ankle pain strain sprain osteoarthritis morton's neuroma tendinopathy tedonitis achilles plantar fasciitis

ANKLE/FOOT

THE FOOT AND ANKLE ARE IMPORTANT JOINTS THAT TAKE THE FULL WEIGHT OF OUR BODIES ON A DAILY BASIS AND PROVIDE SUPPORT AND STABILITY FOR OUR BODIES WHEN WE ARE ACTIVE.

An injury to the foot or ankle can cause debilitating pain and impact on your ability to exercise or even walk. This inability to walk effectively can have an effect on other areas of your body, such as your knees, hips and lumbar spine. At OrthoRegen®, we can diagnose the exact cause of your foot and ankle pain and treat the areas with our minimally invasive, regenerative medicine treatments.

SYMPTOMS OF ANKLE AND FOOT PAIN

Consisting of many bones, tendons, ligaments and muscles, the foot and ankle are complex regions of the body that support our weight and enable movement. Symptoms of foot and ankle dysfunction are related to the underlying structure that is injured or diseased.

Pain and discomfort involving one or more structures

Reduced range of motion

Swelling

Stiffness

Pain that improves with activity

Instability and “giving way”

DIAGNOSING YOUR ANKLE AND FOOT PAIN

It is important to consider other regions of the body when diagnosing the underlying cause of your foot and ankle problem e.g. knee, hip, lumbar spine. Some of the most common issues we see are listed below:

OSTEOARTHRITIS

Osteoarthritis is caused by the deterioration of joints over time. It is a complex disease which is not only related to “wear and tear”, but involves the whole joint including cartilage, ligaments, muscles and nerves. Ir can begin with instability of the joint due to an injury to the supporting structures, such as ligaments. Symptoms of osteoarthritis can be swelling, discomfort and pain on walking, stiffness and reduced range of motion.

BURSITIS

Bursas are fluid filled spaces found around joints. These bursas can become inflamed, usually as a symptom of an underlying issue of the joint or nerves. When inflamed they do not provide the “cushioning” to the foot and ankle leading to pain, stiffness and swelling.

SPRAINED ANKLE

This occurs when the ankle ligaments are stretched or torn, usually due to a rolling in or out of the ankle joint. Ankle sprains are usually always associated with broken or fractures ankle bones. Ankle sprains can lead to osteoarthritis and other foot and ankle problems over time due to the weakness of the injured ligaments causing instability. Treatment aims to strengthen these ligaments and promote healing and stronger ligament tissue.

ACHILLES TENDONITIS

Achilles tendinitis is actually not an “inflammatory” condition, but more of a repetitive, overuse injury causing degenerative Achilles tendon tissue. As our bodies try to heal the repeated “micro-tears” of the Achilles tendon, it lays down collagen which is inferior in strength and function. The disordered collagen can cause swelling, pain and reduced range of motion of the ankle joint. This is a chronic condition that needs long term treatment.

PLANTAR FASCIITIS

Plantar fasciitis is the most common cause for heel pain. The pain is usually worse in the morning, when you first stand up and improves throughout the day. Once again, this is not an “inflammatory” condition, but rather a chronic degenerative change which needs to be treated with regenerative therapies rather than “anti-inflammatory” medication or injections.

TREATING YOUR ANKLE AND FOOT PAIN

Our main focus is utilising our treatments and rehabilitation programs towards healing the root cause of your injury or condition without the need for surgery. We apply the most up-to-date cutting-edge and innovative therapies to relieve your pain and promote improved function and healing. Our precise, image guided injection treatments together with our non-surgical techniques will focus on treating the underlying cause of your condition.

We don’t believe in a quick fix, one-size fits all approach. Instead, we treat all the structures involved in your condition and enjoy working with our patients to achieve the best outcomes to help them return to normal function and a healthier lifestyle as quickly as possible.