Impingement Syndrome

What is Ankle Impingement Syndrome?

Ankle Impingement is a medical condition where the bone spurs or soft tissue structures are compressed during activities that involve maximal ankle dorsiflexion motion. This causes pain in the front of the ankle.

Causes

Tissues in the ankle joint can become trapped between bones. It occurs either when the ankle bends fully up (dorsiflexed) or down (plantar flexed).

Posterior impingement in the back of the ankle is more common in ballet dancers and can be due to a bony protrusion at the back of the ankle.

Anterior impingement can follow a bad ankle sprain. This is because ligaments become thicker. As a result, the tibia and talus pinche them.

As the torn or ruptured ligament heals, the body forms too much scar tissue along the front and around the side of the ankle joint creating a meniscoid lesion.

Symptoms

• Ankle pain with specific motions (pointing the toe down in posterior impingement, bending the ankle up in anterior impingement)
• Limited ankle range of motion
• Ankle swelling

Diagnosis

Having discussed your symptoms at an initial consultation, your consultant will advise you on the most appropriate treatment for you. X-rays and an MRI scan may also be organized to examine the affected area more closely and confirm the diagnosis.

Treatments

Non-Surgical Treatment

• Rest: Giving proper rest to the ankle is the first step toward recovery. The patient is recommended to stay away from sports or strenuous activity for up to 4 weeks.
• Icing the ankle: It is recommended to be done for 20 to 30 minutes at intervals of 3-4 hours for two to three days. This will help reduce the pain and swelling.
• Splint: Splint or plaster cast might be recommended by doctors to relieve the symptoms by providing support to the ankle.
• Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs): like Ibuprofen etc., can help reduce pain and swelling.
• Physical Therapy: It is usually recommended with exercises for muscle strengthening and to reduce stiffness and increase flexibility.

Surgical Treatment

The doctors might recommend surgical options for treating this condition if the non-surgical treatment is not effective in relieving the symptoms. Surgery is also recommended when the removal of the prominent impinging bone spurs or soft tissue structures can help relieve the symptoms. The removal of bone spurs is usually surgically removed using the Ankle Arthroscopy technique.

Ankle Arthroscopy

This is a minimally invasive surgical procedure performed to diagnose and treat problems in the ankle joint.

The doctor will make a very small incision and insert the Arthroscope, a tiny camera, into your ankle enabling them to view the inside of the joint on the screen. The surgeons will then investigate the issue with the ankle and correct it, if necessary, using small instruments within the arthroscope.

Arthroscopic ankle surgery helps in diagnosing and treating several ankles with minimal risk. The recovery time and the prognosis will depend on the extent of the ankle injury and the complexity of the procedure.