Foot and Ankle Pain

Foot and Ankle Pain

Foot & Ankle Pain

Your ankles are part of the musculoskeletal system. They support your body’s weight and help you stand, balance and move. The flexible ankle joint allows you to point, flex, rotate and move your foot from side to side.

The lower leg bones (tibia and fibula) come together to meet the foot bone (talus) to form the ankle. Ligaments hold these bones together. 

A complex structure of tendons, muscles and other soft tissues allows the foot and ankle to move. The ankle is especially prone to injury because of this complexity.

Your feet bear weight when you’re standing and when you walk to where you need to go. Because of this, foot pain is common. Foot pain refers to any pain or discomfort in one or more parts of the foot.

Foot pain is a feeling of discomfort felt anywhere in the different parts of the foot, including the heels, toes, arch, instep, sole or ankles. With 26 bones and 33 joints, layered with an intertwining web of 126 muscles, ligaments and nerves, the foot is a complex structure. 

Common Conditions and Causes

Ankle pain can be caused by 

• Arthritis 
• Sprains of ligaments around the ankle, mainly outside and less common inside of the ankle. 
• Shin Splint
• PTTD (Tibialis posterior tendon dysfunction)
• Bursitis 

The condition of foot pain is essentially defined by its site of origin i.e. toes, forefoot and hindfoot. 

A) Toe Pain

1. Corns and Calluses:This is the thickened skin from friction or pressure. Calluses are on the balls of the feet or heels. 
2. Ingrown nails:In this condition, severe pain is felt in the toenails. 
3. Bunions and bunionettes:These are caused by wearing narrow-toed footwear. 
4. Mortons neuroma: This condition is caused by wearing tight-fitting shoes and causes sharp or burning pain in the ball of the foot. 
5. Hammertoe/Claw toe:These are the toes that curl downward into a claw-like position. 

B) Forefoot Pain

1. Metatarsalgia: This is defined as a pain in the ball of the foot and is primarily caused by ill-fitting footwear. 
2. Stress fracture: This is typically a sudden pain accompanied by an injury. 
3. Sesamoiditis: This is essentially the pain and swelling in the ball of the foot beneath the big toe. 

C) Hindfoot

1. Plantar fasciitis: This is defined by pain in the back of the arch, in front of the heel. 
2. Bursitis of the heel:Pain is felt in the centre of the heel. 
3. Haglunds deformity: The fleshy area on the back of the heel becomes painful in this condition. 
4. Achilles tendonitis: In this condition, severe pain is felt in the Achilles Tendon and the same worsens during physical activities. 

D) Arch and Back-of-the Foot Pain

1. Tarsal tunnel syndrome: Pain is felt at any of the points along the bottom of the foot, accompanied by numbness or tingling sensation. 
2. Flat feet:Pain is felt in the arch, but is normally not accompanied by any pain or discomfort. 

Treatment Options