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 3rd
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
Thanks and regards,
Chandan Kumar
Team RedLegacy