Causes of Ankle Arthritis

There are a lot of people with ankle arthritis. It does not have a specific term called ankle arthritis. It is really a fallout of osteoarthritis and even rheumatoid arthritis. The ankle is the main joint that supports the whole body's weight. When arthritis set in to the ankle and the foot, this pain is usually aggravated by the double impact that it receives from the weight and the movement. You have to remember that the ankle joint move in all directions. So when arthritis sets in you can have rapid deterioration of the cartilage.

Not All Ankle Pain is Equal

Just because you have pain in your foot does not mean that you have arthritis in your ankles. Sometimes it can be the hip and lower back that are the problems. You need an examination to determine if the harm is caused by the ankle or another health issue. You could rule out rheumatoid arthritis having a blood test. If the arthritis foot pain is osteoarthritis, you have to have a focused and intense treatment over time, maybe even for life.

You could just have a normal sprain in your ankle, which can seem as painful as a fracture. Physicians have a normal procedure called "RICE". It is an acronym for rest, ice, compression and elevation.

Rest - give the cartilage and tissues time to repair and heal.

Ice Compression - helps to reduce the pain and inflammation.

Elevation - reduces the swelling and pain.

Ankle arthritis can be identified by very peculiar characteristics:

Recurrent pains for no reason
Pain has sudden swelling and stiffness of ankle
Pain and stiffness does not go with regular medicines
Big toe hurts the most and can turn to one side
Bunions develop and are painful

The treatment for foot arthritis and arthritis in ankles is pretty symptomatic. The doctor gives the standard drugs to control the pain and inflammation that is caused by arthritis. This will manage the pain well over time. The problem is the patient is going to have to take the medications for their life.

There are chronic arthritis patients that find relief in the natural or alternative medicines. These are not endorsed by the FDA or even doctors so it is difficult to recommend anything in particular. But the herbal medicines and yoga have been found effective in put the arthritis in check or even reversing it.

If you are interested in other topics visits: Arthritis Relief