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Ankle arthritis
Ankle arthritis develops when the ankle joint has been damaged through injury or through wear-and-tear of the cartilage. The symptoms of ankle arthritis are pain, swelling, stiffness and a lack of mobility.
What is arthritis of the ankle?
In ankle arthritis also referred to as osteoarthritis, the shock absorbing cartilage of the joint is worn, causing pain, stiffness and a lack of mobility. In the ankle most arthritis cases follow trauma such as an ankle fractures or severe ankle sprains. It can also be caused by rheumatoid arthritis, where the body attacks itself, or other inflammation conditions such as gout or pseudogout.
Need to know
If you have ankle arthritis, you'll probably experience pain, stiffness, and swelling around the ankle.
The level of pain can vary from person to person and you might notice it more at different times. Early on, you'll tend to notice it only after prolonged or high impact activities. If the condition progresses, you might notice it more often, or after lower level exercise.
In severe cases it could keep you awake at night and interfere with your sleep. Ankle arthritis has been shown to affect quality of life as much as end stage heart failure.
Your consultant will take a full history of your problem, examine you fully, and may also order appropriate investigations such as standing X-rays, MRI or CT scans. You may also have some blood tests to look for causes of inflammation such as rheumatoid arthritis or gout.
Your consultant will always recommend non-surgical options first, such as activity modification, pain killers, weight loss, ankle supports or braces, and physiotherapy. In some cases they may recommend injections into the joint.
If non-operative treatments have not worked, then you surgery may be discussed with you. There are three main surgical options for ankle arthritis:
- ankle arthroscopy, to clean out the joint or remove bone spurs.
- ankle fusion, when the two bone surfaces are joined together to remove the pain.
- ankle replacement, when the worn out surfaces are replaced with artificial ones.
ankle arthritis treatments
Ankle arthroscopy
A diagnostic test allowing our consultant to investigate the inside of your ankle joint using a small surgical camera (arthroscope). It’s used to diagnose joint conditions from ligament damage to arthritis.
Ankle joint fusion
If you have a painful ankle joint caused by osteoarthritis, fusion surgery to permanently join the ankle bones, can be a highly effective treatment option.
Arthroscopic debridement
The process of washing and removing debris from a damaged joint. This is a minimally invasive procedure typically to remove damaged cartilage, typical in cases of arthritis and joint instability such as knee, hip, ankle or wrist.
Shockwave therapy
This treatment is to irritate the tissue in the pain area and used to stimulate tissue in order to promote healing It can be particularly helpful for treating foot and ankle symptoms such as heel pain and plantar fasciitis.
Our ankle arthritis locations
The Harborne Hospital
Mindelsohn Way B15 2FQ Birmingham
The Lister Hospital
Chelsea Bridge Road SW1W 8RH London
London Bridge Hospital
27 Tooley Street SE1 2PR London
The Princess Grace Hospital
42-52 Nottingham Place W1U 5NY London
The Wellington Hospital
Wellington Place St John's Wood NW8 9LE London
The Wilmslow Hospital
52-54 Alderley Road Wilmslow SK9 1NY Cheshire
This content is intended for general information only and does not replace the need for personal advice from a qualified health professional.