Treatments of the Ankle

The Achilles tendon is the largest tendon in your body. It connects the upper calf muscles to the back of the heel bone. When the Achilles tendon degenerates and becomes inflamed, it is called Achilles tendinosis. If you have Achilles tendinosis, your tendon can swell and become painful. This condition is common in athletes, runners, and people who have calf tightness. Achilles tendinosis may…

The goal of Achilles tendon repair is to reconnect the calf muscles with the heel bone to restore push-off strength. Regaining Achilles tendon function after an injury is critical for walking.

The goal of ankle arthrodesis (also known as ankle fusion) is to relieve pain and maintain or improve function for patients with ankle arthritis. Ankle arthritis is degeneration of the cartilage that covers the ends of the bones that form the ankle joint. These bones are the tibia, the fibula, and the talus. Pain typically is made worse with movement of the arthritic ankle. In ankle…

Ankle arthroscopy is a minimally invasive surgical procedure that orthopaedic surgeons use to treat problems in the ankle joint. Ankle arthroscopy uses a thin fiber-optic camera (arthroscope) that can magnify and transmit images of the ankle to a video screen. Ankle arthroscopies can reduce ankle pain and improve overall function.

Arthroscopy can be used to diagnose and treat different…

An ankle cheilectomy is a surgery that removes a bone spur from the talus or tibia, which are the lower and upper bones of the ankle joint. 

The goal of an ankle cheilectomy is to relieve ankle pain caused by bone impingement or pinching at the front of the ankle. While this may be a sign of early ankle arthritis, an ankle cheilectomy is a joint preserving option that may help with pain…

The ankle is made up of three bones:

• the tibia (shin bone), which forms the inside, front, and back of the ankle
• the fibula, which forms the outside of the ankle
• the talus, a small bone that sits between the tibia and fibula and the heel bone

The ends of these bones are called malleoli. The tibia has a medial (inside) malleoli and a posterior…

Osteochondral lesions of the talus (OLTs) are ankle joint injuries involving damage to the joint surface (cartilage) and/or underlying ankle bone (talus). A normal, healthy ankle joint is made up of smooth cartilage supported by strong bone underneath. Sometimes an ankle injury leads to damaged, rough areas of cartilage and bone underneath. Foot and ankle orthopaedic specialists call this type…

Insertional Achilles tendinitis is a degeneration of the fibers of the Achilles tendon directly at its insertion into the heel bone. It may be associated with inflammation of a bursa or tendon sheath in the same area. 

Ankle sprains are one of the most common sports-related injuries. They affect 10,000 people per day. When the ligaments on the outside of the ankle are stretched or torn, patients can have pain and feelings of instability. If symptoms persist after non-surgical treatment, surgery may be required. The goal of this surgery is to restore normal stability to the ankle. This should also fix your…

Osteochondral lesions of the talus (OLT) are ankle joint injuries involving damage to the joint surface (cartilage) and/or underlying ankle bone (talus). A normal, healthy ankle joint is made up of smooth cartilage supported by strong bone underneath. Sometimes an ankle injury leads to damaged, rough areas of cartilage and bone underneath. Foot and ankle orthopaedic specialists call this type…