Osteoarthritis Foot & Ankle - Dubai Orthopedic Clinic

There are 26 bones and 33 joints in the foot. The most common joint that affected with degenerative changes is the big toe joint and the ankle joint.

Symptoms

• Swelling  
• Restricted movement
• Pain
• Tenderness 
• Deformity
• Instability.

Causes include:

• Post traumatic arthritis (non anatomic  fracture healing or osteochondral lesion)
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Osteonecrosis 
• Neuropathic 
• Gout and hemophiliac
• Primary osteoarthritis.

Our Opinion in Treatment

• Activity modification to limit impact activities including running and jumping.
• Modification of footwear. E.g. cushioned heel inserts with a stiff rocker bottom sole.
• Ankle-foot-orthoses( AFOs). These braces help support the joint and prevent excessive motion.
• Physical therapy to strengthen the leg and foot muscles .

• Medications: Anti-inflammatory medications can be helpful in patients with moderate symptoms
• Cortisone injection can be helpful in an acute flare-up of pain but shouldn’t repeat regularly .

Surgical treatment :

• Arthroscopy: For limited ankle arthritis surgical method is by treating ankle impingement (anterior and anterolateral), osteochondral lesion and removing loose body and synovial lesion.

• Ankle replacement : In general, it is recommended for people older than 60 who are not overweight with low physical demands.
• Ankle fusion:  This is the standard procedure  for younger people with more active lifestyles. We are doing this operation with minimal incision(trans lateral malleolus technique ). It has excellent long term results .