ankle or foot pain

Your physiotherapist can assess your foot and ankle to help determine the cause of your symptoms. They will look at your walking, range of movement, muscle strength and control, and balance. They may want to look at other movements such as jumping or hopping depending on your circumstances.

There are many different causes of foot and ankle pain. Some conditions we see include-

Achilles tendinopathy- this can affect both athletes and non-athletes and can be caused by a multitude of factors affecting the load on the tendon. You may feel stiffness of the tendon at the back of the foot which eases after walking. The tendon may be tendon to touch. It may be painful on walking or sporting activities.

Plantar fasciopathy- often causes pain in the heel or arch of the foot over the plantar fascia, which is a band of tissue at the bottom of your foot providing support to the arch of the foot. The pain can be caused by a change in the loading pattern, altered biomechanics or excessive load. Pain is typically worse on the first steps in the morning or stepping after a period of rest. Pain can be worse when barefoot, going on a long walk and you may feel a tightness in the area.

Peroneal tendinopathy- you may have pain around the outside of the foot or ankle which can be caused by irritation or inflammation in the tendons that run along the outside of the ankle. Pain may be eased with rest and worse on activity. The peroneal tendons help to provide stability to the ankle. You may feel unbalanced or unstable standing on the affected side.

Ankle sprain- an ankle sprain can occur if you have rolled, twisted or turned your ankle in an awkward position. The ligaments supporting the ankle can become stretched . You may have affected the ligaments on the outside or the inside of the ankle. If left untreated, you may have recurrent sprains, weakness and instability to the ankle in the future.

Arthritis- you may have pain and stiffness of the foot or ankle. The pain may have developed gradually over time although sudden onset can occur. The joint may feel warm to touch, you may have some swelling and you may have difficulty walking.