Q: My mother has bone against bone in her ankle and has no cartilage left.  She had a broken ankle 23 years ago, and pins were inserted, which were removed in 1998.  She currently takes motrin and percocet for pain, but it does not seem to help.  Is there a medication that could help manage her pain better?

A: At this point it sounds as though she is on a very strong pain medication, which is Percocet. There are some other prescription-strength anti-inflammatories, which potentially could be considered instead of the Motrin.

Additional treatment options which could be considered would include some type of a supportive brace or immobilization for the ankle, and the surgical options for an arthritic ankle would primarily either be ankle fusion or potentially ankle joint replacement.