The injuries that affect the ankle can interfere with the daily activities and may need different modes of treatment. Although most specialist practices employ the non-surgical method of treating most conditions, surgery is more suited in other situations. Learning about the most frequent types of injuries to the ankle may assist people in making proper decisions regarding their treatment, including ankle surgery.
What are the common ankle injuries?
Foot injuries are common especially in individuals who play sporting activities or such activities of heavy traffic. They are mild or severe, depending on the nature of the injury and the situation that led to that kind of injury. Most commonly recurring ankle injuries are:
- Ankle Sprains: This forms one of the commonest ankle injuries. There are sprains whereby the ligaments supporting the ankle joint are strained or ripped. These injuries are usually as a result of sudden twisting motion. Cases involving mild sprains can be treated and managed when left to rest, but in severe cases that involve damage to the ligaments, more activities might be involved.
- Fractures: Fractures of the ankle are the ruptures of one or more bones that are comprising the ankle joint. These can be as a result of falls, high impact injury or too much pressure on the ankle. In the case of fractures, it is possible to have a variety of fractures, whether it be a hairline fracture to a displaced bone fragment. The severity, as well as stability, of the fracture often determines the treatment.
- Tendon Injuries: Tendon injuries e.g. The rupture of the Achilles tendon is caused by overstretching or tearing of tendons between the muscle and the bones. Such injuries are more prone when there is sudden movement or the ankle is highly strained. Depending on the severity of damage many injuries can be recovered using non-surgical and surgical recovery plans.
- Arthritis: Arthritis in the ankle joint tends to lead to pain, stiffness and decrease of mobility over a long-term basis. Arthritis that becomes severe and affects the daily routine may require an operation to eliminate the symptoms and restore normal joint activity.
When Does Ankle Surgery Need to Be Sought in the Case of an Injury?
Ankle surgery will not be needed in every injury. Rest, physical therapy or bracing, and other non operative treatments can be effective in relieving many of these conditions through the skills of specialists. In any case, there are certain circumstances when the surgical intervention is more suitable in order to achieve the long-term results. Some of these are:
- Non-Surgical treatment: Although the non-invasive therapies are sufficient to treat certain injuries, surgery can be the alternative treatment when the non-invasive procedures fail to achieve improvements after some time. Pain that persists, inconsistency in the body or any obstruction in the movement can be an indication of the need to perform surgery.
- Serious or Complicated Injuries: These occur in case of more than two broken limbs, or extreme damage to the ligaments, or rupture of tendons, most often it is a surgical process. Specifically, an impaired fracture can require repositioning and fixation with surgery hardware. In the same way, a ruptured tendon could require stitching or reconstruction to attain functionality.
- Chronic Conditions: Problems such as arthritis, or a repeated instability may slow everyday activities. Joint fusion or replacement surgery can also help to solve such problems and improve the performance of the joints in general.
- Structural Damage: In case structural components of the ankle joint have been damaged and have weakened the integrity of the ankle joint,a surgery might be required to provide stability and alignment after such components have been replaced. Structural problems can get even more complicated in case they remain untreated.
Learn More About Ankle Surgery on Injury
When you seek to know whether one will need surgery on the ankle or not, you would want to know the kind and degree of the injury. It is best to seek advice with a qualified podiatrist or orthopedic surgeon when considering the courses of treatment. This type of a specialist is able to conduct an in-depth assessment and prescribe the most appropriate method that will aid in the recovery process. You can gather additional information about surgical alternatives and how they can assist with the recovery of your particular ankle damage by referring to a podiatry spending or any other suitable provider of foot and ankle attention.