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2023 Author: Alfred Shackley | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-21 13:14
Ankle arthrosis is quite common. This problem, as a rule, begins to bother older people. It is unlikely that a young man will turn to an orthopedist for help with complaints of arthrosis. All due to the fact that the joints wear themselves out over time.
The manifestation of pain in the ankle for a woman who has worn high heels all her life will not be a surprise. As for athletes, pain in the lower extremities is a common thing for them, especially for those who have had tremendous stress on the joints.
Stages of the disease
There are four stages of ankle arthrosis.
The first is characterized by a narrowing of the joint space, swelling and softening of the cartilage.
The second is the appearance of microcracks.
In the third and fourth stages, the cartilage becomes thinner and dissolves. This brings unbearable pain to the patient. He can no longer make elementary movements. His activities and normal life are in jeopardy.
Causes
Based on the reasons, it can be concluded that arthrosis can affect not only the elderly, but sometimes also young people.
The following factors can provoke the disease:
- Frequent ankle injuries, especially dislocations;
- A health condition in which the body ages prematurely;
- Moving in high heels.
Arthrosis can occur against the background of salt deposition and other diseases, for example, metabolic disorders, pinching of nerve endings.
If a person dances in ballet, or plays football, is engaged in athletics, all this can affect his lower limbs.
If a sufficient amount of salt is deposited in the body, build-ups may develop in the cracked cartilage.
Treatment
To restore the functions of the ankle joint, an integrated approach will be required. If only medication is used, it will not give the desired result. It is imperative to adhere to proper nutrition and do physical therapy. To strengthen bones, dishes that include gelatin are suitable. But at the same time, you need to control your weight.
Meals should be varied. Dairy products, cereals, fish, vegetables and fruits, meat - you can't do without it. But too salty, spicy foods, coffee, alcoholic and carbonated drinks should be excluded for a while.
For arthrosis of the ankle, physiotherapy methods are suitable, especially massage, water procedures, electrophoresis. It should be noted that not everyone turns to a specialist for help in a timely manner. The pain seems to be short-lived, and many hope it will soon go away.
Most resort to local anesthetics - ointments and creams. However, this is far from the whole treatment.
When the pain is already constraining, the main thing is to give the joint a rest. You need to unload it to the fullest. In this case, it is better to resort to bed rest or move with a crutch.
If the ligamentous apparatus is weak enough, elastic bandages can be used. Necessarily ordinary shoes are replaced by orthopedic ones.
The main condition is not to freeze and prohibit all physical activity on the joint, such as standing for a long time, lifting weights, various jumps.
Therapeutic exercises can have a positive effect on the ankles, slow down and even halt the decay of cartilage.
However, exercise can have a therapeutic effect only at the onset of the disease. With arthrosis of the ankle, a balanced diet rich in calcium and phosphorus will be very beneficial.
Gymnastics, on the other hand, should be gentle, without undue stress. It is especially helpful to exercise in water. To do this, you can sign up for the pool.
Medication treatment
Medication treatment consists of:
- The use of funds aimed at relieving inflammation (tablets, ointments, cream, suppositories);
- Pain relievers for severe pain syndrome;
- Means that are aimed at delivering nutrients to the joint.
Exercise therapy for the ankle
With arthrosis of the ankle, hear a recommendation for exercise therapy. The exercises are difficult to do as the movements are limited. However, you should tune in to therapeutic exercises and start achieving results.
Plus exercise therapy is that you can do it at home. Before you start doing the exercises, you need to get the advice of a specialist. The most important condition is regularity. The main goal of exercise therapy is to improve blood circulation in problem areas, increase the elasticity of the ligaments, and strengthen muscles.
With arthrosis of the ankle, exercise will cause discomfort. However, if the pain in the middle of the joint is very severe, you need to contact a specialist for advice and help.
Experts recommend doing gymnastics in the morning without getting out of bed. It is very useful not only for arthrosis. You need to relax, stretch, not make sudden movements. Smoothly move on to kneading your legs. As you know, there are many points on the foot that are associated with blood circulation. Exercising ankle arthrosis in the morning will help improve blood flow.
Exercises for the feet
You need to do it 20 times, until heat appears in the places of the bend of the legs.
Lie on your back, put your hands along the body. Legs are straight. Take turns doing the following: straightening the thumb, pulling it towards you and straightening it again.
In the same position, squeeze the fingers of the lower limb into a fist, as if grabbing something. After that you need to spread your fingers.
Gymnastics consists of a set of exercises aimed at rotation, flexion-extension of the ankle joint.
The main task of exercise therapy is not to rush, not to jerk, but to increase the number of exercise actions with each subsequent day.
From the very beginning, as soon as the patient tunes himself in to physiotherapy exercises, you need to learn - gymnastics should last for an hour every day. With arthrosis of the ankle joint, this is the only way to see good results.
A set of exercises
Starting position lying, stretch your legs. The exercise is quite simple - pulling your feet over yourself and pushing off. The main thing is to do it slowly.
For the next exercise, you need to stay in the same position. Perform rotational movements with the feet in different directions.
Move to a chair. It is necessary to raise and lower the foot, lifting the heel off the floor.
Starting position - lying down. It is necessary to spread the lower limbs to the sides and bring them together so that the big toes touch each other.
Strengthening the ankle is very important for the whole body. After all, it is he, together with the foot, that helps to reduce the load on the spine. The ankle carries the weight of a person's body. And it is a kind of support. Therefore, the treatment of arthrosis must be timely and comprehensive.