Southwest Florida's Health and Wellness Magazine Health and Wellness Articles
The ankle is the most commonly injured joint, according to a 2009 “American Family Physician” article. The repetitive flexion and
extension of your ankle during walking can lead to pain and injury — or it can aggravate an existing condition. Ankle pain can be a symptom of an ankle sprain, a stress facture, underlying osteoarthritis, and tendinitis. Treatment includes anti-inflammatory drugs, rest, and ice. Seeking evaluation and treatment at the onset of pain, can prevent further injury or pain and strengthen the ankle safely.
Ankle Sprain
An ankle sprain occurs when ligaments around your ankle are overstretched or torn. Stepping in a hole or simply twisting your ankle may result in a mild to severe ankle sprain. Besides pain, you may experience swelling, bruising and decreased range of motion. An ankle sprain can also cause you to have a noticeable limp while walking, and it may prevent you from performing other activities, such as running and jumping.
Impingement Syndrome
Ankle impingement syndrome occurs when tendons or nerves around your ankle are compressed, resulting in chronic pain. A 2006 article in the journal “Foot and Ankle Clinics of North America” states that runners, dancers, high jumpers and volleyball players are more susceptible to developing ankle impingement syndrome. The repetitive flexion and extension of your foot and ankle during walking can cause compression of nerves and tendons as well. Additional symptoms include swelling, joint stiffness, and numbness or tingling.
Tendinitis
Tendinitis occurs when tendons become irritated and inflamed. Tendinitis is a chronic or overuse injury caused by repetitive movements. Your age, an increase in training intensity and over-training can increase your risk of developing tendinitis around your ankle. Pain around your ankle and affected tendons, swelling and popping are symptoms of tendinitis. With advanced tendinitis, you may experience a constant ache that worsens with walking, running and jumping.
Osteoarthritis
Overuse, previous ankle injuries, and normal wear and tear can result in osteoarthritis over time. Osteoarthritis results from the gradual wearing away of the cartilage in your ankle. Common symptoms include “grinding” during ankle movement, joint stiffness, pain deep in the joint and ankle instability. Bone spurs within your ankle joint and joint deformity are complications of advanced osteoarthritis. Weight-
bearing activities like walking may increase your ankle pain and cause further deterioration.
Treatment
If you suspect your ankle pain is the result of a mild injury, you can try the usual RICE measures: rest, ice, compression and elevation, but seek medical attention if the pain persists. Depending on the severity and cause of your ankle pain, your physician may recommend NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen; corticosteroid injections; orthotics; physical therapy; and surgery.
Injury to an ankle can increase the risk of re-injury to as much as 40 to 70%. For this reason it is important to strengthen and stretch your ankle after injury to help decrease your risk.
Rehabilitating your ankle should be done slowly and carefully. Start with non-weight bearing exercises, moving to resisted exercises, and then weight bearing activities as your ankle recovers.
Rehabilitation exercises are critical to ensure that the ankle heals completely and reinjury does not occur. You can begin healing by walking or bearing some weight, while using crutches if needed, if you can do so without too much pain.
Southwest Foot & Ankle can teach you exercises that can be performed at home or even at the office to strengthen your ankle.
To learn more about rehabilitation exercises and for evaluation of your foot or ankle pain, we encourage you to contact our staff at Southwest Foot & Ankle, 941-256-3873.
941.256.3873 | www.swfafl.com
