Foot and ankle injuries are extremely common. They occur in both the sporting and non-sporting population. The most common ankle injury is an ankle sprain where the ligaments on the outside of the ankle become damaged often from “rolling your ankle”. Other common foot and ankle injuries include; plantar fasciitis, achilles tendinitis and ankle fractures (ORIFS) and Ankle dislocations.
Ankle pain and injury can be caused through trauma, say from a fall or sporting incident, or can be related to poor movement patterns and weaknesses (i.e poor hip and pelvic control, reduced leg strength) as well as incorrect training habits.
Physiotherapy treatment of ankle pain and injury are aimed at reducing pain and optimizing the healing process. Physiotherapy treatments such as Focused Shockwave Therapy are a great treatment for plantar fasciitis and achilles tendinitis to help stubborn tissues heal. Other physiotherapy treatments include acupuncture and soft tissue techniques which can be great at reducing pain. These treatments are then often followed by a graded progressive rehabilitation program aimed to restore movement, improve strength & balance and facilitate your return to full health or sport.
Successful long term management of these type of injuries is not just about treating the pain but identifying the movement faults contributing to why these tissues are being over loaded. Retraining these movement faults will enable the ankle to function better and tolerate more load/ stress.
Book an appointment to get your foot or ankle assessed, find out how we can help aid your recovery, move better and return to full function.