ANKLE ARTHRITIS : If I could tackle it,you too can !!-Chandan Kumar

Oh! I can’t walk for  5 minutes!! Severe pain I have been facing while walking. What should I do ??

Restricted life ,painful ankle ,disappointed life.

One of the most commonly affected joints of hemophilics - the ankle joint. Pwh easily get arthritis in ankle.

Ankle  joint is very prone to get bleeds ,and recurrent bleeds lead to synovitis and if it is not treated early,then synovitis will lead to arthritis. But don’t worry , or feel devastated if you have ankle arthritis ,you can easily over come the problem. I have ankle arthritis too ,and if  I could overcome my problem ,then anyone can too!!We just need to follow a disciplined routine and keep faith in God and ourselves.

My dearest PwHs and CwHs,

 I have ankle arthritis too ,in 2013 I too  faced the same nuisance like severe pain while walking ,frequent bleed ,but I alleviated my problems. Now I am writing here on how to overcome this menace.In same year 2013, I was diagnosed with inhibitors too ,so I couldn’t take factor 8 while bleeding and I didn’t  have access to  FEIBA .I have  overcome the problem without Factor.

So anyone out there who have ankle arthritis ,don’t worry , there is still hope to get rid of  the painful life and start your journey again.

I had been following mainly 4 steps on a regular basis.

1.       I used ANKLE FOOT ORTHOTIC(AFO) while walking. This was  suggested from CMC, Vellore.I wear this inside my  basket ball shoes. Why basketballshoes? Basically , basket ball shoe has high cushioning and great grip to hold our ankle and protect it from shock ,and AFO restrict ankle movement while walking.So  ,when you walk , ankle joint movement is restricted and we don’t face pain.In effect,it  is very similar to ankle fusion. But the ones  having 3^rd stage of arthritis may go for customized  shoes with AFO to restrict complete movement of ankle.

2.Physiotherapy :Usually PwHs get bleed while doing exercises ,and they stop the physiotherapy. But we shouldn’t stop this ,we have to understand our muscular strength and do exercises accordingly .I had started my ankle exercise from “no weight” and “5 count” only. When I didn’t get bleed for 7 days ,I had increased my count from 5 to 10 and put 250gm weight on ankle and so on. I always   ice the joint for 15 minutes after exercise. I had been using crepe bandage for the initial 3 months even at rest . Before going to  bed too, I iced my ankle for half an hour and bandage it (elastic crepe bandage) .

These where the excercies that i did,but,as we all know,the excercises must be chosen as per the condition of our joints and muscles,and need to be customised according to it.Hence,seek the advise of a physiotherapist who is well experienced in haemophilia care

3.Gulcosamine : I had  used glucosamine (1500 mg) for almost 6months.It is a food supplement Basically it helped me reduce the swelling and increase  mobility .  I continue gulcosamine ,but at a low dose.

NOTE: This is my personal experience ,please consult your doctor and physiotherapist before starting  all the above mentioned methods.

Dear friends,physiotherapy and adopting a disciplined  life style   is the only allay to alleviate our problems.

Hope this information will help many hemophilics who have been facing ankle arthritis.

For more clarification or any information you can write to me via e-mail to  chandanshallu@gmail.com.
Thanks and regards,
Chandan Kumar
Team RedLegacy