my foot

dachshund

I had a letter back from the hospital it said
outcome difficult to see the ankle clearly on plain ex-rays therefore C T scan to assess both the ankle and the possibility of lateral impingement.
can some one tell me that in English please.
joan xx

mig

I googled it ,it doesnt make a lot of sense to me but someone might understand it. (((()))) Mig

daffy2

The CT scan will give a more complete picture of the ankle as it will show more than just the 'bony bits'. I think lateral impingement means that something is/might be getting out of kilter,(which affects the way the foot works and can lead to problems elsewhere) and they'll want to find out what, hence needing to see the 'soft' bits as well as the joint itself, so as to decide the best way of dealing with it and any associated pain.

dreamdaisy

Hello my lovely, I agree with Daffy in that a CT scan (painless as I recall apart from arranging oneself into the correct position) will show a far better picture than the usual Xray. Impingement usually means that one thing is affecting another, such as something pressing on a nerve and causing discomfort or (currently as in this household) the husband annoying the wife and causing irritation. I hope you find an answer to this soon. ((( ))) DD

dachshund

Thank you Mig Daffy DD.
thank you for your good replies I have had a CT scan before.
my ap is Nov 30.
take care
joan xx

TrishaW

Lateral means the outside part of the ankle( ie the side furthest away from your body) Medial is the inside part (ie the part that's next to the opposite ankle)
So on your right leg, your lateral ankle is on the right hand side.

An impingement is where something is being pinched inside, usually where a tendon or ligament is caught by a bony spur or other bony deformity (as forms in arthritis)

So a lateral impingement means something is being caught/pinched in the outside part of your ankle. Sometimes they can remove the spurs surgically to reduce the impingement.

An MRI can see this better than an X Ray as it sees soft tissue (ligaments etc) as well as bones.

I hope this helps!

Trisha

barbara12

Hello Joan sorry I have only just seen this, glad to see you have had some advice..and good luck with your scan...let us know what they say...x

dachshund

Thank you TrishaW Barbara
Trisha thank you for explaining it it was interesting.
Barbara thank you.
take care
joan xx