FOOT AND ANKLE ARTHRITIS / OSTEOARTHRITIS

What are arthritis/ osteoarthritis?

Arthritis occurs when the cartilage encasing the bones, which aids fluent movement in the joint, is damaged, resulting in friction. Any joint in the body can be affected by arthritis.

Osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, big toe arthritis (hallux rigidus), midfoot arthritis and hindfoot arthritis are just some of the varieties of arthritis affecting the foot and ankle.

What causes ankle arthritis/osteoarthritis?

Some 70% of cases of foot and ankle arthritis are due to a previous injury. Other less common causes include rheumatoid arthritis, previous infection in the ankle joint, gout and rarely bleeding conditions such as haemophilia.

What are the symptoms of ankle arthritis?

Symptoms include:

• Experiencing pain on moving your ankle
• Your ankle joint swelling
• Finding your usual shoes too tight
• Pain worsening, even at rest
• Deformity of ankle joint, leading to limping

People suffering with arthritis have been known to leave it for years before consulting a doctor, by which time their stiffness has intensified, limiting movement. Treating the condition early, using techniques such as joint preservation surgery, can eliminate the need to undergo procedures like ankle fusion surgery.

How is ankle arthritis diagnosed?

Your consultant will discuss your symptoms with you at your first consultation and conduct a range of diagnostic tests, which may include an MRI scan or X-ray to pinpoint damaged areas of your ankle joint.

How is ankle arthritis treated?

Ankle arthritis does not always lead to surgery and your consultant will recommend the best treatment path for your individual case. Sometimes, the wearing of a brace or specially-designed boots or shoes to support your ankle may be advised. This, together with anti-inflammatory painkillers (if prescribed), can control the pain effectively. However, your consultant may also advise you to have an injection in your ankle to keep swelling and pain down.

If, despite non-surgical intervention, the ankle pain is having a negative impact on your day-to-day activities, your consultant may opt to perform an arthroscopy (keyhole surgery) to repair any joint damage. Usually, regardless of how severe the arthritis is, the objective will be the preservation of your ankle joint. Joint preservation surgery to realign deformities in the ankle and ‘distract’ the joint (pull the damaged joint surfaces away from one another) may be necessary. An alternative procedure, should your joint be too damaged to preserve, is ankle fusion surgery, which results in your ankle joint being permanently stiffened.