Ankle Pain

Why do I have ankle pain?

Ankle pain can disrupt your life at any age. Common causes include: 

• Sprains, overstretching, or a tear in a ligament
• Tendinitis, inflammation in an ankle area tendon
• Tendon rupture
• Fracture
• Osteoarthritis, common in the ankle
• Impingement, pinching of nerves, bone, or scar tissue in the ankle

Another cause of ankle pain, sometimes overlooked, is ankle instability. With ankle instability, the ankle suddenly folds over when you’re walking or standing. It can be painful. Ankle instability usually results from a series of sprains that don’t heal fully. 

Can I treat ankle pain at home?

When your ankle hurts, you should immediately start with the RICE treatment at home. That includes:

Rest

Rest keeps you from causing more ankle damage. Avoid unnecessary activity.

Ice

Apply ice packs for 20 minutes at a time to ease pain and stop swelling.

Compression

Apply an elastic bandage around your ankle for light support.

Elevation

As you rest, elevate your ankle to your heart level.

If your ankle doesn’t feel normal again in a day or so, reach out to Advanced Regional Center for Orthopedics & Podiatry. Ankle pain always has a cause, and in many cases, it requires expert treatment. 

How do doctors treat ankle pain? 

Ankle pain has many causes, so there’s no single solution. Your provider examines your ankle and orders imaging tests, such as X-rays. They check your ankle stability and how well you can bear weight and walk. 

All of this information helps the team diagnose the cause of your ankle pain and customize a treatment plan. The first treatments are conservative and may include anti-inflammatory medication, physical therapy, and an ankle brace. 

If you have severe ankle damage, for example, a torn ligament or chronic ankle instability, you could need surgery. The expert surgeons at Advanced Regional Center for Orthopedics & Podiatry typically use minimally invasive techniques. 

For example, with ankle arthroscopy, they can examine your inner ankle and treat it at the same time. This outpatient surgery requires local anesthesia and only small incisions, so you can expect a much faster recovery than with traditional surgery.