Post-traumatic subtalar arthritis

[CFawcett]

Hi.

I have recently been told by a hospital Dr. that I have post-traumatic subtalar arthritis in my right ankle. I injured my ankle playing football over a year ago (turned it inwards) and it hasn't been right since. I can jog, but turning and jumping is very painful. It gives way quite often and sends odd shooting pains up my ankle.

I was originally diagnosed as having a sprained ankle along with ligament damage/inflamation, but after seeing several doctors and physio's and managing to get an MRI scan they have now come to this conclusion. I have now been told that nothing else can be done for me because surgery is required to correct it and apparently I am too young to have the surgery! I am 24 and find this very hard to believe.

Does anyone know of any other treatments or avenues I can pursue before I resort to dumping the NHS and paying for treatment privately?

Any help would be very much appretiated.

Craig

[Jacqui]

Craig,
I have a similar injury and I can hopefully give you some advice. I am an Australian but was in England, Sheffield when i broke my ankle in November 2005. I had an osteochondral fracture of the right talus... basically from rolling my ankle very badly while playing netball. As it was designated a 'trauma' injury the NHS took me and I was operated on 10 days after the incident. I had a skrew put in my ankle to hold the fracture in place, and spent about 3 months on crutches.
A year and a half later I still have swelling, and arthritis and quite a lot of pain. I saw a specialist in Melbourne back in February and I was told I could never play sport again... and i required another operation that would put me in a cast for 8 weeks! i am only 24 as well, so I didn't take this news very well.
I have just come back from another Dr. to get a second opinion... this time I have been told that I could definitely play sport again and that the operation that I have to have should only be minor... no plaster cast and walking again within a couple of weeks...
So my advice is to shop around for the best doctor possible! As far as the NHS goes, they should put you on the system for this, but there just could be a really long waiting list, so it may be worthwhile investigating the private option.
I really hope that things work out for you, good luck.
Jacqui

[CFawcett]

Thanks for the reply Jacqui, it is much appretiated. I have since spoken to another doctor but unofficially, a friend of the family so to speak. He thinks that my initial diagnosis was wrong and that I had in fact fractured my subtalar! It is too late now though, Im stuck with the arthritis. I think Im just going to fork out the cash to go private now as I seem to have no other option!

[Jacqui]

Craig,
From what I have heard and read about this injury, it is commonly misdiagnosed as a sprain... and its not until a year or so later that people actually look into the fact that it may have been a fracture. I was lucky as mine was diagnosed at the time of the injury, but it was also a fairly significant fracture so that may explain it.

Sounds like you need to get an x-ray, MRI and CT scan to see whats causing the problem... it may be arthritis, but it could also be spurs that have formed because of the original fracture. Spurs are, in my understanding basically extra little bits of bone that grow in strange areas and cause quite a bit fo discomfort... I know cause i have several of these in my ankle, along with the athritis.

So you will need to check that out. But apparently they can clean the spurs and athritis up, and it should be a fairly minor op... maybe not for the bank balance though :)
Once again good luck.
Jacqui