ANKYLOSIS - WHAT IS IT? CAUSES, ASSOCIATED SYMPTOMS, DIAGNOSIS AND THERAPY - TRAUMATOLOGY

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Ankylosis - What is it? Causes, Associated Symptoms, Diagnosis and Therapy

or semi-mobile, when they are victims of damage or there is a fusion between their bone components.

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Ankylosis recognizes its main causes in joint trauma and in the various forms of existing arthritis.
Ankylosis can be partial or complete, depending on whether or not the joint stiffness present still allows movement of the affected joint.
Ankylosis is often associated with other symptoms; in fact, ankylosed joints also tend to be painful, swollen, noisy, hot to the touch and red at the level of the skin that covers them.
The presence of an "ankylosis requires the use of a causal therapy, ie a therapy aimed at eliminating / correcting the triggering factor. All this makes it essential, during the diagnosis phase, to identify the condition from which the ankylosis originated. . Ankylosis recognizes its main causes in joint trauma and in the various forms of existing arthritis.
Ankylosis can be partial or complete, depending on whether or not the joint stiffness present still allows movement of the affected joint.
Ankylosis is often associated with other symptoms; in fact, ankylosed joints also tend to be painful, swollen, noisy, hot to the touch and red at the level of the skin that covers them.
The presence of an "ankylosis requires the use of a causal therapy, ie a therapy aimed at eliminating / correcting the triggering factor. All this makes it essential, during the diagnosis phase, to identify the condition from which the ankylosis originated. .

, joints are anatomical structures, sometimes simple and sometimes complex, which indirectly connect two or more bones;

In the human body, the approximately 360 joints present allow the skeleton to fulfill its functions, which are: support, mobility and protection of the internal organs;

According to the most classic anatomical view, there are 3 types of joints: the fibrous joints (or synarthrosis), the cartilage joints (or amphiarthrosis) and the synovial joints (or diarthrosis);

Fibrous joints, or synarthrosis, are joints with no mobility, in which the bones are held together by fibrous tissue.
Typical examples of synarthrosis are the joints present between the bones of the skull;

Cartilage joints, or amphiarthrosis, are semi-mobile joints, in which the bones are connected to each other by cartilages and, sometimes, by ligaments.
Classic examples of amphiarthrosis are the joints that connect the various vertebrae of the spinal column;

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The synovial joints, or diarthrosis, are extremely mobile joints, made up of various components, including: the joint capsule, the joint surfaces and the cartilage that covers them, the synovial membrane, the synovial bags and a series of ligaments.
Typical examples of diarthrosis are the shoulder joint, knee, hip, elbow, ankle, wrist and the joint present between the phalanges of the fingers and toes.

Complete ankylosis

By "complete ankylosis", doctors refer to a total joint stiffness; therefore, a "mobile or semi-mobile joint that is subject to total ankylosis is a" joint that has completely lost its ability to move.
As a rule, complete ankylosis characterizes the conditions in which there has been a fusion of the bony portions constituting the affected joint.

When the portions of two bones involved in a joint fuse together, generating ankylosis, it is as if these two bones become a single element.

False ankylosis

The "medical expression" false ankylosis "describes joint stiffness resulting from suffering of the muscles or tendons that have relations with the ankylosed joint and which, in normal conditions, guarantee its correct movement.
In false ankylosis, therefore, the problem is not inherent in the stiffened joint, but in those neighboring anatomical elements that improve its mobility.

True ankylosis

The medical term "true ankylosis" describes joint stiffness due to pain affecting one or more components of the ankylosed joint.
In true ankylosis, therefore, the problem is internal to the stiffened joint, that is, it can concern ligaments, joint capsule, cartilages, synovial bags, etc.

, the upper portion of the tibia and the posterior portion of the patella);

The ligaments that are used to guarantee stability to the joint involved (eg: in the knee, a fundamental ligament for joint stability is the anterior cruciate);

When present, the cartilage that covers the bone surfaces joined to form the affected joint (eg: in the knee, this cartilage consists of the medial meniscus and the lateral meniscus);

The muscles or tendons connected to the affected joint and having the task of promoting its movement and stability (eg: in the knee, a fundamental muscle for movement and stability of the joint is the quadriceps femoris, while a tendon with a similar role is the so-called patellar tendon).

Joint traumas capable of causing ankylosis are usually those following fractures, sprains or dislocations.

A form of arthritis. The word "arthritis" indicates any condition of an inflammatory nature affecting one or more mobile or semi-mobile joints.
Arthritis can be the consequence of:

A combination of factors (e.g. older age, associated with obesity and a history of joint injuries);
An autoimmune reaction (i.e. some elements of the immune system attack the tissues of the joints);
An "infection (eg: chlamydia, salmonella, smallpox, etc.);
Unidentifiable causes.

There are many forms of arthritis; among these, the best known and those most associated with ankylosis are: arthrosis (or osteoarthritis), rheumatoid arthritis, gout and ankylosing spondylitis.

Conditions of various kinds, including, for example, Paget's disease, achondroplasia, osteochondritis, haemophilia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

This group of causes of ankylosis includes: hereditary diseases, hereditary conditions that require certain environmental factors to manifest themselves, neurodegenerative diseases, autoimmune diseases and infections.

Factors Favoring the "Ankylosis

Ankylosis is more common among:

Seniors. Older age is associated with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, two of the main causes of ankylosis in the general population;

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People who are sedentary or forced, in spite of themselves, to prolonged periods of immobility. The scarce use of the joints favors certain forms of arthritis (eg: osteoarthritis) and weakens the muscles that guarantee "efficient joint mobility (false ankylosis);
Individuals who practice jobs or hobbies (eg: sports) where the risk of joint trauma is high. Joint trauma is the primary cause of ankylosis;
People with a genetic predisposition to arthritis or diseases, such as Paget's disease;
People suffering from genetic diseases associated with joint problems, such as, for example, haemophilia.

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The joints that connect the adjacent vertebrae of the spine;

The temporomandibular joint.

An explanation of the predisposition of the aforementioned joints to the phenomenon of ankylosis is to be found in the position and frequency of use.

Complications

Ankylosis, especially when it involves the fusion of the bony surfaces that form a joint, can drastically limit or completely prevent the movements of the joint element involved, significantly compromising the patient's quality of life.

Did you know that ...

One of the best known ankyloses due to joint surface fusion is that resulting from ankylosing spondylitis, a form of chronic arthritis that affects the joints of the spine.

or X-rays) and, if the medical history shows the possibility of a genetic or infectious cause, DNA tests and blood tests.

and physiotherapy, and surgical remedies, such as interventions for the reconstruction of injured ligaments, procedures for the restoration of injured cartilage, operations for the separation of unnaturally fused bone surfaces and interventions for the reconstitution of injured tendons.