What causes foot or ankle pain?  

The foot and ankle absorb all our on-foot daily movement and therefore are susceptible to injury. The most common is a sprain or ‘rolled ankle’ which can result in muscle, tendon, and/ or ligament damage and in severe cases, a fracture. Another common issue in the foot is tendinopathic pain which can be caused by a sudden increase in demand on the tissue, i.e. weight gain, a new sport or simply a longer walk than normal. Like all our joints in the body, the foot and ankle are prone to osteoarthritic changes as part of the normal ageing process. The smaller joints of the foot are also common sites for gout and rheumatological diseases such as psoriatic and rheumatoid arthritis.

How can we help?

Your therapist will take a detailed case history to understand the cause and contributing factors to your foot or ankle pain.  

Active tests in standing will be used combined with passive movements of either foot or ankle to assess any biomechanical factors contributing to your symptoms. This may involve a combination of simple foot and ankle movements or looking at the functional tasks you are struggling with i.e. walking.

The therapist will then explain what they see and advise on the diagnosis and factors contributing to your pain picture.

Depending on your presentation and expectations of the appointment, the therapist will advise on any relevant short-term relief options such as optimising pain relief medication, manual therapy techniques i.e. soft tissue release, joint mobilisations or taping. These hands-on techniques provide short-term relief and can sometimes help to dampen down the secondary responses to pain such as muscle tightness.

The therapist will also suggest self-management advice i.e. how to modify your activities, simple movement strategies, or an exercise program to address any movement deficits. In some cases, the therapist may feel onward referral is necessary i.e. back to GP or a specialist. This will always be a shared decision-making process and often there is a lot you can be doing in the meantime.

Please note, the above approaches will differ depending on which therapist you see. Please get in touch if you are unsure which service is best suited to your individual complaint.