- Summary
- Symptoms
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Summary
Ankle pain can result from acute injuries or chronic conditions. This article is written with emphasis on the location of your pain and refers you to the specific ankle conditions that may be causing your problem.
Symptoms
- Symptoms of ankle pain vary based upon the specific condition or injury.
Description
The ankle is a marvel in engineering. The ankle, no bigger than a walnut, is able to support us and carry us over variations in surfaces (bumpy, uneven, slope, etc) and keep us erect for extended periods of time. The bones of the ankle include the talus, tibia, and fibula. These three bones work together to give us the range of motion unique to homo sapiens - upright ambulation. The range of motion of the ankle is unique in that the axis of rotation changes with motion, creating a conical axis and not a fixed axis. The majority of range of motion is within the sagital plane, with the toe moving towards or away from the shin.
Medial ankle pain
Ankle and subtalar joint arthritis
Ankle fracture
Posterior tibial tendon dysfunction - Pain and loss of arch height.
Tarsal tunnel syndrome - Nerve entrapment leading to medial ankle pain.
Lateral ankle pain
Ankle sprains - Traumatic injury to the ankle. Most commonly found to occur on the lateral ankle.
Ankle fracture
Peroneal tendon rupture - Common reason for chronic pain in the lateral ankle.
Peroneal tendon subluxation - Snapping and pain on the lateral ankle.
Peroneal tendonitis - Chronic pain of the lateral ankle, especially at the start of activities.
Sinus tarsitis - Pain deep within the subtalar joint.
Posterior ankle pain
Ankle fracture
Flexor digitorum tendonitis or tear
Posterior tibal tendon dysfunction
Shepard's fracture
Global ankle pain
Ankle fracture
Anterior inpingement syndrome
Arthritis of the ankle or subtalar joint
Gout - Although more common in the forefoot, gout should be considered as a differential diagnosis in treating ankle pain.
Equinus - Tightness of the calf can have a significant role in ankle pain.
Sinus tarsi syndrome (sinus tarsitis) - Diffuse deep ankle pain with activity.
Talar dome fractures - A common and sometimes complicated type of fracture.
Causes and contributing factors
Acute and chronic ankle pain can be due to a number of different contributing factors including trauma, overuse, biomechanical dysfunction of the ankle or metabolic disease. Please refer to individual conditions for more information.
Treatment
Treatment of ankle pain is condition specific. Please refer to individual conditions for treatment.
When to contact your doctor
Ankle pain that does not respond to conservative care within a week should be evaluated by your doctor. Be sure to follow-up with your podiatrist or orthopedist for additional treatment recommendations.
Author(s) and date
This article was written by Myfootshop.com medical advisor Jeffrey A. Oster, DPM.
Competing Interests - None
Cite this article as - Oster, Jeffrey. Ankle Pain. https://www.myfootshop.com/article/ankle-pain
Most recent article update - February 23, 2023.
Ankle Pain by Myfootshop.com>/span> is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.
