Post traumatic ankle arthritis can be a devastating condition that affects millions of people. Post traumatic ankle arthritis occurs after an ankle injury such as an ankle fracture or pilon fracture. It can happen as soon as 6 months after an ankle injury. Or it may take a few years to present itself. It presents as ankle pain and stiffness . Pain in the morning before you get your ankle moving. And pain at the end of the day , after using your ankle for walking around. X rays will usually show a narrowing of the joint , this indicates that there is not enough cartilage in the ankle. The cartilage is important for cushioning and smooth joint motion , without it you will be in pain.

Treatments available are ankle joint replacements and fusions and joint distraction with cartilage replacement. I have had some great outcomes with cartilage replacements. This includes donated cartilage and implanting it on the diseased area and allowing for new cartilage to grow in.

Ankle replacements have come a long way over the past 20 years and there are some very successful ankle replacement devices on the market. Each patient needs a thorough evaluation with X rays and MRI’s to see what is best for them.

What is not recommended are Adipose (fat) derived stem cells. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/unproved-stem-cell-clinics-proliferate-in-the-u-s/  There are many of these clinics around that offer stem cell therapy where they take fat from you and isolate cells that can help re grow cartilage , or so they say.  San Diego is one of the largest cities of unapproved stem cell treatment centers . This treatment has not been proven to be effective . These treatments have not completed clinical trials. People can be spending thousands of dollars on unproven treatments. Be forewarned and careful about the treatments that you seek for your post traumatic ankle arthritis. Do a lot of research.

There are ways to get better. Pain relief is on the way

Ankle fracture dislocation