Arthropathies (ankles)

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Arthropathies (ankles)

The most common type of ankle injuries are

• distortions (twisted ankle trauma). Distortions usually entail a (partial) tear of the foremost of the three exterior ligaments. Depending on the clinical symptoms and the extent of the injury, the treatment is usually non-surgical. Therapy methods include immobilization through taping, bandaging, or orthoses (including casts). Complex injuries resulting in instability may require surgery. After the injury is completely healed, the patient needs extensive physiotherapy to regain optimum stability and functionality.

Further arthropathies of the ankles include

• Osteochondritis dissecans (OD), a blood vessel disruption that usually afflicts the talus of younger patients. Patients feel pain when placing weight on the ankle. Following the clinical examination, a radiological examination may render an initial indication, which needs to be confirmed and specified by an MRI scan. MRI scan. If the condition has advanced too far, an arthroscopic surgical procedure (drilling, fixation, cartilage transplantation) is employed.