Osteochondritis / Osteochondrosis
An injury or trauma to a cartilage surface in a joint can cause permanent damage to the bone. The cartilage surface on the bone within a joint can wear away, resulting in pain, swelling, stiffness, abnormal movement, and bone spurs. It commonly occurs in the ankle joint after severe trauma and can occur in the smaller joints in the foot as well.

Treatment usually involves rest, immobilization, and anti-inflammatories. When immobilization of the injury doesn’t alleviate the problem, surgery is sometimes recommended. The surgery is done as an arthroscopy or as an open procedure. Loose bone fragments and bone spurs are removed and small holes are drilled within the osteochondritis lesion to stimulate new blood vessels to fill the area and assist the healing process. Arthroscopy has less pain and a quicker healing time afterwards and on open incision usually has more pain and a longer healing time. The type of surgery is determined on the amount of pathology.