Foot and Ankle Pain

We spend a lot of time on our feet. Standing. Walking. Running. In the process, our muscles, tendons, and joints spend a lot of time bending, twisting, and stretching. All that wear and tear builds up over time, resulting in common injuries and conditions like ankle sprains and plantar fasciitis.

We all know regular physical activity improves your health and quality of life, but overuse is just as harmful as underuse, especially in the case of the feet, which carry all of your body’s weight. Without proper foot and ankle pain treatment, even seemingly minor aches and annoyances can become worse over time, inhibiting mobility and reducing a person’s quality of life.

Ankle Sprains

A sprain is an injury to the ligaments around a joint. Ligaments are the strong, flexible fibers that connect one bone to another. When a ligament is stretched too far or tears, the joint will become painful and swell. An ankle sprain can range from mild to severe depending on how badly the ligament is damaged.

Most ankle sprains happen when you make a rapid shifting movement with your foot planted, like when playing soccer or being tackled in football. A sprain can also occur in an event as simple as accidentally rolling your ankle.

Symptoms:

• Mild sprain
• Pain in the ankle
• Tenderness, swelling, and stiffness
• Bruising may occur in a more serious sprain
• Severe sprain
• Pain
• Bruising, tenderness
• Weakness, “wobbly” ankle
• Walking is not possible because the ankle gives out

Plantar Fasciitis

This condition is a type of heel pain caused by inflammation of the plantar fascia, the tissue along the bottom of your foot that connects your heel bone to your toes. Your plantar fascia acts like a shock-absorbing bowstring, supporting the arch in your foot.

If tension becomes too great, it can create small tears in the fascia. Repetitive stretching and tearing can cause the fascia to become irritated or inflamed. The band of fascia may swell and become painful. This is one of the most common foot-related orthopedic complaints.

Symptoms:

• Sharp, stabbing pain in the inside part of the bottom of your heel
• Pain in the bottom of the heel, usually worse in the morning and improving throughout the day
• Pain that worsens when climbing stairs or when standing on tiptoe
• Pain after long periods of standing or after getting up from a seated position
• Pain after, but not usually during, exercise
• Mild swelling in your heel

How Mid-County Physical Therapy Can Help

Although ankle sprains and plantar fasciitis are among the most common forms of foot and ankle pain today, they’re not the only ones. The human foot is made up of dozens of moving parts, including 26 bones, 30 joints, and more than 100 muscles, tendons, and ligaments.

Not only does that mean that there are a lot of things that can go wrong, but it also means that, when seeking foot and ankle pain treatment, but you also need a trained professional who knows how to identify, target, and soothe the specific cause of your condition.

The healthcare experts at Mid-County Physical Therapy have the training and experience necessary to help you get back on your feet, literally. In addition to revolutionary techniques like our BioQPulse and Red Light Therapy offerings, we are proud to provide specialized hands-on foot and ankle pain treatment exercises, stretches, and more. With physical therapy, you can enjoy restored joint mobility, reduced pain and swelling, and improved balance. 

For more information, contact Mid-County Physical Therapy today!