ankle arthrosis

ankle arthrosis
Unlike other joints, signs of wear (arthroses) rarely occur in the ankle unless there has been a previous injury.

Most arthroses of the ankle are therefore secondary (post-traumatic) arthroses, i.e. long-term consequences of severe or insufficiently treated injuries such as ankle luxation fractures or complex capsule ligament injuries.

Innovations and technologies that have been developed for the knee joint to improve the cartilage surface (transplantation of cartilage cells or osteochondral cylinders) or to replace it with an endoprosthesis (artificial joint) can now successfully be used to treat the ankle. The options for treatment are still limited, above all because the joint has an irregular and very narrow form, which makes it less easy to access in multiple arthroscopic treatments than the knee joint, for example.

As a basic principle, a graduated therapy programme is used in many cases and is begun with a conservative treatment (including measures involves shoes), which can lead to the symptoms being relieved for many years in some cases. When these options has been exhausted in a development of arthrosis, there are two main options for surgical therapy: a stiffening of the upper ankle (arthrodesis) or implantation of an artificial joint (ankle endoprosthesis).