Promising preliminary results seen with ankle distraction for post-traumatic OA

Description: ORTHOPEDICS TODAY 2009; 29:46 Emerging research from the University of Iowa indicates that ankle distraction may lead to improved pain relief and function in young and active patients with endstage post-traumatic ankle osteoarthritis. “At the present time, the standard option for these types of patients is usually arthrodesis of the ankle or, in the older patients, arthroplasty,� Annunziato Amendola, MD, told Orthopedics Today. “Both of those options have downfalls. If you could maintain the ankle joint, obviously, it would be advantageous. Ankle distraction is a technique designed to restore the ankle joint space and reduce the patient’s pain so that he or she does not need one of those other procedures.�