Foot and ankle pain
We see a wide variety of conditions connected to foot/ankle pain including:
- Ligament sprains from inversion injuries [mostly from court sports and construction sites],
- Achilles tendon injuries and calf strains [from explosive sports including martial arts and touch football], and
- Plantar Fasciitis [no I didn’t spell it incorrectly] from age related factors, inadequately supporting footwear or endurance sports
Many people feel that bracing weakens the foot/ankle apparatus, but we’re sure most injured athletes would agree:
‘a gram of prevention far outweighs a kilogram of pain’.
The foot
On the opposite end of the complexity scale, the foot contains 26 bones of varying size.
With this many joints, its function is clearly flexibility based, allowing the foot to maintain our contact with the many ground surfaces we encounter.
There is also ample opportunity for injury. Supporting our entire body weight and propelling us, it must withstand huge forces and torsional stress, so it’s fair to say that it’s a heavy duty unit.
When injuries do occur, they usually aren’t insignificant with the intensity of ankle and foot pain occasionally necessitating crutches to allow adequate rest in the early stages.
Foot and ankle treatment
Prevention and minimising reinjury are key aspects to management here, with most sports people keen to maintain their training and return to the field ASAP.
Only thorough assessment of gait and technique will determine the right rehabilitation strategies for you.
Seeing you back in the game is as important to us as your sport is to you!
We regularly provide advice to clients who are considering either entering a new sport or accepting a new physical challenge. Understandably, each sport has physical idiosyncracies to which our bodies need to adapt. We know our sports – we can help protect you.
Should your case require additional input, our clinic has the advantage of a highly skilled Podiatrist practising under the same roof.