Study: New Therapy for Ankle Osteoarthritis Appears Promising

A new method of treating osteoarthritis of the ankle is showing beneficial results, according to researchers in Belgium and the Netherlands.

Researchers used joint distraction, a relatively new surgical treatment in which mechanical contact between the joint surfaces is avoided while joint fluid pressure is maintained, to treat patients with severe osteoarthritis of the ankle.

A total of 57 patients with severe ankle osteoarthritis who were being considered for joint fusion were treated with joint distraction. In addition, a randomized trial was performed in 17 patients to determine whether joint distraction had a better outcome than surgical removal of damaged tissue).

The patients underwent a physical examination and an assessment of pain, mobility and functional ability. Changes in joint space width were determined by x-ray. Thirty-eight patients were followed for a year or more, with up to five years of follow up in seven of the participants. Patients in the randomized portion of the study were followed for one year.

Three-fourths of the 57 patients showed significant clinical benefit from the joint distraction procedure and the improvement increased over time. X-rays showed increased joint space width, according to the study published in Arthritis and Rheumatism.

"Considering the high prevalence of osteoarthritis and the lack of a cure for it, joint distraction as a treatment of severe osteoarthritis may have great medical, social and economic impact," concluded the researchers.

Other sources: Arthritis and Rheumatism