As a person ages, the risk of spine and joint diseases increases. This is due to degenerative and destructive changes in the body. One of the common diseases is ankle arthritis.
Ankle arthritis - what is it?
Ankle arthritis is a chronic disease and cannot be completely cured. According to statistics, 10% of the population suffers from this dystrophic disorder. People over 40 years old are especially susceptible to this disease. The disease can lead to disability. Therefore, timely and competent treatment is required.
The ankle includes the fibula, talus and tibia, both malleolus and joint ligaments. When you have arthritis, inflammation and destruction of joint cartilage occur. Bone tissue is damaged and deformed as the disease progresses.
ICD code 10
ICD stands for International Classification of Diseases. In such documentation, each disease is assigned a specific code. This code consists of letters and numbers and is recorded on the sick leave certificate at diagnosis. Thanks to him, doctors in any country will understand what disease the patient is suffering from and where the pathology is concentrated.
Diagnosis of rheumatic diseases is presented in a block of 5 headings and several subheadings. Ankle arthritis is classified as M19. This section is divided into 5 subsections. The sign after the dot indicates the cause. So, 0 – these are genetically determined degenerative changes, 1 – post-traumatic changes, 2 – dystrophic changes against the background of endocrine, vascular or inflammatory pathologies, 8 – these are other specific causes, 9 – a disease of unknown cause. For example code M19. 1 is ankle arthritis caused by trauma.
reason
Pathology develops for many reasons. Factors that trigger the onset of the disease in adults are:
- Increase joint load. Doctors often observe degenerative changes in cartilage and bone tissue in obese patients and professional athletes (soccer players, bodybuilders, runners, and dancers).
- Diabetes.
- Ankle injury.
- Wear uncomfortable shoes, high heels.
In children, pathology develops for the following reasons:
- Thyrotoxicosis.
- Tissue dysplasia.
- Injury.
- Genetic predisposition.
- Fracture.
- Arthritis.
- Dislocation.
Symptom
The following symptoms are typical of ankle arthritis:
- Pain. It appears after being in a location. When a person tries to stand up and lean on his legs, he will feel pain and stiffness when moving. After a few steps, the uncomfortable feeling disappeared. Pain appears during and after physical activity.
- Clicking and crunching sounds in the ankle joint when walking.
- Movement restrictions.
- Swelling below the ankle.
- Hypotension, weakness of the ligamentous apparatus.
- Joint deformity (typical of a progressive disease).
Degree
There are several degrees of arthritis. Many years have passed since the first signs of degenerative changes in the joints leading to loss of mobility appeared. If you start treatment promptly, there is a chance of stopping the progression of the disease. The success of treatment depends on the stage at which the pathology is detected.
Degrees of ankle osteoarthritis:
- Firstly. The degenerative process is just beginning to develop and does not cause much discomfort to humans. The only symptoms are temporary morning stiffness in the legs, fatigue and mild pain. When bending and stretching the leg, it will make a crunching sound. No pathological changes were detected on X-ray. The prognosis for drug treatment is favorable.
- Monday. Symptoms of the disease intensify. Morning stiffness does not go away for about an hour. The pain appears when starting to walk. After only walking a distance of 1 km, a person feels very tired. When the ankle moves, it will make a crunching sound. X-ray films show bone spurs and convergence of bone ends. Surgical treatment is indicated.
- The third day. Pain syndrome occurs not only during movement but also at rest. A person cannot work or rest normally without anesthetics. The patient cannot move independently. X-ray images show cracks, flattening of joint surfaces, bone spurs, and subluxation. Treatment is with surgery and medication.
- Wednesday. Symptoms of mild illness. The pain disappeared. But the stiffness of movement does not allow a person to walk. Cartilage in the fourth stage is completely destroyed. X-rays show healing of the joint space.
Diagnose
During diagnosis, the doctor will determine the extent of the disease and determine the severity of the condition. For this, laboratory and hardware techniques are used:
- Blood test (details).
- Test for rheumatism.
- Supersonic.
- CT.
- CRP test.
- X-ray.
- MRI.
Treatment
Therapy must be comprehensive and include taking medications, using physical therapy methods, and performing physical therapy exercises.
The following drugs are prescribed to the patient:
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
- Chondroprotectors.
- Analgesic.
- Corticosteroid hormones.
Joint mobility is restored with manual therapy and procedures using a special device. Physiotherapy accelerates the regeneration process and stimulates blood circulation in the affected joint. Electrical stimulation, laser therapy and ultrasound are effective. In case of pronounced dystrophic changes, endoscopy will be performed.
Prevent
You can prevent ankle arthritis by following these rules:
- Maintain weight within normal limits.
- Strengthen the spine with special exercises.
- Avoid injury.
- Corrects congenital abnormalities of joint structure.
- Stop smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages.
- Timely treatment of endocrine and vascular disorders.
- Regularly undergo preventive examinations if you have a genetic predisposition to the disease.