If you fracture a joint there is a relatively high chance that you will develop a degree of osteoarthritis in the years that follow. Why exactly this is so is not clear, but around 12% of people with ankle, knee or hip OA have had previous injury to their joint.
Around a quarter of hip fractures lead to OA changes, with around 45% of knee fractures doing the same, and over half of those with breaks into the ankle joint itself. The ability to reconstruct joints surgically has improved greatly over time but not changed these numbers much.
In these ankle fractures (not the typical ankle fracture which is less serious) around a third develop x-ray signs of arthritis over the next two to four years, and around 75% by the eleventh year after the injury. Predicting which ones will do well is still not reliable even when the fracture fragments are well reconstructed.
It may be that the injury to the cartilage covering of the joint during the trauma begins the process of thinning which continues even though the joint has been reassembled very close to its original shape.
Research work is going on in this field to see if the cartilage can be protected or encouraged not to deteriorate.
Bristol physiotherapists are skilled at assessing and treating arthritic joints at any stage in their development, often from previous trauma or sports injuries. |
