What is ankle arthritis?
Ankle arthritis develops when the ankle joint looses cartilage. The ankle joint space narrows with worsening pain and loss of range of motion.
What causes ankle arthritis?
Most common cause of ankle is post-traumatic arthritis and other causes are primary osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, osteonecrosis, septic joint, gout, and hemophilia.
What are the signs of ankle arthritis?
Pain with walking and loss range of motion at the ankle joint. On X-ray, there will be loss of joint space, subchondral sclerosis and cysts, eburnation, and possible angular deformity.
How to conservatively treat ankle arthritis?
Conservative treatment of ankle arthritis includes: activity modification, orthotics, ankle bracing, NSAIDs, steroid injections, rocker sole, supportive walking devices.
How to surgically treat ankle arthritis?
There is no one surgical option to treat all ankle arthritis. Your surgeon will pick a procedure based on many variables which include, but not limited to age, activity level, comorbidities, ankle deformity, and severity of arthritis. Common surgical procedures are ankle debridement, distraction arthroplasty, supramalleolar osteotomy, arthrodesis, total ankle replacement.