Why Does My Ankle Hurt?

We often experience ankle pain because our ankles bear our entire body weight and move constantly. Ankle pain can be caused by several different issues, including:

• Tendonitis: This is inflammation of the tendons that connect muscle to bone and is a common overuse injury. You may experience swelling and discomfort around the ankle or on one side only. This type of injury can occur over time or following an injury.
• Sprains: This injury occurs when the ligaments that support the ankle are stretched or torn. Ligaments connect bone to bone. You may experience redness, swelling and heat in the injured area. This type of injury is usually acute or sudden.
• Arthritis: This is inflammation of the joint. It causes stiffness and pain at the affected joint. Many times, arthritis is age-related, and it is caused by the wear and tear of daily life.
• Previous Injuries: Sometimes old injuries can flare up and cause discomfort. There can be scar tissue build-up, worn cartilage or even a chip fracture that never was diagnosed. These past injuries can resurface as stiffness or pain with activity.

Regardless of the reason for the ankle pain, if you are dealing with persistent ankle pain, it may be time to explore solutions that can help support your ankle and provide relief.

How Can Ankle Bracing Help?

Ankle braces are designed in such a way that they provide stability, support the ankle and reduce pain during activity. They can play a significant role in helping clients move more comfortably: Ankle braces can:

• Promote Healing: By limiting certain movements, ankle braces can give the ankle time to heal and prevent further damage.
• Reduce Swelling: Some braces have compressive material built in, which helps to reduce swelling and improve blood flow to the ankle.
• Provide Support: Ankle braces provide stability to the ankle and prevent unwanted movements that might cause pain or re-injury.

What Else Can You Do?

There are other treatment options that you can do to support your ankle and relieve pain.

1. Rest, Ice and Elevate: If you find your ankle swollen and painful after your activities, apply ice for 15-20 minutes to reduce inflammation. Remember to never apply ice directly to the skin. Always have a barrier like a towel between the ice and the skin. Try to reduce your activity to allow for healing and elevate your ankle above the level of your heart to reduce any swelling.
2. Proper Footwear: Wear footwear that matches your activity. For example, if you play pickleball, wear court shoes that allow you to pivot safely. Make sure that your ankles and feet are supported. Cushion and arch support can make a huge difference!
3. Stretching and Strengthening Exercises: Gentle stretches and strengthening exercises can improve flexibility and make your ankle more resilient to injury.
4. Custom Orthotics: Sometimes ankle pain can be directly related to the mechanics of how your foot moves when you walk and stand. Incorporating custom orthotics can realign the foot and ankle to help relieve pain.

When to See a BioPed Clinician

If you’ve tried rest, ice, elevation and exercises but you’re still experiencing ankle pain, it might be time to consult with a BioPed clinician. They can help you explore options such as ankle bracing, custom orthotics, or other supports designed to help you move more freely and comfortably.

Remember, while ankle pain can slow you down, there are ways to manage it. Ankle bracing, combined with other supportive measures can help you get back to doing more in your daily life—whether that’s walking, exercising, or just being active without discomfort.

The post Understanding Ankle Pain appeared first on Relieve Foot Pain & Leg Pain.

When standing, the body is a closed kinetic chain, meaning what happens in the feet can affect the ankles, knees, hips and back.  If the feet are abnormally positioned or their alignment is off, the rest of the body could suffer.  Let’s investigate lower body issues that could benefit from a pair of orthotics!

Ankle Pain

Overpronation is usually associated with a flat foot type and over supination with a high arched foot.  Both foot types can cause increased strain or compression on the structures surrounding the ankle joint.  Ankle joint instability is a common issue encountered at BioPed Footcare.  It can be a result of weakness around the ankle or a history of frequent ankle sprains.

Knee Pain

The position of the heel plays an important role in the alignment of the rest of the lower body, including the knees.  Foot pronation will put more strain on the inside or medial structures of the knee including tendons and ligaments.  Supination reduces the amount of motion in the foot, which reduces the amount of shock that can be absorbed with impact.

Hip Pain

Bursitis and arthritis are common issues that affect the hip joint. Bursitis develops when a fluid-filled sack around the joint called a bursa becomes inflamed.  Bursae cushion the bones, tendons and muscles around your joints and can become inflamed when overused or an injury occurs.  Osteoarthritis is a degeneration of the cushioning cartilage in the joint.

Lower Back Pain

Pain in the lower back is a common struggle for many people.  Back pain can cause us to adjust our gait in order to move about more comfortably, causing a domino effect in our body’s closed kinetic chain.   On the flip side, overpronation and hypermobility in the feet increases internal rotation of the legs and excessive supination decreases range of motion in the feet, leading to more impact travelling up the body to the lower back.

Come See Us

At BioPed Footcare, we are skilled at making custom orthotics, however an over-the-counter insole could also help achieve your goals!  Kneed insoles are a particular brand carried at BioPed and come in a variety of styles to suit your sport/activity and your needs.  They are well made with some flexibility and will fit the shoes you love.  Kneed insoles can produce great results!  Like custom orthotics, over-the-counter insoles can also be modified to better suit the wearer.

If you are suffering with foot, ankle, knee, hip or back pain and discomfort, give your local BioPed a call to make an appointment with one of our lower limb clinicians.  We have treatment options for you including orthotics, footwear, and bracing.  The joints in our bodies are connected, your treatment plan ought to be as well!

The post Determining when you Knee’d support appeared first on Relieve Foot Pain & Leg Pain.

The post Suffering from ankle pain? We can help! appeared first on Relieve Foot Pain & Leg Pain.