Foot & Ankle Pain

Ankle and foot pain are very common complaints amongst both sporting and non-sporting populations. In sports, the ankle is the 2nd most commonly injured body site (after the knee), and is most frequent in court and team sport games including rugby, soccer, netball and basketball. 

Ankle and foot pain can also develop as an inability for the body tissue around the ankle to cope with the applied day to day load, be it a result of inappropriate footwear, or a rapid increase in recent training or exercise patterns.

Ankle & Foot Pain can be described as:

• Insidious (comes on slowly for no “real reason”), or acute (definite injury mechanism),
• A localised sharp pain or a general, dull ache,
• An intermittent or constant pain,
• Pain when you get up to start walking that settles within a few steps or minutes, or pain that
• Feels more comfortable in certain footwear.

Acute Ankle & foot injuries with a definite injury mechanism often report:

• An incidence of rolling the ankle
• Hearing a pop or a crack
• Localised swelling & tenderness
• Bruising outside and in
• An inability to walk normally, or limp.

Peak physios are experts in assessing and treating acute and chronic foot and ankle pain. It is therefore very important to seek an individualised exam from a good physio to determine the exact cause of your pain and ensure that the appropriate course of treatment is commenced immediately. 

Whilst it is very common to hear: ‘it’s just an ankle sprain, you’ll be right’, minor ankle sprains that are mismanaged in the early stages of rehab will often have problems down the track. Just when you think that you should be right to run, your ankle continues to swell at the end of each day – and you can not run.

The correct, early treatment is key to a smooth recovery in all grades of ankle sprains!

With 26 bones, 33 joints and more than 100 muscles, tendons, and ligaments, the human foot and ankle is a robust and complex mechanical structure. We at Peak are experts in assessing and treating your foot and ankle, no matter the cause or how complex your history is.

At Peak, you can rest assured that you will receive:

• A thorough examination & accurate diagnosis,
• The right treatment applied sooner,
• Do you need:
  • Anti-inflammatory advice
  • Range of motion exercises
  • Strength work
  • Proprioceptive exercises
  • Strapping or bracing
  • Return to sport and running programs?
• The best treatment plan to enable you to get back on your feet, doing what you love to do – sooner!
• The appropriate strategies to prevent your pain from reoccurring.