How To Get Rid Of Ankle Pain?

Posted on Wed, 4 Dec 2013

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Wed, 4 Dec 2013 Answered on

Thu, 26 Dec 2013 Last reviewed on

Question : Dear Doctor, Every Morning I have pain in the portion which joins the feet to the leg and sometimes the leg pain stretches to the whole day and rarely but I have to take pain killers and usually use crepe bandage to subsidise the pain. Please advice

Answered by Dr. Saurabh Gupta (37 minutes later)

Brief Answer: Seems to be plantar fasciitis. Detailed Answer: Hello XXXX, Thanks for your query. From your symptoms, it seems that you are suffering from plantar fasciitis. It happens due to inflammation of the plantar fascia. It hurts the most with the first few steps in the morning because the plantar fascia is tight and has not stretched out yet, and throughout the day it loosens up. The best thing you can do is when you wake up in the morning, before getting out of bed and taking a step, give yourself a little foot rub. There are many things you can try to help your foot get better: Give your feet a rest. Cut back on activities that make your feet hurt. Try not to walk or run on hard surfaces. Do toe stretches, calf stretches and towel stretches several times a day, especially when you first get up in the morning. To help the pain, ice the area immediately after getting up in the morning. You can use either a store-bought cold pack or a frozen wet towel. Ice for 10 or 15 minutes. To reduce inflammation, take an aspirin or ibuprofen at mealtime. A 4-inch wide Crepe bandage wrapped around the region also helps reduce discomfort. Use shoes with good arch support and a cushioned sole. Consider using soft silicone heel cushions for preventing any further damage to fascia. If the pain is not responding to these modalities even after 6 weeks, a local steroid injection at the site might be helpful in relieving the pain. I do hope that you have found something helpful and I will be glad to answer any further query. Take care

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Shanthi.E

Follow up: Dr. Saurabh Gupta (3 hours later)

Dear Doctor .. Thank you for your suggestions but as mentioned by you fascia occurs on the sole of the feet (Heel Pain) most commonly known. The area of pain which I experience is on the front side of the leg ,the joint between main leg and feet ,[front side of the area near the ankle ] OR inferior extensior retinacullum ( please ignore if its incorrect since I googled and the muscle name was as mentioned). I had consulted few orthos before as well ,but one had suggested its a B-complex or vitamins deficiency issue.Which even after having a regular dose did not help. Please let me know what can be done for this ? Regards, XXXX

Answered by Dr. Saurabh Gupta (23 hours later)

Brief Answer: Not related to vitamin deficiency. Detailed Answer: Hi XXXX, Thanks for your query again. If the pain is in front side near the ankle, there could be possibility of extensor tendonitis . These pain not seems to be related to B-complex or vitamins deficiency. One of the best ways to prevent tendonitis is to do foot- and ankle-stretching exercises before activity. When tendonitis symptoms occur, the first thing to do is R.I.C.E, which stands for rest, ice, compression and elevation. Decrease activity as much as possible and apply ice or cold compresses for 20 minutes at a time. Anti-inflammatory medicines such as ibuprofen can also be taken to help decrease pain and inflammation. Hope this helps you. Warm regards.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar