What is Ankle Arthritis?

Have you noticed a general pain in your ankle that is sometimes worse with activity? Does your ankle swell up on occasion? Did you have an injury, either fracture or severe sprain, to your ankle many years ago? You may be developing ankle arthritis.

What is ankle arthritis?

In general, arthritis is the wearing away of cartilage in a joint. As the cartilage thins, much like tread on a tire, you can develop holes in the cartilage. These holes can lead to inflammation around the joint and swelling. Over time, this process can lead to ankle arthritis and pain.

What causes ankle arthritis?

There are many causes of ankle arthritis:

• Osteoarthritis 
• Arthritis caused by wearing away of cartilage
• Post-traumatic
• The most common cause of ankle arthritis
• The cartilage wears away over time after the trauma. 
• Can occur 20+ years after an injury
• Rheumatoid arthritis (inflammatory arthritis)

Can ankle arthritis cause knee, shin, or heel pain?

Ankle arthritis can radiate up your leg towards your knee or down into your foot. Many other things can cause pain in those body parts. The orthopedic surgeons at Southwest Orthopedic Group can evaluate the entire extremity for sources of your leg pain. 

What are the symptoms of ankle arthritis? 

Patients with symptomatic ankle arthritis often have ankle pain when walking. They can develop stiffness overtime. Sometimes, they may have difficulty walking on uneven ground, including the beach or a field. Increases in activity can cause swelling.

Severe arthritis can cause deformity, where the ankle is tilted inward or outwards. In deformities, the surrounding joints can also be affected. 

Why does ankle arthritis hurt?

Arthritis is often a chronic process, but it’s very common not to have any symptoms for months to years. Many times, just a small injury or even just activities of everyday life make ankle arthritis become symptomatic, meaning you start to notice it. 

One of the most common complaints is that the ankle just started hurting one day without any injury.

The American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS) has more information about ankle fractures at FootCareMD.

For more questions or to set up an evaluation, contact Dr. Stautberg’s office at 281-977-4870. 

Author

Eugene Stautberg, MD