There are a wide variety of injuries and conditions that require treatment. In this article, we are going to discuss a handful of the most common ankle conditions that need to be treated.
Ankle Instability
Ankle instability can result from acute sprains or recurrent sprains. Patients commonly describe their symptoms as, “I don’t trust my ankle,” the “ankle just gives out,” or “my ankle always feels weak.” Ankle sprains are one of the most common sport injuries that bring patients to a doctor’s office. Most ankle sprains can be treated conservatively with brace, physical therapy and functional rehabilitation. However, a select few do not respond to conservative care and may require surgery.
Ankle Arthritis
Ankle arthritis treatment falls into conservative (e.g., bracing and PT), semi-conservative (e.g., injections) and surgical (e.g., ankle fusion vs. replacements). For surgical, the advent of new and improved implants have made ankle replacements an excellent option. Nonoperative treatment includes ankle brace, injections and modified activities. Like most arthritic conditions, ankle arthritis tends to progress with time. End stage ankle arthritis can be surgically treated with either an ankle fusion or ankle replacement.
Ankle Fractures
Ankle fractures can occur from low energy injuries, such as a simple trip and fall, to a high energy injury, such as a motor vehicle accident. Depending on the mechanism, ankle fractures can present as stable or unstable. Stress radiographs along with a detailed clinical exam can decipher stable vs unstable injuries. Unstable injuries typically necessitate surgical intervention, especially those who are community ambulators.
Osteochondral Lesions of Talus
Osteochondral lesions of the talus (OCL) are cartilage defects that can occur from trauma but can occur with no known cause such as osteochondritis dessicans. Many OCL’s can be treated non operatively with NSAIDs (ie, ibuprofen), physical therapy, modified activities and protected weight bearing. Surgery is usually reserved for the patients with OCL’s who have tried conservative care for about 3 months.
