem for overweight people because during movement there is a lot of pressure on the lower extremities that the legs cannot resist. In obesity, the disease can also develop in adolescents (at about 20 years of age) if a person has been diagnosed with this since childhood. Other diseases that cause deforming osteoarthritis of the ankle joint (the causes were discussed above):
- arthritis;
- diabetes mellitus and atherosclerosis (metabolic diseases);
- congenital deformities of legs, ankles (clubfoot);
- any condition in which a nerve is pinched.
This disrupts the function of the muscular apparatus (for example, osteochondrosis). Due to flat feet or clubfoot, in addition to the deforming condition, subtalar osteoarthritis occurs (it is then called due to changes in the talus).
Various types of knee or leg injuries (incorrect squatting), as well as wearing uncomfortable, small or poorly made shoes, are also causes of osteoarthritis of the ankle joint. Women are particularly vulnerable. They have negative symptoms leading to wearing high-heeled shoes.
Symptoms and stages
Years can go from the first manifestation of the disease to the last stage of the disease. The time of development will depend on the initial state of the human body, the treatment and appropriate therapy. Signs of osteoarthritis will differ in a number of symptoms that are characteristic of it.
First of all, with any, even slightly increased, strain on the joints, a person begins to feel a sharp tingling pain in the legs. The same thing happens if the patient moves long distances at a slow pace. Wires often crack and creak.
The patient begins to twist his legs, which sometimes ends in dislocations in the ankle. This occurs due to violations of the functionality of muscles and tendons, up to atrophy of muscle tissue (a decrease or change in muscle tissue, followed by its replacement with a connective tissue that is unable to perform basic motor functions). It is for the same reason that stiffness and swelling are often felt in the legs.
Doctors distinguish between 3 stages of the development of the disease. The first two are perfectly treatable, after which the person returns completely to his previous life. At 3rd degree, patients often get disability for osteoarthritis.
During the development of the disease of 1st degree, the symptoms of osteoarthritis appear very little. A person may go to a medical institution with a complaint of rapid fatigue of the limbs and mild pain in the legs, which disappears after rest. The diagnosis of osteoarthritis of the extremities is rarely established, as during the examinations there are no pathologies in the patient.
In the second stage, pain does not disappear after rest. Swelling and redness appear on the legs, which will lead to an increase in temperature. Pain intensifies during an active change in weather conditions, swelling occurs.
In the last stage, the cartilage tissue ossifies, causing the patient considerable discomfort, from which the person suffers from severe pain. The legs lose their movement and for each step a crunch is heard. If the disease has started, this can lead to another diagnosis - foot deformity. This pathology gives the right to receive a disability, so treatment should be started immediately.
At this stage, osteoarthritis is dangerous. Some distinguish to another 4th degree, where the pain completely disappears, but the person loses the ability to walk because the cartilage at this stage is completely destroyed and paralysis occurs. At the same time, grade 4 is characterized by frequent development of ankylosis (when the joints are fused together) and neoarthrosis (when an unnecessary or false joint is formed between the staggered ends of the bones).
Post-traumatic osteoarthritis
Post-traumatic osteoarthritis of the ankle joint requires timely treatment because, unlike deformity and acute, it is characteristic of young people as it occurs after an injury. For example, in case of dislocations, fractures and sprains.
Any tissue damage after an injury does not pass without a trace that directly affects the blood vessels and nerves.
At first, the patient does not feel any discomfort, only with time does he begin to notice that the foot is twisted during walking because the ligaments are weakened and can no longer support the entire leg.
Over time, with osteoarthritis of the ankle joint, physical activity (especially among athletes) is more difficult, the legs quickly get tired during exercise. Girls often have in such cases complaints that they can not sit on twine, even with daily long and properly performed stretches. Improvement is constantly followed by remission, where the leg swells, hurts and does not calm down, even after rest.
Often, it is post-traumatic osteoarthritis that causes pseudoarthrosis, a bone defect that causes severe joint mobility. For example, it becomes possible to bend the arm at the elbow not only backwards but also forwards. Pseudarthrosis occurs during bone healing when the tissues grow together incorrectly.
Often, post-traumatic osteoarthritis of the ankle is a consequence of surgery during other surgeries. Scars form in the tissue area, which impairs blood circulation. The risk increases when part of the affected joint is removed as needed during the operation. Treatment of post-traumatic osteoarthritis of the ankle joint is done according to the same methodology as with other types.
Do's and Don'ts for Osteoarthritis
Is it possible to do physical exercises with this disease? It is important to reduce the load on the diseased joint as much as possible, therefore, after establishing the diagnosis, try not to lift weights, running is prohibited, you can not jump, do squats, do shocks and pressure with heavy weight whileyou stand, engage in shock aerobics, perform asymmetrical exercises and participate in static loads (for example, sitting squatting). You can use a walking stick to relieve arthritis pain while walking.
Nevertheless, it is not recommended to deny physical activity at all. On the contrary, normal blood circulation in the ankle with osteoarthritis is achieved faster by playing sports. Recommended for illness (especially post-traumatic osteoarthritis of the ankle) brisk walking or swimming.
Every extra pound of weight will add stress to the legs and cause swelling of the ankle, so even a small weight loss will speed up the recovery time significantly. Losing weight too fast is not recommended, moderate exercise and a proper (but not disabling) diet will gradually bring the body back to normal. From osteoarthritis, mono-diets will not help, as well as those that will dramatically and radically change the usual diet. If you have to switch to a vegetarian diet, it is better to wait until you are fully recovered.
Choose shoes with a low and wide sole. For the ankle joint, you can and should wear a small wide heel, but not ballet shoes or sneakers. These shoes are the most comfortable and safe to wear and significantly increase the stability of the foot when you walk. The soft sole will further reduce some of the strain on the joint.
The top should be soft and roomy, not compress the foot, but the wrong size of the boots will only increase the risk of injury. If you suffer from flat feet, this only increases the problem. When a person steps on the ground, the impact on it, along with the twisted foot, must be extinguished by the joint. In this case, special orthopedic insoles or ankle supports will help.
While sitting, try to keep your knees slightly lower than your hips. Furniture with high legs will help with this, preferably with armrests. Such seats with handles will be particularly relevant for existing pain as this will reduce the load on the knee joint when lifting. When working in the office, set up your desk chair so that your legs do not become numb. If the furniture is of poor quality, do not sit still and occasionally get up to do a warm-up.
If you do foot massage on your own or seek help from a specialist, remember that massaging the knee itself is strictly forbidden. Gonarthrosis also becomes inflamed in the joint sac itself, and active blood circulation inside will only increase the pain. Is it possible to heat the joints in the bath or use different heat compresses in therapy? Yes, but only if the person is sure of his diagnosis and the attending physician does not object to such procedures. Do not use heat if osteoarthritis injections have been prescribed in the form of corticosteroids.
Medical care
How to treat osteoarthritis of the ankle joint? The therapy must be comprehensive and work with several techniques. First of all, it is necessary to reduce the load on the ankle as much as possible, especially during the period of aggravation of pain. A bandage or walking with a cane with emphasis on a healthy leg will help with this. Do not overload it, give up jogging and other physical activities for a while (running is dangerous).
By themselves, drugs will not increase a person's motor activity, but they can facilitate movement and relieve pain. Good painkillers that relieve pain are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (abbreviated NSAIDs).
NSAIDs have a bad effect on the gastric mucosa and cause a variety of problems and pains, so it is best to use them in the form of various ointments or injections. These remedies are aimed at reducing pain, many of them allow you to eliminate swelling and inflammation. For the same reasons, corticosteroids, anti-inflammatory drugs, are also injected into the joints. Their use is advisable when the disease is at a critical stage and other drugs no longer give any effect as corticosteroids are strong and powerful drugs.
In the modern method of treatment, the drug is injected directly into the joint itself using steroid hormones or using hyaluronic acid (the same one that is so popular for cosmetic purposes). Treating osteoarthritis of the ankle with this method is expensive but effective. Injected hyaloron corresponds in composition to the intra-articular fluid and, when it enters, regenerates the damaged joint and replaces the fluid that disappeared during the course of the disease.
Treatment of edema can be performed using drops, various ointments will increase the tone of the veins. Chondoprotectors are drugs that are used last as their main job is to restore and further protect the joint from adverse effects. Treatment of ankle osteoarthritis involves the use of chondoprotectors. The result of the use of funds occurs after at least 3 months, depending on the severity of the disease. Therefore, the remedy is usually prescribed for treatment for a year or even more, but only in the first two stages because otherwise they are useless.
Operation and its variants
The operation is prescribed at 3-4 stages of the disease, as well as for those to whom the previous treatment methods did not give the correct result. Treatment of osteoarthritis of the ankle joint with surgery has several subspecies:
- Arthroscopy is a well-known and often used method.
- Osteotomy of the tibia (also called coxarthrosis).
- Arthroplasty.
- Endoprosthetics.
During arthroscopy, the surgeon makes a small incision near the joint and inserts a small camera into it that assesses the general condition of the joints and bones. Then the necessary surgical instruments are inserted inside and the operation itself is performed. Arthroscopy is considered to be the most sparse method of treatment, as the person recovers quickly after the operation and the incision heals no longer than any ordinary incision.
In some cases, the deformation of this organ causes deforming osteoarthritis of the ankle joint (the treatment for it will be somewhat different from the treatment of other types of disorders), as the load on the entire ankle is incorrectly distributed. Osteotomy is aimed at correcting this curvature (coxarthrosis) and adjusting the bone. It is usually contraindicated in the elderly and is used to treat young patients. In arthroplasty, part of the material is taken from the femur, which is not subjected to great strain, and transferred to the ankle joint. With the method of endoprosthetics, the affected area is completely or partially removed and replaced with an artificial but uniformly structured unit.
Other treatment and prevention
The methods of treating osteoarthritis of the ankle joint in no way end with the use of various medications. The next step in the treatment will be a wide range of options. Therapeutic training (exercise therapy) restores muscle tone and returns the ankle to its previous mobility. The scheme of exercises is established by specialists. First, physiotherapy exercises are performed in a supine position, over time - sitting and standing.
Another option is to fix the legs. During such classes it would be advisable to fix the leg with a bandage or refer to the principle of taping. This is done using special tapes and patches (tapes). Thus, the risk of damage is reduced to a minimum because pleasant lotions help with this. This principle is widely known among professional athletes.
Another method is kinesiology tapping. Here, cotton adhesive tape of hypoallergenic material is applied to the leg. The latter dries quickly on the leg, is easily fixed and gives no feeling of discomfort.
Some doctors are skeptical about the next method of treating deforming osteoarthritis of the ankle joint. However, it has been scientifically proven that magnetotherapy, electrophoresis and Vitafon treatment significantly increase the effect of drugs so that they perfectly relieve pain.
Each massage session should be performed by a specialist and last approximately 15-20 minutes. At the same time, actions are performed not only on the ankle joint, but also move to adjacent areas, as the muscles of the foot improve the entire work of the leg as a whole. The course usually lasts 2 weeks with breaks of 2 days, but the treatment can be adjusted on the recommendation of a specialist.
The diet for osteoarthritis of the ankle joint must be balanced and include the use of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, fiber, minerals. Nutrition for osteoarthritis should under no circumstances be sparse. In any case, a variety of dishes are good and healthy. Vitamins for osteoarthritis will also be important. They can be obtained both using tablets and by using vitamins from fruits and vegetables.
To prevent the development of the disease, follow a number of simple rules, and this disease will not manifest itself.
For example, check your diet. Do not give up your favorite harmful products at all - try to reduce their consumption to a minimum.
While working or playing sports, try to avoid injuries and heavy loads. Before your favorite workout, be sure to do a warm up. It is forbidden to squat with osteoarthritis, but if the patient got rid of the disease and returned to his old activities, this should be done as carefully as possible. Patients should wear comfortable shoes. Give preference to high quality shoes, why heels should be abandoned.