Ankle problems

Ankle problems are very common symptoms which include pain or any discomfort happened in the ankles.

Mild ankle pain often could be healed by home treatments though it takes certain time to cure. Specialized physicians are needed when severe ankle pain happens, especially it is kind of injury.

Symptoms 
The ankle joint is the meeting of leg bones and foot, and controls up and down motion of foot. The composition of ankle often considered to be the ankle joint plus the surrounding anatomic region, including the lower end of the leg and the start of the foot flat part. The ankle pain could result from inflammation or injury to any regions in ankle structures, including the joint space, cartilage, tendons, ligaments, bones, and muscles. Ankle pain can be associated with other symptoms including:

 swollen
 bruising
 redness
 numbness or tingling
 instability
 burning pain
 inability to bear weight on the affected ankle
 stiffness
 weakness

Which, tenderness, painful, hard to move, walk or withstand weight, stiffness and selling is the specialized symptoms of Osteoarthritis.

Causes 
Normal reasons of ankle problems include injuries such as a sprain, or a medical condition, for example, the arthritis (specifically osteoarthritis).

Sprained ankle 

It is one of the most normal causes of ankle pain, consisting of about 85 percent of total ankle problems, according to the National University of Health Sciences (NUHS), which occurs when the ankle is twisted, leading to the ligaments overstretched, or even get torn in the worst situation. Most ankle sprains are lateral sprains that can occur when your feet roll, causing your lateral ankles to twist to the ground. Small blood vessels also will tear and cause swollen ankle.  The action damages the ligaments, which is a short band of tough, flexible, fibrous connective tissues holding the bones together. Ankle rolling could also hurt cartilage or tendons. Sprained ankle usually swells and bruises for approximately one week or two, while serious injuries can take several months to fully heal.

Most ankle sprains are lateral sprains that can occur when your feet roll, causing your lateral ankles to twist to the ground. This action stretches or tears the ligament.

Athletes have greater risks of sprained ankles. They usually happened in people who play ball games such as football, basketball or volleyball.

Among 10 people with severe ankle sprains, about 1 to 2 have long-term (long-term) instability of the ankle.

The sprained ankle is sometimes permanently weakened and more unstable than normal ankles once healed. The biggest risk factor for an ankle sprain is the previous ankle sprain according to a review published by the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP).

Gout
Gout happens in the body when uric acid (which is a by-product from old cells normal breakdown), builds up to a higher-than-normal concentration level. depositing crystals in the joints and causing sharp pain.

Other conditions include pseudogout, which results from calcium deposits building up in the joints.

The symptoms of gout often include pain, redness and swelling.

Osteoarthritis 
Arthritis is the joints inflammation, which swells in and around the joints of the body and surrounding soft tissues. Inflammation can cause pain and stiffness and is one of the common reasons causing ankle problems.

In many types of arthritis, progressive joint degeneration in the joint occurs and smooth "buffered" cartilage is gradually lost, causing the bones rub against each other and wear, as well as the soft joint tissue. Arthritis could be unbearably painful and ultimately leads to limited movement, seriously loss of joint function, or deformity of affected joints.

There are many types of arthritis, while osteoarthritis is very common cause of ankle pain, which is caused by tear and wear, causing pain, swelling and deformity. It usually develops in the old people, the probability of osteoarthritis develops as the age increases.

How osteoarthritis influences the feet and ankles 
Each foot has 28 bones and more than 30 joints. The following are the most common foot joints for osteoarthritis:

 The three foot joints, including the heel, the medial and the mid-foot bone
 big toe and foot bone joint
 Joints where the ankle and the tibia meet

Rheumatoid arthritis is also one of the causes.

Tendinitis 
Tendinitis is one of the most common causes of pain in the foot or ankle. The muscles of the legs, feet and ankles are fixed to the bones by tendons, which are strong rope-like structures. Tendinitis is inflammation around the tendon. You will have pain in the activity, it usually rests and can only return again.

Common ankle and foot tendonitis include Achilles tendonitis, posterior tibial tendonitis, peroneal tendinosis, flexor tendonitis, and extensor tendonitis. Self-care measures usually heal these injuries in a few weeks

Common causes 

 Overuse: The most common cause of tendinitis is overuse, which means that the tendon is overstretched and may be slightly pulled apart or torn. This happens when activities increase, including everything from walking to participating in competitive sports.
 Abnormal foot structure: Problems such as flat feet or high arches can create muscle imbalances that put pressure on one or more tendons.
 Trauma: Injury to the foot or ankle can cause tendinitis. This can happen by sudden and powerful actions such as jumping. Another form of trauma is chronic friction on the shoe, which usually occurs at the top of the foot or heel, causing tendinitis in these areas.
 Medical conditions: Certain diseases that cause general inflammation can cause tendinitis. Inflammation of rheumatoid arthritis, gout and spondyloarthropathy can cause Achilles tendinitis or posterior tendonitis.
 Nerve damage such as sciatica
 Blocked blood vessels

Joint infection 
Septic arthritis is a type of arthritis causing by the bacterial or fungal infection around the areas of ankles.

Injuries 
Injuries could cause ankle problems, for example, tripping or going over on the ankle.

Diagnosis 
Diagnosis of ankle problems, especially of osteoarthritis involves:

 Medical history 
 Medical examination 
 X-ray
 Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or CT scan

References 

Category:Ankle