Ankle Physical Therapyin Philadelphia, Trenton & Surrounding Cities
Your ankle, the joint where your foot and leg meet, is an intricate network of bones, ligaments, tendons and muscles. Strong enough to bear your body weight, your ankle joint can be prone to injury and pain. Injury to any of the bones, ligaments or tendons in the ankle can cause ankle pain. Most ankle pain, however, is the result of a sprain, which occurs when your ankle rolls over your foot, causing a ligament to stretch or tear. Though sprains are often sports-related, they can also occur when you walk on an uneven surface or simply take a misstep. Common causes of ankle pain include:
- Achilles tendinitis
- Achilles tendon rupture
- Avulsion fracture
- Broken ankle/broken foot
- Gout
- Osteoarthritis
- Pseudogout
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Septic arthritis
- Sprained ankle
- Sprains and strains
Physical Therapy For Ankle
Ankle pain responds well to physical therapy treatment, no matter the cause of symptoms. Your physical therapist at Strive PT will find the root cause of your ankle pain and examine any effects of it on the rest of your leg. Our expert physical therapists will team up with you to create an exercise program and a treatment strategy that meets your goals.
Main Causes for Ankle Pain
Ankle pain has many causes and is usually from either an injury or from gradual overuse. Some ankle injuries are ankle sprains, ankle fractures, and Achilles tendon tears. Ankle sprains vary from a mild twist to a complete ligament tear. These typically occur in athletes competing in sports such as football or stepping on uneven ground. Gradual ankle pain causes include Achilles tendinopathy, plantar fasciitis, and ankle arthritis. These problems typically happen in people in the fourth and fifth decades of life or older. These conditions are great reasons to see our physical therapists to restore movement and function in your ankle.
Best Treatment For Ankle Pain
Physical therapy exercises for ankle need to be included in the treatment plan, whether you need physical therapy for sprained ankle or other conditions. Your physical therapist will design an individualized program for you, updated as you make progress. Your therapist will educate you on activities to avoid that will allow your ankle to heal. Exercises include improving ankle mobility, ankle and leg strength, and flexibility. Muscles that commonly need to be stretched are the calves, the upper thigh, and the hamstrings in the back of the leg. Improving the function of the ankle joint and surrounding muscles will help to prevent you from experiencing ankle pain again.
Find The Right Solutions For Ankle Pain
You should book an appointment at Strive PT if you have had consistent ankle pain that has not improved, even after a few days. Your physical therapist will give you strategies to improve the function of the foot and ankle with exercises, activity modification, and modalities like heat application. You will progress through your treatment most efficiently if you begin physical therapy within a couple of weeks from the start of your ankle pain.
