Its that time of a year again! People across the world are preparing for the most hectic time of year. Many of us over the next few weeks will be on a ladder hanging Christmas lights. The night time show of lights for some is a hobby, for others its a full blown job. As a foot and ankle specialist the increased ladder time also means increase in foot and ankle injuries. I could talk for days about the different pathologies that occur by prolonged ladder time, but one that stands out is ankle pain.
As we stand on a ladders small rung, and move up and down a ladder this puts a significant increase in stress on the whole foot in general, however it is also very good at making old injuries flair up to a boiling point! If you suffer from ankle arthritis and then trek up and down a ladder a few times the increased motion and stress in the ankle will quickly rear its ugly head.
Ankle arthritis does not have to be something that you just deal with however. In the short term the increased inflammation from the increased work load can be treated with cortisone injections, ozone, and platelet rich plasma (PRP) just to name a few. However if ankle arthritis becomes severe and conservative therapies no longer work, you may be a candidate for an ankle replacement. With an ankle replacement the ankle joint is resurfaced with a metallic substitute and the joint is mimicked with a polymer, which preserves a pain free ankle range of motion!
If you are hanging your Christmas lights in the weeks to come and suffer any foot or ankle pain, know that there is always a solution for you. Come see us at Healthy Feet Podiatry for your same day consultation!