To diagnose ankle osteoarthritis, your doctor probably start by asking your questions about your symptoms and past medical issues. They'll check your ankle for swelling, see how well it moves, and if you have any pain while you're moving it.
You'll get an X-ray of your ankle. If it shows the space between your bones is narrow, that could mean you've lost cartilage. The X-ray can also show a bone spur, a clue that you might have arthritis.
Occasionally doctors will want you to get other imaging techniques, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or a CT scan.