How Physical Therapy Can Help Relieve Ankle Pain

Hearing that sharp stinging sensation in your ankle when you roll it out of bed is no fun. The next few hours of limping around and trying to figure out what hurts or doesn’t hurt even less. But that dull ache can turn into an all-encompassing pain that infiltrates your entire life, from a walk around the block to playing with your grandkids to your favorite sport.

Living in pain is miserable and over time, it can feel like it’s just a fact of life. But there are solutions. You don’t have to live with ankle pain. In fact, with a little bit of help from physical therapy for ankle pain, you can get back to your normal activities.

Our guide covers everything from why ankle pain happens to the science of how the ankle works, and how an ankle injury treatment program can get you back to doing the things you love.

The Anatomy of an Ankle: Why Is It So Susceptible?

Your ankle isn’t just a hinge in your lower body - it’s a complex joint composed of many bones, ligaments, and tendons. Bones like the tibia and fibula on the sides of your lower leg and talus in the middle give the joint its basic structure. Ligaments cross the ankle joint to add stability and resistance to certain forces, while tendons provide its power and movement. The ankle absorbs a ton of force and weight from the rest of the body, all without the bony protection most joints have. The ankle is a sophisticated shock absorber, thanks to all that soft tissue that makes it so prone to injury.

The Science Behind “Rolling” Your Ankle

Rolling your ankle (also called inversion sprains) is one of the most common injuries to the joint. This is because it typically takes very little force to roll the foot inward or outward. The ligaments on the outside of the ankle, which are typically weaker, can be easily stretched by the ground underneath shifting under your weight. Your risk of rolling your ankle increases when you step off of curbs or even uneven terrain. Neglecting an ankle roll injury can increase your risk of long term ankle instability and pain, which is why physical therapy for ankle pain is important in these cases to treat not only your pain but to help avoid future injury.

3 Phases of Ankle Pain Recovery with Physical Therapy

You may be surprised to learn there is a science behind what actually happens during physical therapy for your ankle pain. At Summit Physical Therapy, we have broken up treatment of ankle pain into three phases to make sure recovery is happening at the correct rate.

Phase 1: Pain and Inflammation Control

The first step in the recovery process is getting the pain and inflammation under control. Ice, heat, and manual therapy can all help reduce inflammation and the body’s natural response to injury in the first few days after an ankle sprain. Setting up the proper environment for healing is where true recovery begins.

Phase 2: Regaining Range of Motion

Next comes getting the ankle back to normal movement. The stiffness that usually accompanies an ankle injury can actually set in even after the pain is mostly gone. Targeted stretching and mobilization techniques not only address these restrictions and keep you from overcompensating in other areas of the joint, but complete range of motion is a non-negotiable for ankle injury recovery.

Phase 3: Strengthening

Strengthening the smaller stabilizer muscles in and around the ankle such as the peroneals is the final step in physical therapy for ankle pain. This not only helps to promote long-term ankle stability and prevent reinjury, but it’s also the main step in developing a strong and natural brace around the ankle. Recovery is a process that shouldn’t be rushed, this is where the long-term magic happens!

Targeted Treatment Techniques for Ankle Pain Relief

Patients at Summit Physical Therapy frequently ask, “What happens during a physical therapy session?” Two of the most common treatment techniques for helping ankles recover are:

Balance Training (Proprioception)

The communication between your brain and your ankle (proprioception) can be thrown off after an ankle injury. This puts you at an increased risk for rolling it again. Physical therapy for ankle pain can include exercises such as standing on foam pads, balance boards, or even wobble boards to re-train your brain to react more quickly to unstable ground.

Manual Mobilization

Stretching exercises are usually the first step in improving ankle mobility, but sometimes that’s not enough. Manual mobilization involves the therapist applying gentle, rhythmic movements to the ankle joint to glide the ankle bones back into place, which can improve mobility and also provide instant relief.

When to See a Doctor for Ankle Pain

For the most part, a little bit of rest and some home treatment methods can help with most minor, day-to-day aches and pains. But when you have a more serious injury or the pain is not resolving after a few days to a week, it’s important to know when to make that doctor’s visit. If any of the following situations are present, then it is best to seek medical care as soon as possible:

Inability to Put Weight on the Injured Leg

If you are unable to take 4 steps, then a fracture may be present.

Extreme Swelling and Bruising

If your ankle has ballooned in size or is turning deep purple within minutes of the injury, then there is a significant amount of tissue damage.

Audible Popping Sound

A loud pop or snap at the time of injury could indicate a ligament rupture.

Bone Misalignment

If the bones are visibly not in the correct place, then it’s time to go to the ER.

If you are not experiencing these red flag symptoms and are struggling with nagging ankle pain or stiffness, that is the perfect time to schedule an appointment for physical therapy for ankle pain.

The Summit Physical Therapy Difference in Merrick, NY

What makes Summit Physical Therapy in Merrick, NY different? Unlike other physical therapy clinics that make most patients fit into a cookie-cutter plan, with a basic home exercise sheet, the treatment you receive at Summit Physical Therapy is completely individualized to your needs and circumstances.

Your ankle pain does not occur in a vacuum. Is an avid runner looking to get back to marathons? A grandma who just wants to chase her grandkids without pain? Or a construction worker that has to navigate uneven job sites safely?

The physical therapy for ankle pain at Summit Physical Therapy is different because it’s all tailored to each individual’s goals. Treatments at Summit Physical Therapy are focused on helping the patient, not just the ankle. Time is taken to understand the patient’s daily activities and needs, which allows for these challenges to be recreated at the clinic. By the end of the program, patients feel pain-free and confident in their ankle function.

Conclusion: Strong Ankles Mean a Strong Foundation

Your ankles are the foundation of your entire body. When ankles are weak or painful, the rest of the structure is compromised. But when they are strong, mobile, and stable, you can live your life to the fullest.

Don’t let a stiff or sore ankle stop you from doing what you want to do. You don’t have to settle for a limited range of motion and mobility just because it comes with aging, or because “that’s just how it is.” You can get back to the activities you love, it just takes a little guidance and some hard work.

Strong ankles make a strong foundation for everything else you build upon.

Also Read:

• Common Causes of Ankle Pain and When to Seek Treatment
• Ankle Exercises After Surgery
• Role of Manual Therapy in Ankle Pain Treatment
• Tendon Repairs of the Foot & Ankle in Merrick, NY

Ready to Get Back on Your Feet?

Are you ready to stop watching life from the sidelines or waiting for that first step out of bed each morning? Don’t wait for it to go away, because the odds are it won’t without proper care.

Call 516-867-0500 and schedule an evaluation for ankle pain treatment today.