A few days ago, a young girl limped into the orthopaedic foot and ankle disease clinic of the Provincial People’s Hospital. She was wrapped in a heavy knee-length down jacket and a mask, while her lower body was wearing ankle-baring trousers. The doctor saw that the patient’s upper body was “cold in winter” and his ankles were “summer clothes”, and he already understood seven or eight points in his heart.
Every autumn and winter, the number of patients who come to the hospital’s orthopaedic foot and ankle disease clinic will increase significantly. Among them, there are young women who like to show their ankles.
24-year-old Xiao Liu is a senior “exposed ankle”, and he liked this kind of skinny beauty when he was still in college four or five years ago.
Three months ago, she accidentally injured her ankle while playing badminton. At that time, the pain and swelling of the ankle were obvious. Magnetic resonance examination revealed that the lateral ligament of the ankle was damaged and the ankle joint was effusion. After more than 1 month of regular conservative treatment, there is basically no pain, and walking is normal.
After the Spring Festival, Xiao Liu’s love for beauty was rekindled. After showing her ankle “beautiful” for a period of time, her ankle started to hurt again, affecting her ability to walk, and she had to seek medical treatment again.
“Doctor, just give me some pain reliever cream or other treatments. Of course it’s cold, I’m used to it, I can persist, and sometimes I have to fight for it!” In front of the doctor, Xiao Liu was straight to the point.
“Treatment is necessary, and keeping warm is also very important. Otherwise, your feet will not heal for a while, and it is likely to worsen. Little girl, it always relapses and affects walking. That foot doesn’t look like it’s dead. Is it the same?” Gu Xiaohui, an expert and chief physician of the Department of Orthopaedics and Ankle Surgery of Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital, persuaded patiently.
Next, Gu Xiaohui took physical therapy, drugs to eliminate aseptic inflammation, brace protection, and local injections, and suggested that Xiao Liu usually wear high-top, well-wrapped sneakers. In order to play the role of warmth, support and anti-rotation of the ankle.
Why do ankles “injure” when temperatures drop?
Gu Xiaohui explained that, first of all, if the patient has a history of foot and ankle injury, then there is aseptic inflammation in the foot and ankle joint cavity and the tendon tissue around the joint, which will secrete inflammatory factors, and inflammation. Sexual factors are the main factors that cause pain. When the weather is cold, the legs and feet are cold, the blood vessels in the ankles will spasm and contract, the blood circulation will become slow, and the blood supply will be reduced, which will lead to stasis and accumulation of local inflammatory factors in the joints and around the tendons, irritating the joints. and tendon pain.
Secondly, because the feet and ankles are far from the heart, the local blood supply is relatively small and the blood flow is slow. At the same time, the soft tissues of the feet and ankles are thin, and the local subcutaneous fat layer is thin. The thin skin is the ankle. Joints, poor cold resistance and warmth. Expose the ankle to the outside, the ankle is cold, the blood will not be smooth, and it is easy to cause arthritis.
Furthermore, cold stimulation can also lead to stiffness of the ankle joint and nearby muscles and ligaments, reduced reactivity, inflexibility, and decreased joint stability and coordination, which makes the ankle joint in cold weather. Easily injured and painful.
(In order to protect the privacy of the parties, the patient is a pseudonym)