Osteochondral Defect Ankle Treatment Near Farmington Hills, MI | Balance Foot & Ankle

Patients from Farmington Hills and surrounding Oakland County communities come to our Balance Foot and Ankle clinic for evaluation and management of osteochondral defects of the ankle. An osteochondral defect (OCD) involves damage to both the cartilage surface and the underlying bone of the talar dome — typically resulting from a significant ankle sprain that goes unrecognized or incompletely healed, or from repetitive microtrauma in athletes. The characteristic presentation is persistent deep ankle pain and stiffness after what appeared to be a routine ankle sprain, often with catching or clicking sensations during ankle movement. Diagnosis requires MRI to characterize the lesion size, location, stability, and presence of bone marrow edema — plain X-rays frequently miss early lesions. Conservative management including activity restriction, protected weight-bearing, and physical therapy is appropriate for stable small lesions. Surgical options for larger or unstable lesions include arthroscopic debridement and microfracture to stimulate fibrocartilage healing, osteochondral autograft transplantation (OATS) using donor cartilage from a non-weight-bearing area of the knee, and for large lesions, osteochondral allograft or cartilage cell implantation techniques. Farmington Hills-area patients deserve accurate diagnosis and individualized treatment planning rather than continued conservative care when surgical intervention offers superior outcomes. We work with ankle specialists and can coordinate imaging, evaluation, and treatment for OCD patients from across the Oakland County region.