Our ankles and feet get the most pressure on them, compared to any other area in the human body. It is the most commonly used area and it does a great job of keeping us mobile.
Did you know that if you have a weak link in your feet however that it can cause us to compensate in many different ways and it could be the cause of your chronic reoccurring pains in the various parts of your body. On the flip side of this if you suffer from re-occurring foot pain and ankle problems you are more than fully aware of how often you are using your feet, with every step that you are taking it causes you more and more pain, taking rests becomes mandatory and soon you are taking those rests all them time until you have pain that is unrelenting even when at rest.
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There are lots of tiny structure in the feet and the ankles. In this area alone there are 28 bones that make up the foot and the ankle. These bones are your tibia and fibula, phalanges, tarsals and metatarsals. Along with this there are various ligaments, muscles, tendons and a large tendon like sheath known as your plantar fascia that can cause musculoskeletal pain in the foot and the ankle. As such there are a lot of areas that can cause pain, plus it can also be referred from your spine as well. As such it is very important that if you are suffering from pain that you make an appointment to see if it can be treated.
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If you are suffering from foot and ankle pain you should seek advice and treatment if:
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You have pain that has lasted for a couple days
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You have difficulty walking or walking with a limp
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You have stiffness in the foot or ankle region
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You have pain on the under surface of the foot
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You have previous history of pain in the feet or ankles
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You have chronically reoccurring ankle sprains
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You have weakness in the feet and ankles
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You have no confidence in your ankle
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You have any trauma to the region
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You have any symptoms including but not limited to swelling, fever, weight loss, fatigue, changes in colour of the foot, changes in sensation of the foot and recurrent infections
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Prevention Of Ankle And Foot Pain
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There are a number of simple yet effective things that you can do so that you lessen your chances of getting foot pain or limit the amount of foot pain that you have.
Opening Hours:
Mon - 12pm -6pm
Tues - 8.30am - 1pm
Wed - 8.30am - 1pm
Thurs - 8.30am - 6pm
Fri: 8.30am -1pm
​​Saturday: 8am - 10pm ​
Sunday: Closed
These include:
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Making sure that you are wearing the correct foot wear
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Walking on solid ground and not uneven areas
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If you have been prescribed footwear then make sure that you are wearing them and that they are custom made for you
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If you do feel any pain then it is wise to get it seen to as soon as possible as the longer it takes to get seen to the longer it takes to get better
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Losing weight helps to take unnecessary pressure away from the foot
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Make sure that if you do have ankle and foot problems that you are getting it regularly treatment if it is a musculoskeletal condition
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If you have any of the following including but not limited to mallet toe, a bunion, calluses, foot pronation, flat feet, talipes equinovarus (clubfoot) or hammer toe, you are predisposed to foot and ankle injuries due to changes in biomechanical function. Hence you should make an appointment due to the fact that this can lead to pain in this region and throughout other areas of the body as well
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If you have diabetes mellitus, peripheral vascular disease or any inflammatory arthritide then you must get constant checks of you feet by your GP, specialist and podiatrist/chiropodist
Common Conditions Of The Ankle And Foot
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There are a number of conditions in the foot that are biomechanical in nature and are able to get some relief from chiropractic treatment and advice.
These include:
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Treatment For Ankle And Foot Conditions
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Chiropractic treatment is tailored specifically to you from the information that we get from your initial consultation’s history taking process and from the physical examination.
Some of the information that we obtain during this process includes:
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Length of time you had the injury
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How you got injured
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Where is the pain
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Previous history of ankle and foot pain
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Medical history
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Surgical history
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Severity of the injury
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How has it changed
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Injuries that you have at the same time
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How much power, movement, restriction do you have in the area
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After we have ascertained enough information from your exam and history, and have located the cause of your pain which is due to a biomechanical musculoskeletal condition we then begin treatment and our rehabilitation plan straight away.
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The first phase is the recovery phase where our aims are to reduce your pain that you have, increase the range of motion, restore strength, restore flexibility and heal the soft tissues properly. The next phase is the rehabilitative stage where we introduce proprioceptive work as well as correcting poor movement patterns and musculoskeletal compensations.