Ankle injuries and ankle pain are very common and we assess and treat a multitude of injuries and conditions related to the ankle on a weekly basis.
Common ankle conditions treated at ProMOTION Physiotherapy include:
Ankle Ligament Injury (Rolled ankle)
Most people have come really close to ‘rolling’ their ankle but somehow managed to avoid the embarrassment and pain of hitting the ground. Some people don’t avoid the roll and end up with a massive swollen, painful ankle. More often than not there is no fracture/break of the bones but there can be ligament damage.
At ProMOTION Physiotherapy we assess and treat hot, swollen painful ankles daily. We recognize when there is a risk that a fracture has occurred and refer on for appropriate imaging (e.g. XRAY).
We treat the patient to decrease the pain and stiffness and increase their ability to weight-bear and return to full function. We use our large rehabilitation / Pilates space to allow us to guide patients through gait and movement retraining, strength and joint control exercises as well as programmes to help with balance and increase the patient’s confidence to get back to whatever level of activity they wish to (e.g. hill walking, ParkRun, CrossFit).
Patients who have ‘rolled’ their ankles once have an increased risk of doing so again so a rehabilitation programme should include exercises that can be easily repeated daily long after the injury has healed and the patient has returned to all activities.
Tendon Injury – Achilles Tendinopathy
Tendon injuries often occur due to excessive load being placed upon the tendon especially if that load repeatedly is beyond the capacity of the tendon to deal with these forces. We, therefore, see patients who are either very active or are returning to activity following a period of rest experiencing tendinopathy. The latter is always hugely frustrating for patients as quite often they have just motivated themselves to get fit or get strong or lose weight and then they over-reach a little. The tendon, which gets overloaded, can then react badly and result in pain!
When the patient explains they have pain and stiffness in the Achilles tendon area in the morning then this is a hallmark of Achilles Tendinopathy. Most folk report a gradual onset of the pain that is worse at the start of activity. If there was no acute trauma or sudden explosive event then a tendinopathy rather than a tear in the tendon is likely.
At ProMOTION Physiotherapy we assess and treat hot, swollen painful Achilles Tendons daily. Getting an appropriate diagnosis early can really help get the condition under control and avoid a more prolonged rehabilitation process. Quite often the source of the issue is biomechanical and our physiotherapist can investigate whether this type of factor has had an influence on the cause of the condition e.g. weakness further up the leg – calf/hamstring/ glutes.
A bespoke/ individualized, progressive rehabilitation programme will be initiated. This is imperative to ensure optimal recovery through loading the tendon and ensuring it can withstand load e.g. walking/running/ jumping/ skipping.
Foot Pain and Physiotherapy
Plantar Fasciitis (fasciopathy)
We often hear that a patient’s foot pain is too severe for them to weight-bear first thing in the morning. Quite often this improves a little as the day goes on but it is not a nice start to the day and can be very debilitating. This can be a sign of plantar heel pain (fasciitis/fasciopathy).
At ProMOTION Physiotherapy we assess and treat hot, swollen painful heels /feet daily. The pain often comes on gradually and is located on the inside of the heel. Quite often the patient will explain they have changed footwear recently and stood for longer periods, potentially they have gained weight recently or have had a prolonged period of rest and then began to increase the volume of exercise on the area.
We have a number of treatment and rehabilitation options to help get this debilitating condition under control and then reduce its chance of recurrence.
Post – Op rehabilitation (ligament reconstruction/ Mortons Neuroma/ Achilles Tendon)
We have a good relationship with surgeons in the NHS and private sector and regularly are asked to undertake post-operative rehabilitation for issues in the foot and ankle. Recurrent bouts of ankle instability or a ruptured Achilles tendon often require surgical intervention. We have a great rehab space with suitable equipment to initiate and progress post-operative rehabilitation to quicken the patients’ recovery to full function.
Stress Fractures / Flat Feet / Biomechanical Issues/ Bone Spurs
These are all less common issues than the above issues (e.g. rolling an ankle) but we still see them regularly. We have positive results in terms of investigating the mechanism and cause of any problems and managing these concerns accordingly.
If you are in need of help or advice you can book an appointment.
