Talus Cartilage Injuries: Overview

Talus Cartilage Injuries: Overview

The ankle is an important weight-bearing joint that supports the body with everyday movements. The ankle joint is formed from 3 bones: the tibia, or shinbone, fibula, and talus.

The ends of the tibia and fibula, as well as much of the surface of the talus, are all lined with articular cartilage. This cartilage reduces friction with movement and helps the bones glide smoothly, allowing the ankle to move in a variety of different motions. Damage to the articular cartilage affects the ability of the ankle to move smoothly and support movement.

This can result in stiffness of the joint as well as pain if the cartilage wears down to the underlying bone and creates bone-on-bone friction. Damage across most of the articular cartilage occurs with osteoarthritis, but cartilage damage that primarily occurs in 1 location is called an osteochondral defect, or cartilage defect.

When these cartilage defects or injuries affect the talus bone of the ankle, they are referred to as osteochondral lesions of the talus, or O L Ts. Talus cartilage injuries commonly result from a traumatic event that damages the ankle joint, such as a bad ankle sprain or ankle fracture. Up to 70% of ankle sprains and ankle fractures are believed to result in some type of cartilage injury.

These injuries, however, can also develop more gradually over time from repeated stress, often resulting from ankle instability. This increases friction within the ankle joint, which can break down a portion of the articular cartilage over time. Other conditions, like vascular disorders that damage blood vessels, or metabolic disorders like diabetes that affect the blood supply of the ankle, can also increase the risk of talus cartilage injuries.

Talus cartilage injuries most commonly occur in patients between the ages of 20 and 40, and affect males more often than females. Symptoms of cartilage injuries of the talus include deep pain within the ankle joint that gets worse with weight-bearing and physical activity, tenderness, swelling, limited range of motion, and difficulty bearing weight through the ankle.

There may also be the feeling that there is something stuck inside the ankle causing irritation. This is referred to as a loose body, which is a piece of cartilage or bone that has broken off within the joint. To diagnose a talus cartilage injury, a health care provider will begin with a physical examination and a history of a patient's symptoms.

They will examine the range of motion of the ankle, stability and alignment of the foot and ankle, and how a patient is walking. To help make a diagnosis, a health care provider will likely perform imaging studies. X-rays can be used to examine the alignment of the foot and ankle bones, while MRIs and CT scans can give a more detailed view of the cartilage.

Different classification systems are used to diagnose talus cartilage injuries based on imaging results, where mild injuries show irritation to the cartilage and underlying bone, and more severe injuries show detachment of cartilage and bone from the talus. A health care provider will use these findings, along with the patient's symptoms, to recommend the appropriate treatment options.