All About Ankle Problems and Related Surgical Treatments

With each passing day, your ankles face difficulty in supporting your body weight and you start facing difficulties in standing, running, jumping, walking, and even simply sitting on a chair. This is because all these activities need the support of your ankle to perfectly support your body and legs.

It is a fact that your ankles are extremely strong and can perfectly manage to support your body weight. But you need to keep in mind that proper care is required to maintain the health of your ankles. Any injury or overuse of ankles actually makes them stretched to a point where they can literally break off. 

The ankle injuries

If your ankle gets hurt so badly that any over the counter medications or normal treatment cannot address the issue, then you need to consult a specialist for ankle surgery in Houston. This is important because a foot specialist can help you restore the health of your ankle and make it function properly. 

The various types of ankle surgeries

The kind of ankle surgery that you need to fix your ankle will depend on the kind of damage that your ankle sustained. To get that diagnosed you need to consult a specialist. In case you feel any kind of discomfort in your ankle or face problems in walking, running, or using your feet in any way, then this condition should never be overlooked and you should immediately look for a foot doctor to get the problem diagnosed and get started with the treatment as soon as possible. After inspecting the condition of your ankle, the doctor will indicate to you what kind of problem you have and how it can be resolved. He will tell you whether you need to undergo ankle surgery or it can be treated with the use of over-the-counter medicines.

The doctor might suggest one among the following ankle surgeries:

Ankle arthroscopy

If you have a serious sprain in your ankle and your ligaments have been torn or the cartilage has been damaged or there are loose bone fragments, then these conditions can be treated with the use of ankle arthroscopy. In this kind of surgery, the patients will experience a minimal amount of pain after the procedure is done and the recovery rate for this kind of surgery is better as the person recovers faster in comparison to traditional surgery.

Ankle replacement

In this kind of surgery, the doctor will remove the damaged ends of the anklebone and a prosthetic ankle is attached in its place. Most of the people who undergo this kind of surgery are healthy but have the problem of advanced arthritis. This procedure will help in relieving the extreme ankle pain that shows up due to arthritis and the doctor might advise you not to get involved in activities that require extreme footwork. This precaution is required for the prevention of an artificial joint of your ankle. 

Ankle fracture repair surgery 

If any of your bones including your ankle joint gets broken, then you should immediately consult a foot doctor, as he will help you to repair the condition through ankle surgery. The process may include the repositioning of the fragments of broken bones within the ankle. This procedure is done with the use of metal plates and screws and will tightly hold all the broken fragments together for proper healing.

Reconstruction of the lateral ankle ligament

This type of ankle surgery is also termed as the Brostrom procedure. This surgery can help patients strengthen and stabilize their ankle after having a recurring and serious ankle sprain. In this process, the doctor surgically tightens the weak ligaments. 

Ankle fusion

In this kind of surgery, the damaged tissues get removed and the anklebones are permanently joined with the use of metal plates and screws. After this, the damaged bones will get fused into one bone in a natural way with healing. This type of ankle surgery is recommended mostly for younger patients who have a drastically active life. But a drawback of this kind of ankle surgery is that it will limit the range of motion of your ankle. Therefore, you need to be very careful about choosing this treatment. 

Consult the best surgeons to get treated

If you are experiencing any problem related to your ankle or foot, you must see a foot specialist immediately. Serious ankle or foot issues can affect your daily activities and movement. Therefore, it is highly recommended that you consult the best ankle and foot surgery experts to get the condition treated in the best possible and safest way.