Thursday, July 23, 2009

What's up with the Media's Interest in Cankles???

The term "cankle" is not a medical term, diagnosis or medical condition. It most commonly refers to thick ankles. The width of these ankles make it difficult to distinguish the normal anatomy of the muscles, tendons and bones of the lower leg. People come in all shapes and sizes and thick ankles may be due to obesity, pregnancy, conditions causing chronic ankle swelling or may simply be hereditary. Exercise directed at the muscles of the lower leg may help define the muscles and thereby reducing the nondescript appearance.

It is however, important to differentiate ankles with this persistent thickness in anatomy from those that develop the condition suddenly or even gradually. Many systemic conditions can cause gradual swelling of the ankles (examples include kidney disease, venous disease and heart disease) and certainly trauma can cause acute or sudden swelling. A deep vein thrombosis can also cause a swollen lower leg and ankle.

A podiatric physician, also known as a podiatrist, should examine any new swelling or thickness to rule out injury, trauma or damage to the tendons in the leg and ankle. Two very common tendons that would cause thick ankles are the Achilles tendon and the posterior tibialis tendon that supports the ankle and arch. Ankle sprains, both old and new, cause thickness around the outside of the ankle. Swelling of the ankles and lower leg is treated frequently by podiatrists using a soft cast, known as an unna boot.

It is also common for women beyond their forties to develop fatty ankles due to fat deposits around and below the ankle. Often, these deposits put pressure on the nerves and can be problematic.

6 comments:

  1. Do you ever remove the fatty deposits that often develop in post-menopausal women?

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  2. Yes, I have. Really, it can make such a difference and does avoid the possibility of neuritis.

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  3. What causes the fatty deposit in the ankles? I have had it on my left foot for about a year and now seems like it is showing up in the right foot. Any need for concern here? Anything I can do to get rid of it? I am a 57 year old female and I walk 3 miles 4 times a week. They don't hurt but sure look bad.

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  4. I have what my orthopedist describes as fat deposits on the outside of each ankle. He states it is not edema because no indentation occurs when the foot or leg are pressed. My internist states this is edema and wants a cardiologist to examine me. Who is correct?

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  5. Fatty deposits on ankles can most likely be attributed to gall stones. You can naturally purge gall stones by doing the flush from the book " the amazing gall bladder and liver cleanse " by Andreas Moritz. The fatty deposits on ankles can be addressed slowly over time with castor oil packs.

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  6. Hello there! How do you feel about commercials of all kinds put on blogging resources?

    ReplyDelete