I've been an athlete all my life and have always had ankle problems, but until recently they haven't really bothered me. I've been told by my family physician that I have osteoarthritis and will need ankle surgery sooner or later. I've been putting it off hoping something new would come along. What should I do?

The diagnosis and treatment of ankle injuries is a complicated issue. Recently glucosamine and chondroitin sulphate have been used with varying degrees of clinical success in treating patients suffering from osteoarthritis. Synvisc, an elastic and viscous fluid that is made from a substance called hyaluronan that is found in normal joint fluid, is a new treatment modality currently being used for osteoarthritis of the knee and may have some promise for future treatment of the ankle. Arthroscopic surgery of the ankle is a fairly new technique, which utilizes fiber optics, miniature cameras and instruments to visualize the inside of the ankle joint. The main advantages of arthroscopy over traditional open ankle surgery is reduced trauma, which leads to decreased postoperative discomfort, and shorter recovery times. An evaluation by a podiatric foot and ankle surgeon would be a good first step in treating your ankle pain.

Eric R. Hubbard, D.P.M.
Diplomate, American Board of Podiatric Surgery
Diplomate, American Board of Podiatric Orthopedics
Member, South Bay Independent Physicians Medical Group, Inc