X-ray of the ankle joint

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The ankle joint is one of the most complex parts of the human musculoskeletal system. Anatomically, this joint consists of vessels, muscles, nerves, tendons and ligaments. The ankle joint is responsible for stability of the body as well as mechanical movement. It is involved in activities such as walking, running, squatting, jumping, etc. This is a plastic and very mobile joint, but at the same time vulnerable to various types of injuries and diseases. Inflammation, pain and other ailments most often affect the ankle joint, especially during intensive professional sports, where the risk of injury is high.

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We draw your attention to the schedule of technological breaks in the CT and X-ray rooms.

In this case, radiography of the ankle joint helps to make or clarify the diagnosis, see pathological processes and changes.

Today, despite the large number of diagnostic methods, radiography is still not losing ground and remains one of the simplest, most accessible, and informative ways to diagnose diseases of the musculoskeletal system, in particular the ankle joint.

Getting an X-ray examination of the ankle joint in St. Petersburg is not particularly difficult. X-ray diagnostic machines are available in almost all medical institutions. But if you want to take a high-quality x-ray with good and safe equipment, then get advice from a highly qualified specialist, and avoid sitting in long lines, come to a multidisciplinary medical center. The trauma department of the Medical Center accepts patients with various injuries and diseases any day of the week. The clinic's emergency room is equipped with a modern digital X-ray machine Clinomat, which allows you to take full X-ray images.

Dislocations, bruises, ankle fractures, pain, swelling and other unpleasant symptoms and ailments require a careful examination by a specialist and a diagnostic study in the form of x-rays.

How the research works

There is no need to prepare for an ankle x-ray. Typically, an x-ray of the ankle joint is taken in two projections: direct and lateral. The examination in direct projection is performed with and without rotation of the foot. The image shows the tibia, ankle, talus and ankle joint. In the lateral projection, the patient lies on his side, the healthy leg is bent at the knee and tucked towards the stomach. The images show: tibia, ankle, talus, calcaneus, navicular, ankle. In some cases, the doctor recommends an x-ray with a load - forceful flexion - to assess the condition of the ligaments. If necessary, such a study is performed under local anesthesia.

Decoding is carried out by comparing the images with the standard standard. The size, shape, bone structure, height and angle of the arch of the foot and other criteria are determined.

Conclusions about the norm or detected pathologies are recorded in a conclusion, which serves as the basis for making a final diagnosis.

Indications for ankle radiography

Most often, an X-ray examination of the ankle joint is prescribed in the following cases:

fractures of the tibia, cracks;
ankle fractures;
fractures of the base of the fifth metatarsal;
fractures of the finger phalanges;
bruises;
damage to cartilage, ligaments;
tendon ruptures;
dislocations and subluxations;
flat feet;
hallux valgus;
arthritis, arthrosis;
rheumatoid arthritis;
osteoporosis;
osteoarthritis;
osteomyelitis;
gout;
tumor processes;
necrosis of the phalanges of the fingers, etc.

Often, pain in the ankle joint can appear several years after the injury and make itself felt in bad weather, during temperature changes and poison a person’s life, hindering movement, causing him to suffer from aching pain, etc.

The above ailments arise due to injuries, autoimmune diseases, immune failures, genetic predisposition, hormonal changes, past infectious diseases, excess weight and other negative factors.

Ankle diseases and injuries

The human ankle joint, along with the knee and hip, is one of the most complex joints. This is an area of increased risk of injury due to heavy workload. It bears the entire weight of the body when walking, running, jumping and other movements. And the greater the weight, and the more varied and active the movements, the higher the risk of injury and wear of joint tissue. Anyone can experience fractures and other injuries, but people who play sports professionally are at particular risk.

The ankle is responsible for the stability of the body and evenly distributes the load on the foot. It is characterized by both injuries from overload, bruises, and typical joint diseases. Deformation of the foot and joint occurs with flat feet, excess weight, as a result of hormonal imbalances and past autoimmune, infectious and other diseases.

If alarming symptoms appear, consultation with highly specialized doctors is necessary: orthopedist-traumatologist, surgeon. For diagnosis, the following are used: examination and palpation, history taking, laboratory and instrumental tests are prescribed. The most common method for examining bone structures is X-ray examination; if pathology in soft tissues is suspected, the doctor will prefer MRI; arthroscopy is possible.

Dislocation and rupture of ligaments

The ankle joint is a complex structure made up of four bones, with two shin bones enclosing the foot bones.
Due to this, the joint is able to move flexion, extension, abduction and adduction. All these bones are connected and secured by ligaments. When the ankle is injured, it is the ankle that is most often injured. The ligaments can either tear, tear, or tear off. Doctors also call this pathology subluxation or dislocation of the ankle joint. You can treat a torn ankle ligament at home by bandaging the foot, applying ice, and using anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving ointments. But, if you cannot step on your foot without pain or see that your leg is very swollen from inflammation, you should definitely contact an orthopedic traumatologist, since there is a high probability of an ankle fracture. Also, severe pain will indicate that the ligaments may have ruptured or been torn off, and doctors will need to perform an operation to stitch them together. Initial appointment with an ORTHOPEDIST

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How safe is the examination?

Patients who need to have joint x-rays often ask whether the procedure is harmful. The harm from radiation during such diagnostics is minimal if we are talking about the use of modern equipment. Using an advanced X-ray machine allows you to receive a radiation dose comparable to the amount of natural radiation from TV or an airplane flight. So, with an X-ray of the knee joint, the dose is 0.001 mSv - almost the same amount a person receives every day in the course of life. Therefore, the image can be repeated, for example, after 2–4 weeks, to assess the effectiveness of the prescribed treatment or the dynamics of tissue healing.

You can get an x-ray of your joints in Moscow at the Family Doctor clinic. We use advanced equipment with minimal radiation. The photo is taken quickly, which reduces the burden on the body.

Procedure

An ankle x-ray can take about 15 minutes, although the actual exposure to the x-rays does not exceed 1 second.
The patient can be x-rayed either using a stationary device or a portable one. Portable devices are often used in emergency departments, intensive care units and operating rooms. Typically three x-rays are taken (front, side and angled). Sometimes doctors need to take x-rays of the opposite ankle for comparison.
In some cases, stress x-rays are performed to check the ankle ligaments.
During the procedure, it is necessary to completely exclude movement for a few seconds.
The patient will not feel anything during the procedure when the x-ray is taken.
The positions required for x-rays may be uncomfortable, but only need to be held for a few seconds.

Conditions for accurate diagnosis: where to get an x-ray

To obtain reliable information about the structures being studied, it is necessary to remain still. The doctor will tell you at what point to “freeze”. It takes a few seconds to take a photo. The lack of preparation required also simplifies the examination. However, it is important to remember that the study of the pelvic bones and hip joint can be complicated due to the accumulation of gases and/or feces in the intestines. In an emergency situation, such as in the case of injury, the doctor performs the test without thorough preparation.

There are many institutions in Moscow where you can get x-rays of your joints. When choosing a clinic, pay attention to the equipment. Modern X-ray machines have maximum resolution. This increases the diagnostic value of the procedure and eliminates the need to take a series of images.

Preparation and procedure

No special preparation is required for the study. The patient is placed on a special table, the groin area is protected with a lead apron. For children, additional protection is used for the thyroid gland and eyes; the baby is completely covered with an apron, leaving only a limb exposed.

An image of a joint or bone can be taken in one or more projections. To obtain accurate data, it is important to remain still. The study takes just minutes. The doctor sees the condition of the tissues immediately, and a conclusion with a transcript is issued after the procedure.

Excess body weight can become a hindrance - fat cells distort X-rays. This results in the picture not being clear enough. In this case, the attending physician will suggest alternative examinations. Sometimes it is possible to solve the problem by taking pictures from several projections. Some diseases and injuries require only a direct projection, others require a lateral projection, on both sides. Occasionally they resort to a combination of several options. This allows you to get the most accurate picture of the condition of the bone tissue.

Alternative diagnostic methods

— obtaining high-precision and high-quality images to identify the pathology of the bone structures of the joint and determine the pathological accumulation of fluid in the joint cavity (pus, blood). Provides a certain radiation exposure.
MRI - there is no ionizing radiation, it allows you to evaluate the condition of the cartilage and soft tissues that make up and surround the ankle joint (muscles, tendons, ligaments, cartilage) and the blood flow in them.
Ultrasound - reveals the pathology of soft tissues adjacent to the joint, an absolutely safe and inexpensive research method.

What pathologies can be diagnosed using x-rays?

As a result of the x-ray, high-quality images will be taken and analyzed. Based on the information received, the doctor will determine which diseases the detected changes correspond to.

Congenital and acquired deformities (clubfoot, flatfoot)

This problem is most often faced by parents of young children. Many factors contribute to the occurrence of deformations. These include: heredity, malpresentation of the fetus, lack of amniotic fluid, improper development of the nervous system. Also a reason why you may need to have an ankle x-ray

, is improper fusion of bones after a fracture.

Fractures and cracks

Foot and limb injuries are some of the most common reasons why x-rays are needed. The images clearly show even the smallest violations of the integrity of the bone tissue, which allows the doctor to prescribe a plaster cast and prescribe restriction of mobility until the bones heal.

Arthritis

Arthritis is characterized by joint pain, restricted movement, swelling of the limb and fever. These symptoms are usually more pronounced after a night's sleep and can also cause it to worsen. In the photographs, this process is expressed by changes in the structure of bone tissue and inflammation.

Arthrosis

Arthrosis is characterized by degeneration of cartilage tissue and is irreversible. It often occurs after a person has been injured, but persistent increased loads on the lower extremities can also be the cause. With an X-ray of the lower leg, the doctor can fully examine the cartilage and joint, and then draw a conclusion about the pathological processes in them, prescribe treatment and achieve stable remission.

Gout

Gout is a type of arthritis characterized by the deposition of uric acid salts. As a rule, gout affects the big toes and is more common in men. The disease is easy to cure; it is enough to determine the cause of the unpleasant symptoms using an X-ray examination.

Osteomyelitis

It is a purulent infectious disease that affects not only the joint, but also the periosteum and bone marrow. The disease is serious and can only be treated in a hospital. To confirm the diagnosis, it is often necessary to take an x-ray of the lower leg and evaluate the condition of all bone structures.

Neoplasms

One of the reasons why an x-ray may be needed is neoplasms of various types. However, x-rays are prescribed only if a formation on the bone is suspected, since it does not allow examining soft tissues.