Right Ankle Has Extreme Pain And Weakness, When Rotating My

Posted on Wed, 16 Oct 2019

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

Wed, 16 Oct 2019 Answered on

Last reviewed on

Question : right ankle has extreme pain and weakness, when rotating my ankle you can hear and feel a popping sound as well. it has been this way for a few years now and getting steadily worse over the past 6 months with the constant pain and the spikes of pain that cause difficulty in walking for a few minutes. i do not have insurance and would like to know if this is a common simple thing many people in their mid 20's feel or if i should go in and have it looked at and be stuck with a XXXXXXX thank you!

Answered by Dr. Dr. Michelle Gibson (42 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
no, it is not common for your age group

Detailed Answer:
HI, thanks for using healthcare magic

No, constant or worsening pain in a joint is not expected at your age. It would be expected in persons in their 60's and up , possibly due to arthritis.
It can also occur if there is a previous history of severe trauma to a joint.

In cases of previous injury, residual damage may contribute to continued pain.

Pain in a joint can be due to issues with the bones, muscles or other soft tissue in an area or a combination.
Imaging of the ankle may be needed to determine which one of these structures involved.
The popping sound implies that the tendons may be involved. Tendon repair may be possible

Because x rays just show bones, your doctor may suggest more in depth imaging such as CT or MRI.

Treatment would depend on the findings but general treatment includes a lot of what you have been already doing- icing, ibuprofen or similar medications (eg naproxen or cataflam) and rest -limiting movement whenever possible

I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions

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