Top Of Foot Pain? Recurring Ankle Sprains?
Foot and ankle pain is a broad description for several possible causes. Most people have sprained their ankle before. They typically have pain, bruising, and swelling for an amount of time before they feel better. On the other hand, most people have heard of something like plantar fasciitis but have never actually experienced it for themselves. They present to our clinic with a self made diagnosis that is way off! The moral of the story is that the foot and ankle are extremely important to our function as human beings. Due to their weight bearing nature, they are quite often involved in not only pain in the region but pain elsewhere. Like other areas of the body, in order to properly treat foot and ankle pain we must expand our focus to include the structures higher up. Evaluation of footwear, exercise habits, and indirect causes like vascular issues must also be considered. The following are some common diagnoses involving the foot and ankle:
Why do I keep spraining my ankles?
For people that have had ongoing ankle issues, the struggle is real! An ankle sprain is one of, if not, the most common of sports injuries. What makes matters worse is that they tend to happen over and over again. When dealing with a chronic sprained ankle, we find that there is a disconnect between the neurological system and the lower extremity. In other words, your brain is not quick enough to stabilize which results in a sprained ankle and subsequent foot and ankle pain. Rehabbing an ankle will involving treatment to the area. However, the most important factor is incorporating stability training to challenge the neurological system. This may include balancing activities as well as re-direction activities. In addition, strengthening of the core and hips is vital to improved function in the lower body.
Exercise to Prevent Ankle Sprains
What does it feel like to have plantar fasciitis?
How Can We Help?
Proper treatment for foot and ankle pain consists of a combination of joint manipulation, manual therapy, and rehab. Chiropractic adjustments to the foot and ankle are highly effective due to the tendency of these joints to become restricted. Soft tissue manipulation to dysfunctional and tight tissues like the calf muscles can further help improve mobility. Functional rehab addressing the deep muscles of the foot as well as the hip is crucial to allow proper loading of the foot and ankle during activities such as walking. It is very important to begin treatment and rehab after an injury quickly or else the likelihood of another injury increases greatly. Rarely does an individual only sprain their ankle once. For most, the first injury sets off a chain of recurring problems that can be hard to control. At Elite Chiropractic and Performance, treatment and rehab to the foot and ankle is commonly done whether or not foot and ankle pain are present. If you have pain in the foot or ankle, or you feel that the are could use improvement, call us for a consultation so that we can help!