Preventive Steps for Chronic Lateral Ankle Pain

Have you been experiencing pain in your ankle for a long time? If you answered yes, then you may be experiencing chronic pain. The difference between acute and chronic pain is the amount of time you have been experiencing pain. It can vary, but in general pain that has gone on for over six months is chronic pain. Chronic lateral ankle pain is chronic pain on the outside of your ankle and occurs from an injury. Symptoms for chronic lateral ankle pain includes instability, pain on the outside of the ankle, recurring ankle sprains, tightening of the muscles, swelling, tenderness and difficulty walking on uneven surfaces.

However, Dr. Bowman has some tips to help prevent chronic lateral ankle pain.  They include the following:

• Watch out for ankle sprains. Ankle sprains that do not heal completely and properly is the most common cause of chronic lateral ankle pain. You can take steps to prevent an ankle sprain by wearing properly fit shoes and performing a warm-up routine before every physical activity.

• Wear the right footwear. Always try on shoes before every purchase. Your shoes need a wide toe box so your toes can move comfortably. Also, avoid shoes with elevated heels, tapered toe boxes or toe springs. Look for footwear that not only adheres to the length and width of your feet, but the exact shape.

• Workout your feet and ankles. Chronic lateral ankle pain can cause damage to your ankle’s nerves. This is present among people with diabetes. Your feet and ankles can suffer a decrease in blood flow because they are the farthest limbs from your heart. Therefore, you should conduct a series stretch and exercises specific to your feet and ankles in order to increase blood circulation.

Chronic lateral ankle pain happens with arthritis of the ankle joint, inflammation of your joint’s lining or a torn tendon. Chronic pain needs to be taken seriously, and treatment should happen immediately. If you have an ankle or foot related injury, or experiencing long term pain, contact our office at (713) 467-8886 to schedule an appointment with Dr. Jeffrey Bowman. If left untreated chronic lateral ankle pain can result in severe damage to your joints and tissues.

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronic_pain
http://www.livestrong.com/article/234542-causes-of-chronic-ankle-foot-pain/
http://www.houstonfootspecialists.com/library/1746/ChronicLateralAnklePain.html
http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=a00150
http://www.footankledc.com/medical-library/chronic-lateral-ankle-pain/

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