Ankle osteoarthritis
Ankle osteoarthritis is a chronic disease that affects all the elements of the joint, especially bone and cartilage tissue. The disease is experienced by many people, in most cases it is inextricably linked with arthritis. Most often, patients who have crossed the 50-year-old turn with complaints of pain in the ankle joint.
Content:
- Stages of development of ankle osteoarthritis
- Causes of ankle osteoarthritis
- Ankle osteoarthritis symptoms
- Treatment of ankle osteoarthritis
Stages of development of ankle osteoarthritis
Doctors distinguish several stages of the development of the disease:
-
Ankle osteoarthritis of the first degree. The patient can hear such a diagnosis at the very initial stage of the development of the disease. This period is not characterized by significant damage to the cartilage tissue. The joint looks as usual, no visible changes have occurred. But the pathological process has already started and it is expressed in the fact that the cartilage cells receive less nutrients, stop renewing and die off over time. Further, adjacent tissues and cells begin to suffer. Despite the painful sensations, people do not rush to get medical help.
- Ankle osteoarthritis of the second degree. Such a diagnosis is made when the manifestations of the disease become pronounced. Pains begin to torment a person regularly, they may not stop at all. The joint is deformed and increases in size. X-ray examination shows that irreversible growth of bone tissue has occurred far beyond the joint. Most people at this stage seek advice from a doctor.
- Deforming ankle osteoarthritis. A similar diagnosis can be heard when changes that are visible to the naked eye have occurred. Cartilage, bursae and ligaments were severely affected, which ultimately led to deformation of the ankle.
Causes of ankle osteoarthritis
There are several reasons leading to osteoarthritis of the ankle joint:
- Traumatic joint damage.
- Congenital disorders of joint tissues.
- The presence of another focus of inflammation, for example, arthrosis, leading to a secondary disease.
- Genetic predisposition.
- Poisoning, hypothermia, frequent viral infections.
- Excess weight.
- Lack of nutrients, metabolic disorders.
- Diseases associated with a violation of the production of hormones.
Ankle osteoarthritis symptoms
Depending on the stage of development of the disease, symptoms can vary, worsening over time:
- Pain that gradually gets worse. Initially, it can appear only when walking or running, also during sports, and in a calm state it decreases or disappears altogether. As the disease progresses, even at night, the pain does not recede, it becomes aching and does not give the person the opportunity to fully rest. For the second stage of development of osteoarthritis, the so-called starting pain is characteristic, which occurs in the morning, after a night's sleep, when a person stands on his leg.
- Stiffness of movement, limitation of joint mobility.
- Clamping the limb in one position.
- Redness of the ankle joint, its swelling, there may be an increase in temperature in the area of inflammation. These symptoms are characteristic of the acute stage of the disease.
- Deformation of the joint, which is aggravated by the growth of bone tissue.
- The inability to step on the foot is the most striking symptom, indicating that the disease has reached its climax.
On the subject: Ankle pain
Treatment of ankle osteoarthritis
Modern medicine offers people suffering from ankle osteoarthritis the following therapeutic options:
- Various treatment complexes, which include: the appointment of electrophoresis with various drugs, treatment with leeches, mud, as well as magnetic therapy.
- Visit to the massage room. Such a procedure will help to increase the flow of nutrients to the affected tissues, the outflow of venous blood from the sore spot will occur, thereby removing the swelling, and the pathological process will slow down.
- A set of exercises designed to stretch the muscles, improve their elasticity so that they better support the diseased joint.
- Chondoprotectors, which contribute to the fact that the cartilage tissue begins to regenerate, the process of its wear slows down.
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Reduction of painful sensations. For this purpose, you can take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, as well as analgin and paracetamol. Some creams, in addition to healing and stimulating properties, have the ability to numb the damaged areas.
- Reducing stress on the ankle joint. In particular, this applies to those people who are overweight. They definitely need to establish nutrition and normalize body weight. Otherwise, any procedures will be useless. Refusal to lift weights and engage in overly active sports.
- Reception of vitamin and mineral complexes.
- Rejection of bad habits.
- Fermatron and Dyuralan injections will help to improve joint movement.
- Use of comfortable footwear with special shock-absorbing insoles.
- Surgical intervention, which is used in the most advanced cases.
On the subject: List of modern drugs and drugs for joints
Traditional methods
It should be understood that alternative methods of treatment are auxiliary procedures that are more conducive to removing puffiness and reducing pain symptoms, so you should not take them as a panacea for the disease. They are most effective when the pathological process has not yet reached the second stage.
The following compresses can be used at home:
- Chopped rice pre-soaked in water must be mixed with petroleum jelly and applied in the form of gruel for a night's rest.
- You can prepare a healing cream based on St. John's wort, hops and lanolin. Apply to damaged areas in the evening before going to bed.
- Inside, it is recommended to take a tincture of boiled lingonberry leaf. Drink 3 teaspoons before each meal.
On the subject: Other effective home remedies
Author of the article: Kaplan Alexander Sergeevich | Orthopedist
Education: diploma in the specialty "General Medicine" received in 2009 at the Medical Academy. I. M. Sechenov. In 2012 completed postgraduate studies in Traumatology and Orthopedics at the City Clinical Hospital named after Botkin at the Department of Traumatology, Orthopedics and Disaster Surgery.
