Do you know your foot is composed of 30 joints, 26 bones, and more than a hundred muscles, tendons, and ligaments? They work together to offer support, balance, and stability as you move. When even one of them becomes damaged, it becomes harder for the foot to function as it is designed.
If you get pain in your ankle or foot, you will realize the vital role your feet play, allowing you to live an independent life to do whatever you want to do in your life.
Any of you potentially experience ankle or foot pain in their lifetime, whether you are an older adult or an adolescent athlete. At times the pain is caused by injury such as tendonitis in the foot. Some parts of the feet are more likely to get an injury as the amount of pressure they carry. For instance, Achilles can hold up to your weight about to ten times, making it susceptible to damage.
If you have immense pain in your ankles or feet, you don’t have to tolerate it. A range of treatment options can help reduce your pain and help you get back to the normal daily life activities you love in your life, whether it’s running miles or taking your dog out for a walk.
Seek Care for Your Pain
If it is hampering your ability to conduct your routine activities, it is helpful to seek care. Ankle or foot pain can often be assigned to deformities, tendinitis, arthritis, or broken bone. Everyone has a different level of pain tolerance, and maybe at times, the pain on the foot may subside with time and rest. However, when severe pain in your ankles or feet prevents you from doing things that you want to do in your life, you must talk to an orthopedist with a specialization in treating the ankles and feet. It is better to get your foot checked before your pain gets worse and causes further damage. Apart from various non-invasive treatment options, your doctor can also recommend surgery for pain alleviation if you need one.
Causes of Pain in Ankles and Feet
Women and men of all ages are prone to unexpected ankle and foot injuries, like foot fractures, torn ligaments, and sprained ankles. Painful conditions in your feet can develop in anyone caused by repetitive motion, such as rheumatoid arthritis or plantar fasciitis. Abnormal anatomy, such as having flat feet, can also cause pain on the inside of the foot, on the bottom of the feet, or in the ankle joints depending on every individual.
Research has shown that men have more tendency of rupturing their Achilles heel six times more than women. At the same time, women may be at an increased risk for a pinched nerve on the ball of the toes or foot that is the cause of radiating pain between the 3rd and 4th toes. Avoid wearing pointed shoes with heels as it can contribute to these conditions.
Foot injuries or untreated ankles may lead to problems in the feet. For instance, people may experience ankle instability if they have a sprained ankle that did not heal rightly in the past. It causes ligaments to stretch, which makes the foot to like it’s getting loose or giving way. Given that, they are more likely to develop early arthritis or sprain it again, which may need more intense treatment.
Treatment for Pain in Foot or Ankle
During your visit to sprained ankle and feet experts, they will determine the ideal treatment course of action for alleviating pain in your foot or ankle. Your course of treatment will be tailored to your defined goals and needs and may require attempting different things to see whichever works for you.
They alleviate your discomfort with non-surgical treatment options when it is possible, but in other times, an operation may prevent something from getting worse and most relief.
Moreover, there is a variety of non-operative things that can try to reduce your discomfort, depending on the cause of ankle or foot pain. For instance, some people may offer an advantage from orthotic inserts that provide additional support to your ankle and foot. Orthotics can alleviate pain and stress in the foot, and you get a personalized plan according to your unique foot shape. An ankle or foot brace may also help prevent your pain from getting worse.
In addition, there are concentrated anti-inflammatory injections that can prove to be effective in managing arthritic pain in your ankle. Also, over-the-counter medications help reduce pain, tenderness, and swelling. There are many topical gels that help to reduce tenderness and pain. Besides, physical therapy can help improve things depending on your condition.
In case of surgery is necessary, such as ankle fractures. Sometimes, a painful condition such as flat foot does not require urgent surgery but may be the best option in cases where conservative treatments do not help. In such instances, the decision to undergo surgery is your personal choice which you can make after considering the merits and demerits.
Medomand provides all kinds of pain killers, reminders for taking them, and options for an automatic prescription refill, helping you with medication adherence.
Disclaimer:
The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be relied upon for any diagnostic or medical purpose or the treatment of any symptom or condition.