With ankle joint arthrosis, symptoms and treatment will largely depend on the type of damage and the degree of neglect of the patient's condition. Do not ignore the diagnosis, so you should consult a specialist. Only the attending physician will tell you in detail how to cure arthrosis of the ankle joint, what is so dangerous in itself and whether it is possible to get rid of this problem forever.
Causes of disease
During the development of osteoarthritis of the ankle, 2 groups are distinguished: primary (occurs for no particular reason) and secondary (appears due to adverse external factors). Other names for this disease: crusarthrosis (affected right or left ankle) or osteoarthritis. With osteoarthritis of the lower limbs, degenerative processes occur in the cartilage tissue, which subsequently lead to a number of deviations.
In most cases, the disease is found in older men and women. Over time, organs in the internal system do not work actively and properly, and in some cases, their failure leads to thinning of bone and cartilage tissue. Under normal circumstances, the joints slide freely during movement without touching each other.
If they are negatively affected in osteoarthritis, the joints become deformed and begin to rub against other joints. This causes an additional load, which then goes to the bone, which causes its deformation. When the joint is injured again, the surrounding tissue is also affected. The legs lose their mobility and do not tolerate large loads (with paresis).
Other reason
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 loads or other active jobs. Similar causes provoke the disease in professional athletes or in those who have been actively involved in sports for a long time. Due to the wrong load, significant pressure is exerted on the limb, which subsequently causes damage.
Acute arthrosis is a common problem for overweight people, because during movement, the mass presses on the lower leg, which the leg cannot hold. With obesity, the disease can also develop in young people (about 20 years old), if a person has been diagnosed with this since childhood. Other diseases that cause arthrotic deformation of the ankle joint (the reasons for which were discussed above):
- gout;
- diabetes mellitus and atherosclerosis (metabolic diseases);
- congenital deformities of the foot, ankle (clubfoot);
- any condition in which a nerve is pinched.
It interferes with the function of the muscular apparatus (for example, osteochondrosis). As a result of flat foot or clubfoot, in addition to the deformity, subtalar arthrosis (so called because of changes in the talus).
Various types of injuries to the knee or leg (improper squatting), as well as the use of uncomfortable, small or uncomfortable shoes, are also causes of arthrosis of the ankle joint. Women are particularly at risk. They have negative symptoms that lead to the use of high heels.
Symptoms and stages
Many years can pass from the initial manifestation of the disease to the final stage of the disease. The development time will depend on the initial state of the human body, the treatment and the suitability of the applicable therapy. The signs of arthrosis will differ in a number of its characteristic symptoms.
First of all, with any, even slightly increased, load on the joints, a person begins to feel sharp tingling pains in the legs. The same thing happens if the patient is moving long distances at a slow pace. Joints often creak and creak.
The patient begins to fold his legs, which sometimes ends in a dislocation of the ankle. It occurs from a violation of the function of muscles and tendons, to atrophy of muscle tissue (a decrease or change in muscle tissue, followed by its replacement with connective tissue that is unable to perform basic motor functions). For the same reason, stiffness and swelling are often felt in the legs.
Doctors distinguish 3 stages of the development of the disease. The first two are perfectly treatable, after which the person completely returns to his previous life. In grade 3, patients are often given disability due to arthrosis.
During the development of the disease stage 1, the symptoms of arthrosis appear very few. A person can go to a medical institution with complaints of rapid limb fatigue and slight pain in the legs, which disappear after rest. The diagnosis of arthrosis of the extremities is rarely made, because during the study no pathology was found in the patient.
In the second stage, the pain does not go away after rest. Swelling and redness appear in the legs, which will lead to an increase in temperature. Pain increases during active changes in weather conditions, swelling occurs.
At the last stage, the cartilage tissue hardens, causing considerable discomfort to the patient, from which the person suffers from severe pain. The legs lost their mobility, and with each step there was a crunch. If the disease begins, this can lead to another diagnosis - deformity of the legs. This pathology gives the right to receive a disability, so treatment should be started immediately.
At this stage, arthrosis is dangerous. Some distinguish another 4th degree, in which 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, the 4th degree is characterized by the frequent development of ankylosis (when the joints are fused) and neoarthrosis (when unnecessary or false joints form between the displaced ends of the bones).
Post-traumatic arthrosis
Post-traumatic arthrosis of the ankle joint requires timely treatment, because, unlike deformation and acute, it is characteristic of young people, as it occurs after an injury. For example with dislocations, fractures and sprains.
Any tissue damage after an injury doesn't just go away, it hits the blood vessels and nerves.
At first, the patient does not feel any discomfort, only over time he begins to notice that during walking the foot is twisted, because the ligaments have weakened and can no longer support the whole leg.
Over time, with osteoarthritis of the ankle joint, physical activity (especially among athletes) is more difficult, the legs tire quickly during exercise. Girls often in such cases have complaints that they cannot sit on the rope even with long and properly performed daily stretches. Continuous improvement is followed by remission, wherein the leg swells, hurts and is restless even after rest.
Often, it is post-traumatic arthrosis that causes pseudoarthrosis, a bone defect that causes severe joint mobility. For example, it becomes possible to bend the arms at the elbows not only back, but also forward. Pseudarthrosis occurs during bone healing, when tissues grow together improperly.
Often, post-traumatic ankle arthrosis is a consequence of surgical intervention during another operation. Scars form in the area of \u200b\u200bthe tissue, impairing blood circulation. The risk increases when part of the affected joint is removed as necessary during surgery. Treatment of post-traumatic arthrosis of the ankle joint occurs according to the same methodology as in cases of other types.
Do's and don'ts for Arthrosis
Is it possible to do physical exercises with this disease? It is important to reduce the load on the affected joint as much as possible, therefore, having established the diagnosis, try not to lift weights, it is forbidden to run, you can not jump, do squats, perform pushes and pressures with heavy weights while standing. , doing shock aerobics, doing asymmetrical exercises, and doing static weights (eg, sitting squats). You can use a walking stick to help relieve arthritis pain when you walk.
However, it is absolutely not recommended to refuse physical activity. In contrast, normal blood circulation in the ankle with arthrosis is achieved more rapidly with exercise. Recommended for ailments (especially post-traumatic osteoarthritis of the ankle) brisk walking or swimming.
Every extra kilogram of weight puts pressure on your feet and causes ankle swelling, so even a small amount of weight loss will significantly speed up recovery time. Losing weight too quickly is not recommended, light exercise and a proper (but not debilitating) diet will gradually return the body to normal. From arthrosis, a single diet will not help, as well as a diet that will dramatically and radically change the usual diet. If you are going to switch to a vegetarian diet, it is better to wait until you are fully recovered.
Choose shoes with low and wide soles. For the ankle joint, you can and should wear small wide heels, but not ballet shoes or sneakers. These shoes are the most comfortable and safest to wear and significantly increase the stability of the foot when walking. The soft sole will further reduce some of the load on the joint.
The upper should be soft and broad, not pressing the foot, but the wrong size of the boots will only increase the risk of injury. If you suffer from flat feet, this will only add to the problem. When a person steps on the ground, the impact on it, along with a sprained foot, must be extinguished by the joints. In this case, special orthopedic insoles or instep supports will help.
When sitting, keep your knees slightly lower than your hips. Furniture with high legs will help in this, preferably with armrests. A chair with such a handle will be especially relevant for existing pain, as this will reduce the load on the knee joint when lifting. When working in an office, adjust your desk chair so that your legs don't go numb. If the furniture is of poor quality, don't sit still and occasionally stand up to warm up.
If you are doing a foot massage yourself or seeking help from a specialist, remember that knee massage itself is strictly prohibited. The gonarthrosis also becomes inflamed in the articular bag itself, and active blood circulation inside will only increase the pain. Is it possible to warm the joints in the shower or use various heating compresses in therapy? Yes, but only if the person is sure of the diagnosis, and the attending physician does not object to the procedure. Do not use heat if injections for arthrosis in the form of corticosteroids are prescribed.
Medical treatment
How to treat ankle joint osteoarthritis? Therapy should be comprehensive and work with multiple techniques. First of all, it is necessary to reduce the load on the ankle as much as possible, especially during periods of exacerbation of pain. A bandage or walking with a cane with an emphasis on the healthy leg will help with this. Don't overload it, stop jogging and other physical activities for a while (running is dangerous).
By themselves, drugs will not increase a person's motor activity, but can ease movement and relieve pain. Analgesics that are good for pain relief are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs for short).
NSAIDs have an adverse effect on the gastric mucosa, causing a number of problems and pain, so it is best to use them in various ointments or injections. These funds are aimed at reducing pain, many of which will allow you to get rid of swelling and inflammation. For the same reason, corticosteroids, an anti-inflammatory drug, are also injected into the joint. Its use is recommended when the disease is in a critical stage, and other drugs no longer have any effect, because corticosteroids are strong and powerful drugs.
In modern methods of medicine, the drug is injected directly into the joint itself with the help of steroid hormones or with the help of hyaluronic acid (the same which is very popular for cosmetic purposes). Treating ankle osteoarthritis with this method is expensive, but effective. Injected hyaloron has a composition similar to intra-articular fluid and, getting inside, regenerates damaged joints, replacing fluid lost during the course of the disease.
Treatment of edema can be carried out with the help of a dropper, various ointments will increase the tone of the veins. Condoprotectors are the last resort of drugs, as their main task is to restore and better protect the joints from negative influences. Treatment of ankle arthrosis involves the use of a condoprotector. The result of using the funds occurs after a minimum of 3 months, depending on the severity of the disease. That is why the drugs are usually prescribed for treatment for a year or even more, but only in the first two stages, because otherwise they will be useless.
Operation and its varieties
This operation is prescribed at 3-4 stages of the disease, as well as for those for whom the previous methods of treatment did not give the right result. Treatment of arthrosis of the ankle joint with surgery has several subspecies:
- Arthroscopy is a well-known and frequently used method.
- Tibial osteotomy (also called coxarthrosis).
- Arthroplasty.
- Endoprosthetics.
During arthroscopy, the surgeon makes a small incision near the joint and inserts a tiny camera into it, assessing the general condition of the joint and bone. After that, the necessary surgical instruments are inserted and the operation itself is performed. Arthroscopy is considered the most cost-effective method of treatment, as the person recovers quickly after surgery, and the incisions made do not take much longer than regular incisions.
In some cases, the deformation of this organ leads to the deformation of osteoarthritis of the ankle joint (the treatment for it will be somewhat different from the treatment of other types of the disease), since the load on the entire ankle is distributed incorrectly. Osteotomy is aimed at correcting this curvature (coxarthrosis) and aligning the bones. It is usually contraindicated in the elderly and is used to treat young patients. During an arthroplasty, a portion of the material is removed from the femur, which is not subject to heavy weights, and transferred to the ankle joint. With the endoprosthetic method, the affected area is completely or partially removed and replaced with an artificial device, but the structure is similar.
Other treatment and prevention
The method of treating arthrosis of the ankle joint does not mean ending with the use of various drugs. The next step in treatment will be a variety of options. Therapeutic exercises (exercise therapy) restore muscle tone and return the ankle to its original mobility. The exercise scheme is made by specialists. Firstly, physiotherapeutic exercises are performed in a prone position, over time - sitting and standing.
Another option is to fix the leg. During such classes, it is recommended to fix the leg with a bandage or refer to the principle of plastering. This is done with the help of special tapes and plasters (teips). Thus, the risk of injury is reduced to a minimum, because a comfortable lotion helps in this. This principle is widely known among professional athletes.
Another method is kinesiology tape. Here, cotton adhesive tape made of hypoallergenic material is applied to the feet. The latter dries quickly on the feet, is easy to repair and doesn't cause any discomfort.
Some doctors are skeptical about the next method of treating deforming osteoarthritis of the ankle joint. However, it has been scientifically proven that the treatment of magnetotherapy, electrophoresis and Vitafon significantly enhances the effect of drugs, thereby completely relieving pain.
Each massage session should be done by a specialist and last about 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 leg increase the work of the whole leg as a whole. The course usually lasts 2 weeks with a break of 2 days, but treatment can be adjusted according to specialist recommendations.
The diet for arthrosis of the ankle joint should be balanced and include the use of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, fiber, minerals. Nutrition for arthrosis should not be scarce. After all, the variety of dishes was good and healthy. Vitamins for arthrosis are also important. They can be obtained both with the help of tablets, and with the use of vitamins from fruits and vegetables.
To prevent the development of the disease, follow a number of simple rules, and the disease will not appear by itself.
For example, control your diet. Do not completely give up your favorite harmful product - try to reduce its consumption to a minimum.
When working or playing sports, try to avoid injuries and heavy loads. Before your favorite exercise, be sure to warm up. It is forbidden to squat with arthrosis, but if the patient recovers from the disease and returns to his old activities, this should be done with caution. The patient should wear comfortable shoes. Give preference to high-quality shoes, which is why heels should be abandoned.