Question
Hi, I am 38 yr old mom of a 7yr and 4yr old and have had chronic "back" ankle pain and swelling since an injury in 2004. Sometimes the pain goes up into my calve or onto my heel. My other foot is even beginning to hurt! I initially used a ankle boot, ice packs and pain relivers to help. I have been in P.T. on 3 diff. occasions that have helped, but often have "flare ups". And in the past 2 Spring seasons I am in pain. I can not walk on uneven ground with out pain later. In my younger years I sprained my ankles easily. I have obviously weakened them and continue to "roll" my left ankle! I have even had Planter Fascutus. I have had MRI's and x-rays with my Osotopathic Dr. who only recommends P.T. and/or cortisone injections (which I really don't want).
I went back to my original Podi today due to another flare up. I just wanted another opinion and was surprised when he did an xray that showed I have Os Trigonum. We only spoke of my current pain which he concluded was Planters Fascutus-which he succesfully Diagnosed before and made sense to me today. He told me to check this extra bone out online since it was fairly uncommon.  Could this be my problem?- os trigonu syndrome? I have always had "weak ankles". I am not very athletic but have always had foot issues for some reason. Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated! All the info online about this syndrome says Ah HA! Yes! That's me! I plan on calling my Podi soon to talk with him about it. It  would be nice to hear another input. Thank you!

Answer
HI Katie,

Os Trigonum is a small bone at the back of the ankle in front of the Achilles tendon.  It can cause a pinching of tissues and pain along with inflammation.  This can result from an injury.  In some cases you may have actually fractured the back of the talus bone which could appear as Os Trigonum.  In any case it sounds like you've had some treatments that were not successful.  If the pain becomes severe you may consider surgery to remove the bone.  I have had succes using cryosurgery or CryoMax to freeze the area.  There are nerve branches that are responsible for this pain.  You can check mys site for details.  Also consider orthotic devices for your unstable foot and ankle.

Sincerely,

Marc Katz, DPM
Tampa, FL
Advanced Podiatry
www.thetampapodiatrist.com
www.tampacryosurgery.com


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