Foot and Ankle Pain Relief

Why are feet and ankle problems so common?

Our feet bear the brunt of everything we do in our daily lives once we’re upright. They act to absorb the impact of all  the steps, stumbles and heavy jogging that occur in our busy lifestyles. In addition, we often “ask” this while wearing high heels, or other footwear with virtually no support where is needed. This can lead to a whole host of problems begin at the ankle but can result in pain at the knee, hip and in the lower back. When the foot hits the ground everything up the leg chain changes; that ‘s why it is so important to address these issues as soon as they occur.

In fact, the lower part of our body is such a complex interplay of bones, tendons and joints that it shouldn’t be a surprise when some sort of problem eventually shows up. You probably won’t be able to “outrun” some level of ankle or foot pain in your lifetime, whether you’re a sports junkie or a couch potato. Ironically, both a very active lifestyle and an extremely sedentary one can lead to foot and ankle pain, and aging is often a factor as well.

What types of conditions can be helped with physical therapy?

With the legs’ tibia and fibula bones coming together at the ankle and arching over the foot’s talus bone, problems in your feet can influence ankle pain, and vice versa — as well as put stress on your knees, and throw off hip and spine alignment. For that reason, the number of problems addressed by physical therapy relating to feet and ankles is fairly substantial. Conditions include:

• Balance and mobility issues
• Plantar fasciitis
• Achilles tendonitis
• Sprained ankles
• Collapsed arches
• Non-specific foot pain
• Arthritis of foot and ankle
• Sports injuries
• Post-surgical rehabilitation

What happens in physical therapy?

Our dedicated team of physical therapists are trained to evaluate your ankle mobility and strength as well as the biomechanics of weight bearing on the foot. We will assess your gait or walking pattern and determine where there are any “weak links” in the chain so that the entire lower limb functions properly.

Inflammation of the many joints of the ankle and foot can lead to pain and swelling. To combat this we often utilize infrared light therapy, ultrasound, electrical stimulation, ice massage, or dry needling. To address alignment or mobility issues manual therapy techniques and stretching exercises will be incorporated into your program as the pain decreases.Finally to combat instability and to improve balance reactions, strengthening and balance activities are utilized to restore a normal gait pattern on all surfaces.

Are you ready to take the “first steps” toward making the rest of those steps pain-free?

Contact us today at Bellaire, OH Center for an evaluation, so that you can begin your journey to healthy, strong feet and ankles.