How Foot Joints Can Be Affected by Ankle Arthritis

One of the most painful forms of arthritis is ankle arthritis. There are 28 bones in the human foot with about 30 joints. If a person develops ankle arthritis in their foot then this can prove to be extremely painful as each step they take will cause tremendous pain. The most common type of arthritis is osteoarthritis which is a degenerative condition that will eventually wear down cartilage in the joints. When the bones in the joint scrape together without cartilage, this is what causes the pain, not to mention probably bone damage too.

Whilst arthritis has the ability to affect any of the joints in the body, it most commonly affects the end of the shin bone. This is where the end of the shin bone rests on the top of the ankle bone. If a person suffers from ankle arthritis, when they walk, the entire weight of their body is placed on the ankle bone and this in turn wears the bone down and can become extremely painful. It's common for this type of arthritis to affect the heel bone as well as the middle bone or arch as well as the first joints of the toes. Unfortunately, as people walk their body weight rests on each of these joints and the result is that pain is inevitable regardless of where the arthritis is located.

Diagnosis is carried out through a bone scan to find out the extent of the damage to the cartilage alongside a gait analysis to diagnose ankle arthritis. An MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) or CT (Computerized Tomography) scan could also be utilised during the diagnostic phase.

Treatments You'll Likely Receive at The Onset of Ankle Arthritis

If you've been found to have ankle arthritis by your doctor, it's likely that you will be prescribed with some form of anti-inflammatory drug alongside some painkillers. It's also common for some doctors to advise extra support for your shoes in the form of ankle supports, arch supports or bridging supports - anything that can hep take the weight off the area causing you pain. In some cases, a completely custom-made shoe to help strengthen the joint may also be recommended to you.

It's also been known for some doctors to suggest a brace around the ankle. This will help prevent bones from raking together through lack of cartilage. A good exercise program may also be advised to patients who are suffering from obesity or are overweight. This is important because the less weight your body has to carry, the more chance it will have of reducing the amount of pain within joints as a result of less stress being applied to the affected areas. Some doctors could also use steroid injections to help create a short-term protective buffer around the joint.

In some cases, non-evasive treatments such as these simply have no effect on patients. If this is the case, arthroscopic surgery is likely to be the next step of treatment. This type of surgery allows doctors to remove unwanted fragments of bone from within areas that have suffered from reduced cartilage and have managed to work their way into what remains. Failing this type of surgery, one of the final steps used for severe ankle arthritis is to replace the affected joint with an artificial one. These artificial joints are usually made of plastic or metal.