Ankle Pain

Although ankle joints are substantially smaller than joints like your knees and hips, they withstand your whole body weight and experience a high level of impact daily. If you’re struggling with ankle pain, you may suffer from a low or high ankle sprain, an injury, arthritis, or ligament and tendon issues. Fortunately, Kaveh Panahi, DPM, at Acacia Foot and Ankle Surgeons, offers expert ankle pain care for patients of all ages in Peoria and Phoenix, Arizona. 

What are the causes of ankle pain?

Common causes of ankle pain include

• Sprains

• Fractures and injuries 

• Broken bones

• Damage or swelling of tendons or cartilage 

• Soft tissue inflammation 

• Scar tissue formation

• Infection in the ankle joint

• Osteoarthritis

• Gout

• Rheumatoid arthritis

• Tendinitis around the ankle joint

• Nerve injuries 

Reach out for an appointment if you have severe ankle pain or swelling, you suspect a broken bone, you can hear a popping sound and feel immediate pain in your joint, or if you’re having trouble moving your ankle back and forth. 

What types of sprains cause ankle pain?

Low ankle sprains occur when your ankle joint rolls inward, which can stretch one or two of your ligaments beyond their limits. This can often result in a partial or complete rupture and create an unstable ankle joint.

A high ankle sprain happens when you twist your ankle joint side to side, stretching two of your ligaments beyond their limits, resulting in a partial or complete rupture. This creates instability in your ankle joint at a higher point — between the two long bones of your leg.

It’s crucial to treat these injuries immediately in order to avoid scar tissue formation, instability,  and chronic pain. 

What are the Ankle Pain Treatment Options? 

At Acacia Foot and Ankle Surgeons we are passionate about treating urgent ankle injuries and can potentially see you for a same-day appointment.

Depending on the location of your pain and the type of injury you’ve sustained, Dr. Panahi may order imaging tests, such as in-office X-ray or Ultrasound, or may order computed tomography (CT), or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan if better visualizaiton is needed.

Your initial treatment plan may include

• Rest 

• Ice and elevation (to reduce swelling)

• Compression 

• Over-the-counter or prescription medication

• Orthotic inserts

• Steroid injections 

• Braces and splints

• Joint aspirations 

• Physical therapy 

If you have chronic ankle instability with recurrent sprains, Dr. Panahi may recommend surgery. Surgery may include the use of minimally invasive techniques that ensure a faster and smoother recovery.

Surgical Treatments

At Acacia Foot and Ankle Surgeons we offer arthroscopic procedures, allowing Dr. Panahi to see inside your joint without making a large incision. He may also directly repair your damaged ligament utilizing small medical anchors.  Anchors are typically absorbable and provide greater strength than a normal ligament. 

To learn more about innovative ankle pain treatment, call Acacia Foot and Ankle Surgeons today at 623.439.2200 or use the online scheduling tool. 

Read More About Impact of Lateral Ankle Instability and Ligament Damage.