Ankle & Foot Pain
Ankle and foot pains and strains are really common. But for such a small part of the body there can be lots of different issues and causes. Whether you have an ankle sprain, pain on the sole of the foot, achilles pain or even a fracture, not being able to walk or play sport as normal is bad news physically and mentally. So, let’s see which one of these common issues you might be suffering from and find a way to get you back on your feet (literally)...
Ankle Sprain
Where are the symptoms and what does it feel like? You can get pain and swelling on the inside or outside ankle, but usually the outside of the ankle around the bony knuckle. You can feel sore when you walk on it and it can feel a bit unstable. It means the ligaments that keep the bones and tendons connected have been overstretched or possibly torn.
How does it happen? Pretty easily actually. A quick turn in tennis, an awkward land or just tripping on a bit of uneven ground will do it.
What is it stopping you from doing? Walking can be painful when you’ve had a bad sprain. And any kind of energetic sport will be off the cards till we can get you back to where you want to be. 40% of ankle sprains lead to what’s known as CAI (chronic ankle instability) and it means your ankle will continue to be unstable and could mean you keep going over it which will make it more painful and weaker. This is what we want to avoid.
How can we get you better? Thankfully, most ankle sprains are easy to treat. We’ll assess you to see how much damage has been done. We’ll look to relieve the swelling. We’ll test your strength, your balance, your flexibility and your walking. We’ll give you advice on offloading the ankle appropriately and how to give it more support. We’ll guide you on how to safely get back to your sport and activities.
Pain in the sole of your foot (Plantar fasciitis)
Where are the symptoms and what does it feel like? This pain is in your sole or underneath the heel. The plantar fascia is a band of tough tissue that connects your feet to your toes and this tissue can be sore and tight to touch. The pain is often worse in the morning when you take your first steps out of bed and is sore when you walk.
How does it happen? Did you take up a new sport or have you increased the intensity of your sport? Wearing flip flops in the summer or on holidays can look great but offer none of the usual support from your shoes or runners. And unfortunately as we get older our arches which supports the underside of the foot can drop which means we have less support and can pick up aches and pains easier.
What is it stopping you from doing? Plantar fasciitis can badly affect your walking and running so it can be really debilitating and will stop you even doing simple day to day activities let alone anything more energetic.
How can we get you better? This type of pain usually needs multiple strategies – treatment, rehab, footwear, sometimes insoles and making some changes to your activities and sports until things start improving. It’s really important to get this condition assessed quickly as it can be a slow process to get back to full activity.
Pain in the back of the heel (possibly in your Achilles Tendon)
Where are the symptoms and what does it feel like? The Achilles is the big tendon at the back of your foot that attaches the calf muscle to the heel bone. It can feel swollen, stiff in the morning and sore particularly walking or climbing stairs.
How does it happen? A sudden sharp land or a very quick stop in running can cause it. Sometimes an increase in activity or intensity of activity can cause what we call an ‘overuse injury’ or it can just happen over the years with wear and tear on the tendon. Certain foot shapes can also cause the tendon to get irritated. In extreme cases the tendon can be completely torn and may require surgery. In this case you might get a sudden sharp pain lower down the back of your leg and you may hear a pop and will have trouble bearing weight on your leg. If this happens you will need to go to hospital.
What is it stopping you from doing? This tendon is critical for jumping, landing, climbing stairs, going up and down hills, walking and running so any injury to it can hamper these activities.
How can we get you better? Like other foot injuries, achilles pain usually needs multiple strategies to get it better – treatment, rehab, footwear, sometimes insoles and a managed return to activity. We will show you how to load the tendon gradually so it can cope with more load required for sport or daily activities without overloading it.
Pain in the ball of the foot (Metatarsalgia)
Where are the symptoms and what does it feel like? With metatarsalgia the ball of your foot will be sore to walk on. You might feel like you have a pebble in your shoe. Then you might change how you walk to try to avoid the pain which brings other problems like knee pain or hip pain because now you’re out of your usual alignment.
How does it happen? It can be caused by sports involving jumping and landing, like basketball. It can also be caused by poorly fitting shoes (too tight, too loose, too soft, too hard). Certain foot shapes can also cause people to have pain in this area.
What is it stopping you from doing? This condition really affects your walking so it can be quite debilitating and will affect your general ability to be on your feet for a long time, let alone going for a walk or a run.
How can we get you better? Insoles usually work really well for metatarsalgia. We can fit you with the right insoles to ease these symptoms, along with footwear advice (good insoles and footwear work great together). We can get more mobility in the foot and soft tissue to ease out the pain.
Ankle and Foot Fractures
Where are the symptoms and what does it feel like? If you’ve fractured your foot or ankle you’ll know all about it. Most likely you won’t be able to put any weight on your foot without severe pain. But sometimes minor fractures are harder to spot - you keep getting pain on prolonged activity and it takes a few hours to settle down.
How does it happen? If you really go over hard on your ankle you can sometimes end up with a fracture. You can also get fractures in the small bones of the boot with a sudden increase in exercise where there is a lot of running, jumping or landing (like doing more jogging or tennis than usual).
What is it stopping you from doing? A fracture in your foot and ankle will stop you in your tracks as often you will be in a boot or plaster and crutches for several weeks to allow the bone to heal. Even when the plaster is removed, your muscles will be weak, the ankle can be stiff and your balance will be off-kilter. So, it can take time to get back to the activities you love.
How can we get you better? When you come out of a boot we will help you to get the foot/ankle back to full function by getting your mobility back, correcting your walking, restoring your balance and strength and gradually get you back to your activities/sport.