Does your job require you to be on your feet for prolonged periods of time? Do you have a lot of pain or stiffness on your lower extremities? Foot and ankle pain is a very common problem for every age group. It’s a condition we treat often at Loudoun Sports Therapy and it’s one that causes a lot of problems with daily, functional activities. The most frequent complaint we hear in the clinic is pain at the ankle joint that can radiate up into the leg or down into the heel. This symptom often causes the patient to have difficulty walking or standing for a prolonged period of time. It can also mean they have trouble going from a seated position to a standing one without pain. Even taking just a few steps can be painful due to muscle tightness and joint stiffness.
If foot pain is not taken care of, it can cause dysfunctions up the chain in your knee, hip and even your back. That’s because to compensate for this pain in your foot and ankle, you have an abnormal gait or walking pattern and the movements you use to perform a normal activity are altered to try and avoid that pain in your foot or ankle. This ‘trickle down’ effect is why it’s so important to see a physical therapist to learn what is causing your pain or dysfunction and so you can understand the correct way to treat your symptoms.
So what causes foot and ankle problems? Foot and ankle pain can stem from a number of factors. Some common ones include:
- Poor footwear
- Weakness in the intrinsic foot muscles
- Poor foot anatomy such has a flat foot or high arches
- Chronic issues with lower back, hip or the knee that causes pain down into the foot and ankle
Physical therapy is a very effective treatment method to relieve foot and ankle pain. Physical therapy helps decrease pain and inflammation, improve joint mobility, decrease muscle tightness and improve motor control of the ankle’s stabilizing muscles. Physical therapy will help improve strength and stability of the ankle and foot joint to restore your ability to get back to your normal lifestyle.
