Ankle pain
Ankle pain can often be caused by an injury or over exercising. The most common cause of ankle pain is an ankle sprain or trauma such as a fracture.
Most ankle sprains happen on the outside of the ankle, this occurs when the foot rolls, causing the ankle to twist and stretch the ligaments.
A lot of ankle pain can be managed easily with exercises or stretches, however if this doesn’t help the physiotherapist can diagnose the issue, it rarely results in surgery.
Please see below for some online resources for common causes of ankle pain:
Versus Arthritis (foot and ankle pain) information
NHS UK (ankle pain) information
Ankle sprain
An ankle sprain is usually the cause of a twist or sudden turn of the ankle in an awkward way. This can stretch ligaments over the ankle bone or joint and cause pain. Relative rest, ice, compression and elevation can help, depending on the severity of the injury, recovery time will vary. You may have some swelling and bruising over the area. Ankle sprains can happen at any age and is often due to a sports injury or walking on uneven ground.
More information on how to manage an ankle sprain can be found in this leaflet:
Ankle sprains leaflet.pdf [pdf] 279KB
Achilles tendinitis
Pain is normally felt around the heel and lower calf region, you can suffer with pain, stiffness, swelling and weakness around this area. Pain can develop from overuse, altered walking pattern , foot positions and big changes in the amount or type of activity or exercise you are doing.
For more information please click the link below:
Achilles Tendinitis information
Plantar Fasciitis
Is pain at the site of the fascia that attaches under the heel bone. You may notice more pain when weight bearing, physiotherapy can be a great benefit to ease this pain with some self taught exercises and management.
You can find more information in this leaflet: Plantar Fasciitis Patient Information