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B24 December 2021 • Wellness • www.lwca.com FOOT HEALTH New Hope for Aching Ankles By Reisha Zang If you are one of the 20 million Americans su ering from osteoarthritis you know how di cult doing even the simplest of tasks can be. When arthritis a ects your ankles, it can interfere with active lifestyles, limiting mobility and independence. “Osteoarthritis develops over time, as the result of repeated stress, overuse, or an old injury,” explains Dr. Kerry Zang, podiatric medical director of CIC Foot & Ankle. “It causes the cartilage in the joint to wear down. As this happens, the bones lose their protective covering, and it may feel like they are actually rubbing against each other.” Pain, sti ness and swelling in the joint are typical symptoms of this condition. Until recently, anti-inflammator y medication and steroid injections like cortisone o ered the best chance for relief. But these options simply reduced the symptoms. ey did nothing to treat the problem actually causing the pain. “While cortisone stops the swelling and pain, it can also interfere with the healing process and further degeneration can occur,” says Dr. Zang. “Now, instead of just making the symptoms go away, we can deal with the underlying problem that is causing the pain.” New Regenerative Therapy A new treatment called regenerative injection therapy (RIT) is changing the way doctors look at treating osteoarthritis of the ankle. “When it comes to an arthritic joint, there are enzymes that are breaking down the collagen that lls in the space between the bones. ey act like termites in the joint eating away at it,” explains Dr. Zang. Over time, this causes pain. RIT uses growth factors to help repair and restore tissue and joints. “Sometimes the body just needs a little boost to encourage the regenerative process,” adds Dr. Zang. “ e growth factors in RIT do that.” Injection Properties ere are four basic properties in the injection uid. It contains protease inhibitors, hyaluronic acid, natural anti-in ammatory agents and angiogenic growth factors. Protease inhibitors aid in halting damage to cartilage in an arthritic joint. Dr. Zang likens it to “putting the termites to sleep.” e second property is hyaluronic acid, which works like a lubricant and shock absorber, potentially easing painful symptoms associated with degraded cartilage within a joint. e natural anti-in ammatory agents help to reduce local swelling without too much impact on the normal wound healing process. “ e key component is the last one,” says Dr. Zang. “In order for regeneration to occur, blood needs to bring nutrients to the area. It also removes waste products from the healing tissue. Angiogenic growth factors help in the development of new blood vessels.” All these mechanisms work together to assist with the rebuilding of the joint. ere are also cytokines in the uid which help trigger your body to recruit stems cells from your own tissues which help repair your body. is is possible because stem cells have the potential to develop into many di erent types of cells in the body such as blood, tissue, bone, and muscle. “They can be compared to a magnet, attracting speci c cells to begin the growth of new tissue and to aid in the remodeling of damaged, old tissue,” says Dr. Zang. Natural Healing Process e goal is to encourage a healing process where the body replaces, repairs, reprograms and renews diseased or injured cells. As new and healthy tissue forms, it helps improve function and resolve pain. RIT o ers a natural and safe alternative to traditional treatments. Since this therapy has the potential to regrow cells and o ers pain relief, it may reduce — and even in some cases — eliminate the need for surgery. It also o ers hope to those who have other health conditions that prevent them from being able to have surgery. “I hate to hear that foot pain is keeping someone from their everyday life. e thing that excites me most about being a doctor is nding new ways to help my patients,” concludes Dr. Zang. “Regenerative medicine is game- changing.” If you are struggling with achy ankles, come see us at CIC Foot and Ankle. ere is hope! -Reisha Zang is Director of Communications at CIC Foot and Ankle. You may contact her at 480-860-6455 or reisha. zang@ciccenters.com .