Joint injuries occupy a leading line among the reasons why a person has arthrosis of the ankle joint.
In order to avoid such surgical intervention, it is not necessary to bring the situation to a critical state.
It is necessary to closely monitor your health, follow a diet and, in case of the symptoms described above, seek the help of a doctor and begin timely treatment, which contributes to a complete recovery or a suspension of the development of the disease.
Among the most common causes contributing to the manifestation of the disease, it is possible to distinguish:
- Pinched nerve.
Arthrosis of the ankle occurs due to pinching of the nerve endings in the lumbar spine, in which there is a malfunction in the muscles of the leg and foot. In turn, pinching of the nerves occurs due to osteochondrosis and intervertebral hernias, sprain and weakening of the ligaments, as well as intraarticular fractures in humans.
- Metabolic diseases.
Among them, the most likely “vehicles” of arthrosis are gout, diabetes, an improper diet, and endocrine system diseases.
- Joint inflammation (e.g. rheumatoid arthritis)
- Hereditary factor
- Gender Affiliation.
A certain risk in which arthrosis of the ankle joint occurs is experienced by women who often walk in high heels, thereby putting the joints under stress and possible injuries.
- Professional affiliation.
To some extent, this disease is of a professional nature. Its occurrence is affected by people whose activities are associated with significant loads on the ankle joint. And these are, first of all, athletes (soccer players, runners, hockey players, figure skaters), choreographers, ballerinas.
- Overweight.
People whose weight is far from average, who do not follow a diet and proper nutrition, put excessive stress on the joints, which provokes the onset of the disease.
Due to all of the above reasons, cartilage and bones, under great pressure, age, weaken, lose their former elasticity. Gradually, they begin to become inflamed, give extra formations in the bone tissue and lead to joint deformation.
Therefore, it is very important to know the symptoms indicating arthrosis of the ankle joint, the treatment of which, if the diagnosis is confirmed, should be started as soon as possible in order to avoid unpleasant and serious consequences.
Symptoms of ankle arthrosis
Depending on the stage of development of the disease, symptoms can manifest themselves in varying degrees of pain. The initial stage, as a rule, may not even make it clear to a person that he is developing a disease. No pronounced symptoms are observed, and the first thing a person can notice is minor pain after walking, as well as fatigue of the legs even due to short trips. True, such pains should prompt the proper attention of a person with their systematic nature, this will indicate that the disease is developing.
As the arthrosis develops and progresses, joint pain intensifies, becoming not temporary, but permanent, and pains appear not only during or after walking, but also at rest, especially at night. Other symptoms are also associated with pain, expressed by an increase in body temperature, limitation or loss of motor activity, and swelling of the legs. Signs such as crunching and other sounds when walking, pronounced deformations and curvatures of the foot will speak of a significant advanced stage of the disease, and patients are already forced to use a cane and crutch to perform movements.
In order to consult a doctor and begin treatment with medicinal or folk remedies, it is worthwhile to carefully consider the symptoms that indicate the onset or progression of the disease:
- Sound symptoms: crunch, clicks, creak;
- Soreness that occurs during physical exertion, at the beginning of movement, during climatic changes (inclement weather or the presence of he foot in the water), morning pain;
- Restriction and stiffness of movements;
- Swelling, hyperemia and local joint heat;
- An increase in body temperature, indicating an inflammatory process in the body;
- The frequent appearance of corns;
- Fatigue when walking;
- Various joint deformities: thickening, curvature;
- Frequent injuries and subluxations of the legs;
- Numbness and muscle atrophy.
If one of these symptoms occurs, regardless of the fact that it manifests itself in a mild degree, you should not delay a visit to the doctor and do not try to cope with the disease on your own using folk remedies.
Types and stages of ankle arthrosis
Another type of disease is post-traumatic arthrosis, resulting from mechanical damage to the joint. These can be fractures, dislocations, injuries of various genesis. In post-traumatic arthrosis, it is customary to distinguish two phases. In the primary phase, inflammation occurs in healthy cartilage, in the secondary phase, in already damaged articular cartilage that has suffered an injury or a fracture. The peculiarity of this type is that the joint cannot withstand the usual, even if insignificant, stress when walking or standing for a long time, which the damaged joint experiences.
A person can not always and not immediately understand that a joint has been injured. Therefore, symptoms such as pain when climbing the stairs or when descending from it, swelling and local swelling should suggest to him that accidental tucking or dislocation of the legs could contribute to the occurrence of post-traumatic arthrosis.
In addition, it is customary to distinguish between three degrees of arthrosis, which are different in their manifestation, symptoms, treatment and consequences. At the first degree, there are periodic pains in the joint, some leg fatigue, but at the same time, a person at the same level can perform normal movements, but with some difficulty.
The second degree already gives a person unpleasant sensations, significantly complicating motor activity. At grade 2, the disease is projected onto the cartilage, which is gradually deformed. Symptoms are already pronounced: soreness, increased pain in the morning, crunching and creaking, stiffness of movements.
The third degree already speaks of the protracted nature of the disease. The pains are systematic, severe. In addition, the joint has marked swelling and deformation. Gait may change significantly. The most extreme case of this degree of illness is loss of movement and inability to walk.
Each of the degrees of arthrosis requires special treatment.
Treatment of ankle arthrosis
The treatment of ankle arthrosis depends on the degree and form of the disease. The most effective, giving good results and eliminating the consequences is the therapy started as early as possible. As a rule, at the initial stage, you can do with folk remedies, massages and physiotherapy. Running forms already require surgical intervention.
Among the methods of treatment of ankle arthrosis are:
- Drug treatment
- Traditional medicine
- Physiotherapeutic procedures
- Exercise therapy and massage
- Surgery
- Diet and proper nutrition
Of course, at the beginning of the development of the disease, doctors adhere to conservative treatment, prescribing physiotherapy and exercise therapy. By the way, physiotherapy procedures are very effective at any stage of the disease. In addition to relieving pain, they have an effect on vasodilation, improving metabolism and raising general immunity. The most common physiotherapy method for treating arthrosis is electrophoresis, which helps to eliminate inflammation and repair tissue. Ultrasound and magnetotherapy have the same effect, which is prescribed in case of puffiness and severe pain, which exercise therapy and ointments cannot cope with.
Another effective therapy is balneotherapy. The use of various baths – hydrogen sulfide or radon, as well as therapeutic mud is prescribed only if there are no contraindications. As a rule, patients receive these procedures in sanatoriums, but if several conditions are met, they can be carried out at home.
Along with physiotherapy and massage, the patient is prescribed a session of physiotherapy exercises, which is very effective. Exercise therapy, depending on the degree of the disease, begins with minimal loads and with the appointment of a certain set of physical exercises for the foot. In other cases, gymnastics and swimming may be prescribed.
It is very important to follow a diet during treatment. Organization of proper nutrition is one of the main tasks of effective treatment. Diet is the first item in therapy that is prescribed for people with excess weight, because it is thanks to him that the feet experience increased stress and provoke the development of the disease. In addition, people with normal weight should follow a diet if they have been given this diagnosis, because the disease does not spare even the most healthy people – athletes who get sick, injured during training.
In addition to following a diet, undergoing a massage course, exercise therapy and physiotherapeutic procedures, one of the most important is the appointment of drug treatment, which helps to eliminate pain and inflammation. With conservative treatment, especially at the initial stage of the disease, the patient may be prescribed the use of folk remedies – these are tinctures, ointments, compresses on herbs.
In some cases, when drug and physiotherapy do not show positive dynamics, the patient will have surgery. As a rule, this happens already at the last – 3 stages of the disease, when the joint is destroyed and requires urgent surgery. Among the operations that are performed with ankle arthrosis, arthrodesis is distinguished, in which the remnants of the cartilage are removed and the joint is immobilized; arthroplasty, when trying to save a damaged joint, as well as arthroplasty, when they completely replace a diseased joint with an artificial one.
