Overview

Many patients come to us for pain relief. Treatments such as heat, ice, electric stimulation and ultrasound (modalities) can be helpful in the treatment of acutely inflamed and irritated tissues, but we believe it is more important to identify and treat the reasons why your tissues have become inflamed and irritated to begin with. For this reason, we examine the entire body to identify and treat not just the pain, but also the source of the pain.

Foot & Ankle:

The foot and ankle functions to support the body for upright posture, enable us to walk over uneven surfaces, and absorb shock from contact with the ground during walking and running. These joints act to provide the body with stability and mobility; therefore, injury to these joints can alter the mechanics of the entire body. Listed below are a few injuries that commonly occur in the foot and ankle region:

1) Ligament Sprain: Over stretching of a ligament beyond its natural length within the ankle joint. This type of injury typically occurs secondary to trauma such as a fall or “twisted” ankle

2) Osteoarthritis of the ankle: Wear and tear of the cartilage within the ankle joint leading to increased bone on bone contact that causes pain and inflammation

3) Fracture: Break in the bone that typically occurs secondary to trauma such as a fall

4) Plantar Fascitits: Pain in the heel of the foot caused by overuse of the plantar fascia

Treatment:

1. Restore foot and ankle range of motion
   
   
2. Increase strength of muscles surrounding the joint for stability
   
   
3. Improve balance and stability of foot and ankle necessary for regular or desired activities
   
   
4. Evaluation and application of orthotics and/or specific footwear needs to minimize reoccurrence of particular foot conditions
   
   
5. Prevention: Each patient is prescribed a personalized home exercise program to minimize the risk of the problem recurring.