Common Foot and Ankle Problems & Treatments
Arthritis of the Foot and Ankle

General Information

Joints are comprised of bones, cartilage and ligaments.  The foot alone is made up of 26 bones and more than 30 joints. The cartilage on the bones along with synovial fluid (lubricating fluid) in the joints, provide the gliding mechanism needs for proper joint function.

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (AKA degenerative arthritis) is the most common form of arthritis.  This occurs when there is wear and tear to joint cartilage that comes with age. The gliding mechanism is compromised leading to grinding between the bones.  This results in pain, swelling and joint stiffness.  Old trauma to a joint, faulty biomechanics and improper shoe gear often contribute to this form of arthritis.What are the symptoms?

Osteochondritis may cause swelling and ankle pain.

Diagnosis

Physical examination of your foot and ankle.

X-rays.

MRI or CT scan.

Inflammatory arthritis

Inflammatory arthritis is an autoimmune condition which is caused by the bodies own immune system attacking the bones, cartilage, ligaments and tendons of a joint.  These are often genetically linking forms of arthritis.  Conditions such as Rheumatoid arthritis, Psoriatic arthritis, Lupus and Polymyalgia Rheumatica are examples of inflammatory arthritis.  Patients may complain of joint swelling, warmth, stiffness and redness.  More than one joint may be involved.

Diagnosis

Physical examination of your foot and ankle.

X-rays.

MRI or CT scan.

Bloodwork to rule out inflammatory process.

Causes of osteochondritis dissecans (stiff ankle)

Osteochondritis often follows a twisting-type injury to the ankle.

Treatment

Treatment for osteochondritis dissecans (stiff ankle)

When immobilization of the injury doesn’t alleviate the problem, surgery is sometimes prescribed.

The procedures usually involves removing the loose fragments of cartilage and bone from the ankle joint, and placing small drill holes in the defect. The drill holes stimulate new blood vessels to fill the area, and help to form scar tissue to fill the defect.