Ankle Osteoarthritis: 5 Key Takeaways
You may have heard of the condition ankle osteoarthritis. Maybe you do not know anything about it. However, if you are someone who starts to deal with it, or if you know someone close to you who is experiencing it, then you should learn as much about it as you can.
A foot and ankle orthopedic surgeon can certainly tell you plenty about it, but hopefully, you or the person who has it can avoid a surgical option. Let us take some time right now to talk about the condition and the most vital facts you should know about it.
What This Condition Entails
The first thing it makes sense to know about ankle osteoarthritis is exactly what it entails. It’s a condition where the cartilage in your ankle joint is not as healthy as it once was.
The cartilage that you have between your joints acts as a cushion. You have it in your ankles, but also in your knees and elsewhere you have articulated joints.
If the cartilage at one of your joints wears away, then that’s going to become uncomfortable for you. If enough of it wears away, you might actually get to a condition where you essentially have bone-on-bone, with very little cartilage remaining, or none at all.
What Can Happen if You Have This Condition?
We mentioned that it can become uncomfortable for you if the cartilage in your ankle starts to wear down. That is just the beginning, though.
Let us say you have a mild case of ankle osteoarthritis. You may experience some soreness. If you have a more advanced case of it, though, then it can quickly cross the line into intense pain.
Someone who has a bone-on-bone condition in a joint will often experience a lot of discomfort on a daily basis. In addition to pain, they may have stiffness and swelling.
If this is what is happening to you, then it makes sense that you would not want to move around very much. However, that can make things worse. As virtually any doctor or physical therapist can tell you, if you don’t use it, you lose it.
That means that if you try to stay off your feet because your ankle osteoarthritis is causing you pain, you make it more likely you will break the ankle if you step on it wrong. The bones become brittle if you’re leading a mostly sedentary lifestyle.
What Normally Causes It?
If you have ankle osteoarthritis, it’s usually because you had an injury of some kind to the ankle. If you broke the ankle and it never healed properly, that can cause it. You might also sprain the ankle severely and have some osteoarthritis that develops as you age.
Fractures or sprains of the ankles are relatively common, especially if you played a sport professionally or as a hobby. Many basketball players develop this condition. That’s no surprise when you think about the way they’re constantly jumping into the air and fighting for the ball.
However, you can also exacerbate the condition in certain ways. For instance, if you sprain or fracture an ankle and then you gain weight, that puts a lot of undue strain on the ankle when you walk around. You might see someone in a motorized wheelchair who has this condition.
What Can You Do If You Have It?
If you have ankle osteoarthritis, you will probably want to see an orthopedist about it. These individuals can help you with medical issues having to do with your ankles, knees, shoulders, and other joint-related problems.
They will do some imaging to see how bad of a condition your ankle is in. Then, they will discuss some options with you.
A doctor will normally want to try the least invasive option first. A patient will likely want that as well, but they will also probably want the least expensive option, especially if they don’t have great insurance.
You might get a kind of over-the-counter cream and rub it on your ankle a couple of times daily. It’s not a long-term solution, but it may give you at least a little relief.
You can put ice or heat packs on the ankle. That can reduce swelling and inflammation, and it feels nice as well.
You always have over-the-counter pain meds like Advil or Aleve. Most people start to have some aches and pains as they get older, so having some of these sorts of meds in the house makes sense anyway.
You may also go to physical therapy and learn exercises to strengthen the ankle. You can’t reform or rebuild the cartilage, but you can at least strengthen the surrounding area, and that helps to some degree.Â
It might seem counterintuitive to walk on the ankle or exercise more, but often, that is just what a physical therapist will want you to do. You also have the option of surgery sometimes. You can talk to an orthopedic surgeon about that.
Can You Just Live with It?
If you have this condition, you may also wonder if you can just live with it. You can, but you will probably do better with a combination of the treatments we’ve described.
A person can often learn to live with just about any condition. However, that doesn’t mean they have a good quality of life.
That is the case with something like ankle osteoarthritis. While it’s by no means the worst thing you can have, it’s often painful and debilitating.Â
Finding a way to get on your feet through exercises, surgery, and the other treatments we’ve suggested is probably advisable, at least if you are still relatively young. If you are, then you probably still want some mobility. Otherwise, you’ll be stuck at home or on a motorized chair any time you decide to go outside.
You will probably do best with this condition if you get an early diagnosis and ongoing treatment. A medical professional who makes this their specialty can point you in the right direction.
