How can I relieve foot and ankle pain?

When it comes to physical pain, one of the areas in which it is most common is the ankle and foot -- especially when it concerns people who are physically active. Simply walking or running on uneven surfaces can cause your foot to twist awkwardly, causing the ligaments on the outside of your ankle to stretch or tear, thereby resulting in pain or discomfort. Not only are ankle sprains common, but research has shown that 80 percent of people who experience ankle sprains are likely to reinjure their ankle in the future.

If you are experiencing foot and ankle pain as a result of a sprain or other common foot and ankle injuries, such as plantar fasciitis or Achilles tendinopathy, then you should consider treating it with physical therapy.

Treating Your Ankle and Foot Injuries

Physical therapy can not only help to reduce the pain you are experiencing in your ankle or foot as a result of your injury, it can also help to restore any mobility you may have lost as a result of the injury as well as help your ankle or foot to heal quicker, thereby allowing you to resume your normal day-to-day physical activities, whether it's running, playing sports or even just climbing the stairs.

During treatment, the physical therapist will likely use a combination of exercises meant to restore strength in your ankle or foot and manual therapy techniques that will help to restore mobility. Short term pain and swelling will also be reduced by utilizing soft tissue and joint mobilizations. This helps to activate the muscles and restore proper joint mechanics.

The foot isn't the only part of the body that will be treated. In many cases, ankle sprains are caused by a weakness in the hip or lower back in addition to the ankle's poor stability. A good physical therapist will focus part of their treatment on these areas in order to promote improved function and thereby helping you to reduce the risk of re-injuring your foot or ankle.

Schedule Physical Therapy Today

By receiving physical therapy that targets both your ankle and foot as well as physical weaknesses in your lower back and hip, you're likely to begin recovering at a much faster rate and should see signs of improvement in as little as four weeks. If you're experiencing pain in your ankle or foot, schedule an appointment at Advanced Motion Therapeutic today.