ANKLE PAIN Q & A

What causes ankle pain?

Ankle pain is an almost universal experience, as everyone twists or bends their ankle at least once in their lives. If your ankle twists or bends farther than the normal range of movement it’s capable of, the tendons and ligaments involved can stretch, tear, or rupture completely. The bones could fracture too, and you may have a combination of sprain or strain and fracture at the same time.

Like any other joint, the ankle is also susceptible to wear-and-tear damage that leads to degenerative joint disease or osteoarthritis. Ankles don’t tend to suffer such severe arthritis as other joints, but it’s still a common cause of ankle pain.

You may also experience pain in your ankle because of a problem further up your leg or in your foot that’s causing pain to spread into your ankle joint.

Is my ankle pain due to a sprain, strain, or fracture?

Sprains are injuries to ligaments, which join bones to other bones, while strains affect tendons, which attach muscles to bones. Sprains, strains, and fractures can cause similar symptoms of pain, swelling, skin discoloration, and inflammation, so it’s not easy to tell which type of injury you have just by looking at your ankle.

A compound fracture results in bone sticking through the skin, which is clearly an emergency. Internal fractures may not be so obvious, and in some cases, you can put weight on a fractured ankle but be unable to walk when you have a ruptured ligament.

Getting an accurate diagnosis from the team at Orthopedic Specialists is vital so you can get the most appropriate treatment. Poorly managed injuries can cause permanently painful or weakened joints, making you more vulnerable to further injury in the future.

How is ankle pain treated?

Your physician at Orthopedic Specialists can diagnose the cause of your ankle pain and then offer the treatment that’s most likely to heal the underlying injury and relieve your symptoms. Potential treatments include:

• Splinting the ankle
• Surgical repair of fractures, torn ligaments, or tendon injuries
• Immobilization using a brace, boot, or cast
• Physical therapy
• Cortisone injections
• Viscosupplementation injections
• Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy
• Stem cell therapy

For the most advanced diagnosis and treatment if you’re suffering from ankle pain, call Orthopedic Specialists or book an appointment online today.