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Ankle Arthroscopy
October 13, 2008 |
Playing strenuous sports or the simple process of aging can cause your joints to
lose strength and become painful.
“A lot of times we see chronic ankle and joint pain caused by old ankle sprains
that are now unstable. The ankle is rolling continuously and even a chronic looseness
of the ankle can result in other damage to the joint as well,” says foot and ankle
surgeon Dr. Andrew Belis.
If you are experiencing a type of ankle rolling or pain he suggests an ankle arthroscopy
as a good treatment. “The goal is to minimally attack the joint and clean it up
if there’s any damage there. Usually there are two portals, one in the front on
the outside part of the ankle. This is a minimal type of invasive procedure and
there are usually quicker recoveries with these as opposed to open procedures.”
An ankle arthroscopy could also help ease the pain of arthritis or inflammation.
Dr. Belis says, “Also for arthritis, ankle arthroscopy can do well to clean up the
joint and buy the person more time to live with that until a more aggressive procedure
may or may not need to be done, like an ankle fusion or an ankle joint replacement.”
Ankle arthroscopy can be used to treat acute or chronic injuries. The outpatient
procedure can also serve as a good diagnostic tool in finding damage to the ankle
that may not be revealed with an MRI.
Arthritis in the ankle usually begins to develop several years after a fracture
or serious ankle injury. |
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