Inflammation of bone and cartilage tissue is a pressing problem for people all over the world living in modern society. Recently, the most frequently diagnosed disease of this type is arthrosis of the ankle joint.
Over time, the progression of the disease can cause limitation or complete loss of motor activity of the lower limbs, which often leads to extremely negative consequences - disability.
The severity of the consequences makes it important to understand the causes, as well as to know the symptoms and features of the treatment of ankle arthrosis.
Ankle arthrosis - what is it?
Osteoarthritis of the ankle jointis a disease, the development of which is accompanied by the destruction of the cartilage tissue of the joint of the lower limbs, as well as the neighboring bones.
It is also worth noting that osteoarthritis of the ankle joint is characterized by a chronic nature and an undulating course (systematic periods of exacerbations followed by remissions).
The disease is mainly characteristic of people of the older generation, but recently it is increasingly common in a situation where arthrosis is diagnosed in people under 45 years of age. According to statistics, the destruction of the cartilage tissue of the ankle is detected in 6% of applicants.
Timely diagnosis and a well-prepared treatment plan for ankle arthrosis can completely cure the disease.
Basic causes and principles of progression of osteoarthritis of the ankle
Osteoarthritis of the ankle joint is a special disease that can be a primary phenomenon or it can be secondary, where the disease progresses after an injury or inflammation.
Regardless of the type, arthrosis occurs mainly in conditions of disruption of the natural processes taking place inside the articular cartilage.
Considering the main factors for the development of the disease, it is worth emphasizing:
- microtraumas, as well as major injuries of the ankle joint;
- overweight;
- performing joint surgery;
- improperly selected shoes, abuse of high heels;
- excessive physical activity;
- metabolic disorders caused by various diseases (gout, hormonal imbalance);
- diseases of the musculoskeletal system;
- genetic predisposition;
- bad ecology.
Under normal metabolic processes, the surface joint tissues are characterized by smoothness and elasticity, ensuring unimpeded gliding during movement.
When the joint is injured or the metabolic processes are disturbed, the smoothness and elasticity of the tissues is lost, which causes friction and greatly aggravates the consequences.
Types and degrees of ankle arthrosis
Today, it is common to distinguish two types of arthrosis localized in the ankle joint:
- primary- development of pathological processes directly on healthy cartilaginous tissues;
- secondary (post-traumatic)– degenerative processes occurring during the development of various types of diseases/injuries.
In addition, modern medicine distinguishes several degrees of degenerative disease:
Arthrosis of the ankle joint 1st degree– the first stage of the development of the disease, accompanied by a clear manifestation of symptoms. Patients mainly complain of symptoms such as:
- increased fatigue;
- leg pain
During diagnostic procedures, pathological processes are practically invisible, which complicates the process of identifying the disease.
Arthrosis of the ankle joint 2 degree– is expressed in severe pain that disturbs the healthy sleep of patients.
Visual signs of the disease appear. Inflammation of the joint becomes visually noticeable: there is a local change in the color of the skin (redness), as well as an increase in its temperature. In addition, swelling begins, movements are limited.
Arthrosis of the ankle joint 3rd degree- accompanied by pronounced discomfort and severe pain, which is a sign of the beginning of the transformation of cartilage into bone tissue.
Joint mobility is limited or completely lost. Joint movements occur with a crunch.
The lack of the necessary treatment of arthrosis of the ankle joint in the later stages of the disease inevitably leads to loss of working capacity and obtaining the status of "disabled".
Symptoms of arthrosis of the ankle
Before you understand how and how to treat arthrosis of the ankle joint, it is important to identify its symptoms.
Considering the clinical picture of the disease, it can be noted that the main symptoms of arthrosis localized in the ankle joint are increased fatigue and severe pain. As the disease progresses, the situation worsens, leading to an increase in pain that does not go away even during periods of rest and long sleep.
Over time, the motor activity of the affected joint is significantly limited, and a rather severe deformation of the ankle is visually visible. However, in addition to this, the symptoms of ankle arthrosis include:
- increase in pain even with minor effort;
- discoloration of the skin and swelling of the tissues of the affected joint;
- leg swelling;
- characteristic crisis when moving the joint;
- loss of the ability to freely move the ankle;
- local increase in temperature indicators.
The presence of several or even one symptom of ankle arthrosis should be a reason to urgently seek qualified medical help.
Which doctor should I contact and how should I treat arthrosis of the ankle joint?
Doctors such as orthopedic traumatologists and rheumatologists treat osteoarthritis of the ankle. If you suspect the presence of a disease, you should refrain from self-medication. Ignoring the symptomatic manifestations can aggravate the degenerative processes and lead to extremely negative consequences.
Osteoarthritis of the ankle joint 1 and 2 degrees can be successfully treated. For this reason, when the first signs appear, it is important to contact your local doctor, who will refer you to a specialist for diagnosis.
Despite the complexity of the situation, grade 3 ankle arthrosis is also treatable, but radical measures are mostly used.
Today, various methods are used to treat arthrosis of the ankle, including non-drug therapy and medication.
Let's take a closer look at the available methods.
Physiotherapy for arthrosis of the ankle
Physiotherapyis a unique field of modern medicine that uses both natural and artificially created physical abilities to prevent and treat various diseases.
The use of physiotherapy as a treatment for arthrosis of the ankle allows to significantly reduce the amount or completely eliminate the use of drugs.
Physiotherapy methods help to significantly improve blood circulation in the affected joint, which ensures activation and acceleration of the recovery processes taking place inside the ankle.
In the treatment of arthrosis of the ankle, the following are used:
- laser irradiation;
- ultrasonic impact;
- electrical stimulation.
The treatment of arthrosis of the ankle is determined depending on the symptoms that appear and the intensity of the disease.
Massage and arthrosis of the ankle
Massageis a complex of mechanical and reflex techniques, the use of which ensures increased blood circulation, which significantly accelerates the recovery of affected tissues.
Treating osteoarthritis of the ankle with massage, in addition to reducing the rate of progression of the disease, helps prevent the likelihood of an exacerbation.
Only a specialist who knows the peculiarities of the structure of the joints can perform a massage for the treatment of arthrosis of the ankle joint. It is important to note that the duration of the massage should be a minimum of 25 minutes.
The use of massage in tandem with exercises for arthrosis of the ankle joint will ensure the achievement of the most effective results in a relatively short time.
Exercises and exercises for arthrosis of the ankle
Despite the fact that many are of the opinion that physical therapy (physiotherapy) for arthrosis is ineffective, physical activity is the key to eliminating the hated pain and significantly improving well-being.
Correctly selected exercises for arthrosis of the ankle joint lead to:
- eliminating the feeling of stiffness when walking;
- activation of blood circulation in the internal tissues of the joint;
- slowing down, and in some cases even completely stopping the course of the disease;
- recovery, improvement of quality of life.
It is important to note that with arthrosis of the ankle joint, exercises are chosen exclusively in accordance with the recommendations of the attending physician.
Surgical intervention in arthrosis of the ankle joint
In a situation where the conservative treatment of ankle arthrosis does not lead to the desired results, a more radical method of eliminating the disease comes to the rescue - surgery.
Today, the following types of surgical intervention are possible:
- endoprosthetics– total ankle replacement;
- arthroscopy– removal of excess formations inside the ankle;
- arthrodesis– immobilization of the ankle with preservation of cartilage remnants.
Surgery falls into the category of final methods of treatment for ankle arthrosis. Timely diagnosis and a well-structured treatment plan can prevent the need for radical measures.
To consolidate the postoperative result and speed up the recovery of the joint, specialists prescribe a set of exercises for arthrosis of the ankle joint.
Treatment of arthrosis of the ankle with drugs
Drug treatment of ankle arthrosis is part of the complex therapy, which makes it possible to relieve unpleasant symptoms and stop degenerative changes.
How to treat arthrosis of the ankle joint can only be determined by a specialist who knows the characteristics of the diagnosed disease. Self-medication with drugs can cause irreparable harm to the body.
All drugs for the treatment of arthrosis of the ankle joint are divided into several groups, each of which differs not only in the principle of action, but also in the degree of effectiveness.
Let's look at some of them in more detail.
Anti-inflammatory and analgesic
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for the treatment of arthrosis of the ankle joint are used at different stages of the development of the disease.
The main focus of this type of action is to relieve pain and relieve inflammation in the joint.
Today, the drug market offers anti-inflammatory and pain relievers not only in the form of gels and ointments, but also in the form of tablets, patches and injections.
Spasmolytics - muscle relaxants
Medicines for the treatment of osteoarthritis of the ankle joint, such as antispasmodics and muscle relaxants, are prescribed to actively help in the fight against the spasms of the muscles adjacent to the affected joints.
Antispasmodics provide muscle relaxation and pain relief. .
Chondroprotectors
Chondroprotectoris a drug for the treatment of arthrosis of the ankle joint, providing stimulation for the production of a sufficient amount of intra-articular fluid, which ensures accelerated tissue regeneration and saturation with essential vitamins and minerals.
Possible complications
In the absence of comprehensive treatment of arthrosis of the ankle, the probability of full recovery is reduced to almost zero.
Self-medication and ignoring the symptoms of the disease inevitably leads to immobilization of the limbs and disability.
In the presence of symptoms and insufficient treatment of arthrosis of the ankle joint, the progression of destructive processes causes the appearance of osteophytes (growths on bone tissue), which negatively affects the quality of life of a person.
Constant swelling of the tissues of the affected joint can also cause the development of pathological processes in blood vessels, in particular, deterioration of blood circulation, impaired blood flow.
Long-term destructive processes developing in the joint lead to immobilization of the ankle, which increases the risk of concomitant diseases and injuries.
Basic principles of dietary nutrition in ankle arthrosis
According to numerous studies, it has been noted that arthrosis occurs mainly in people who do not follow their diet.
Adhering to a diet and observing certain nutritional principles accelerates the treatment of many diseases, especially arthrosis.
The main principle of nutrition in arthrosis is balance. In addition, criteria such as:
- regularity of eating;
- variety of food products;
- correspondence between the nutritional value and the intensity of energy expenditure.
During the treatment and rehabilitation period, the patient's diet should consist mainly of dishes prepared using gelatin. In addition, it is important to give preference to foods enriched with vitamins of various groups and other useful trace elements.
To speed up your recovery, it is also recommended that you avoid drinking sugary sodas and alcohol.
Prevention of osteoarthritis of the ankle
The best treatment for osteoarthritis of the ankle isprevention.
In order to minimize or completely eliminate the likelihood of degenerative-dystrophic processes in the ankle, experts around the world recommend adhering to the simplest principles:
- constant monitoring of the diet;
- tracking and control of optimal body weight;
- attention and avoidance of lower limb injuries;
- allowing enough time for a good warm-up before physical activity;
- timely treatment of inflammatory diseases;
- maintaining an optimal balance of trace elements in the body.
Compliance with the simplest preventive recommendations will eliminate the likelihood of ankle arthrosis symptoms and limit the need for treatment of diseases of this type.
Do not forget that consulting a doctor when the first symptoms of arthrosis of the ankle joint are observed ensures its timely diagnosis and high-quality successful treatment.