The causes of a Charcot joint can be remembered, using a mnemonic - with a little poetic license - as they (all) start with the letter S.
Mnemonic
- s: sugar (diabetes)
- s: syphilis
- s: steroid use
- s: syringomyelia
- s: spinal cord injury
- s: spina bifida
- s: scleroderma
- s: scaly disease (leprosy): the word leprosy derives from the Greek word for scaly
- s: spirit (alcohol abuse).
The features of Charcot joint can be remembered with the 6Ds mnemonic.