Are Your Shoes to Blame for Your Ankle Pain? : Somers Orthopaedic Surgery & Sports Medicine Group: Orthopaedic Surgery

Are Your Shoes to Blame for Your Ankle Pain? : Somers Orthopaedic Surgery & Sports Medicine Group: Orthopaedic Surgery

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Sometimes, your ankle pain is the result of a sudden injury or an underlying disease and is totally out of your control. Other times, the choice you make on footwear is to blame. 

Here, our team of experts at Somers Orthopaedic Surgery & Sports Medicine Group exposes some of the worst shoe slip-ups that are likely behind your ankle pain.

A closer look at your ankle

It might seem like a small, insignificant part of your body, but there’s actually a lot riding on your ankle. Your ankle is the meeting spot for three large, important bones: the tibia and fibula (your shin bones) and the talus, which is the foot bone that sits just above your heel.  

Your ankle is responsible for allowing your foot to move up, down, and to the side. There’s also a complex network of ligaments (tough bands of tissue that connect bones to each other) and tendons that surround your ankle and hold your lower leg and foot together. 

In short, your ankle has a big job to do every day, and, unfortunately, it’s one of the most vulnerable parts of your body — even the wrong shoes can have a huge impact. 

How your shoes are causing ankle pain

Whether you’re an avid runner or you just enjoy being able to get around easily, your ankle is a crucial part of your anatomy — and you should find the shoes that support them as such. If you identify with any of the following footwear issues, it’s time to invest in a new pair.

Your shoes don’t fit

Both too tight and too big are big no-nos when it comes to buying shoes. Ill-fitting shoes don’t offer the support your ankle needs. They can even change the way you walk, decrease performance during activity, and increase your chances of falling and twisting your ankle

Your shoes are old

Did you know that it only takes between a few months to a year for shoes to wear out? You might love that pair of trusty sneakers or those sandals that you think are still in style, but they’ve long outlived their prime and may be putting your ankles in danger.  

Your shoes are flat

Arch support is paramount when it comes to supporting not just your foot and ankle, but your legs, knees, and hips. If your shoes have a lower arch (or no arch at all), your ankle turns inward, throwing off the distribution of weight and causing ankle pain.

Your shoes aren’t right for the job

We always encourage our patients to match their shoes with their activity. You might be dealing with ankle pain if you go for a mile-long walk in flimsy sandals or spend long periods of time on your feet wearing high heels. Do your best to fill your closet with a variety of (supportive) shoes, and choose your footwear according to what you’re doing. 

You aren’t wearing shoes

It can be tempting to kick off your shoes at the end of the day and go barefoot, but sometimes, that can be the worst thing for your ankles. Standing and walking barefoot on hard surfaces can put an inordinate amount of stress on the structure in your feet and cause pain.  

We can help you pick a pair of supportive slippers or indoor sandals to wear around the house and give your ankles the support they need.

You’re not wearing your supports

Your shoes might be fine, but if you’ve been told to wear a brace or use orthotics, and you aren’t adhering to your support plan, your ankles could be paying the price. 

Treatment for your ankle pain

Often, you can deal with ankle pain symptoms conservatively by using the RICE (rest, ice, compression, and elevation) method. We can also help you relieve your pain by guiding you through some simple footwear adjustments that will support your ankles and the rest of your body. 

If your ankle pain is chronic or doesn’t respond to conservative measures we have comprehensive treatments, including:

• Anti-inflammatory medication
• Braces
• Physical therapy
• Steroid injections
• Regenerative medicine

In the most severe cases of connective tissue damage and arthritis, we may recommend surgery.  

If you have more questions about how to resolve your ankle pain, or if you want guidance on footwear, don’t hesitate to request an appointment online or over the phone today. We’re conveniently located in Mount Kisco, Carmel, Newburgh, and Fishkill, New York, and Danbury, Connecticut.

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Foot or Ankle Pain? It Might Be Your Athletic Shoes

As an orthopaedic surgeon who sub-specializes in the lower extremity, and in foot and ankle reconstruction, I would like to point out a trend that has been affecting my patients.  More and more, athletic shoes are being made to correct, treat, or minimize a possible problem in the person purchasing the shoes.

What is this potential problem that you have?

I really don’t think that your mall shoe clerk has any idea.

Good quality athletic shoes have always had inserts with some amount of arch support, cushioning, or forefoot support depending on whether or not it is a running shoe, a cross trainer or a walking shoe. But in recent years athletic shoe makers have gone beyond mere support; they have made changes that ultimately shift the alignment of the wearer’s foot and ankle.

Don’t get me wrong! People absolutely have problems with alignment in their lower extremities. It may just be helpful to understand YOUR alignment PRIOR to purchasing athletic shoes that are supposed to help avoid “pronation” and other presumed problems.

The Problem

A few years ago, an increasing number of patients started presenting for lateral (outside border) foot, ankle and/or leg with activity.  These patients had no obvious reason for the pain, that is, no trauma and no high arched alignment, but would present with bone or tendon pain along the lateral border of the foot and ankle.  One day I noticed that someone without a flat, pronated foot was wearing athletic shoes that were significantly built up (posted) and flared on the inside (medial) sole of the shoe, and upon querying how the foot felt in the shoe, it became apparent that the pain started with use of the shoe.

My patient shared that they were told that if they run, they need to wear these types of shoes to avoid pronation and pain while running.

I was surprised because that patient did not have any baseline pronation or  valgus whatsoever.  And in fact, by wearing a significantly medially posted shoe, the goal of which is to rotate a the heel inward so that less pressure is placed in the arch, that person, who was otherwise neutral, with a heel already slightly turned inward, was now tilted so far that they were placing significantly more weight on the outside border of the foot, overloading the lateral foot and ankle. The shoe was actually causing the lateral, or outside, foot and ankle pain.

I educated the patient about shoe shape, and by eliminating a medially posted shoe, the pain resolved.  But this pattern repeated itself over and over.  And In some situations, patients with a significant high arch, who would already put more weight on the outside of the ankle and foot were sold shoes with medial posting and flaring that had the net effect shifting their weight even more to the lateral (outside border) of the ankle to the point of increased ankle sprains, stress injuries, and tendon tears.  

The build up the medial side of the heel and foot, which tilts the heel inward and elevates the arch so that the wearer will “pronate” less and thereby have less arch pain, less fatigue, and less strain inside of the ankle and foot is certainly a well-intentioned adjustment… But not all individuals are made the same.  And ultimately changing alignment is not the same as supporting the arch.

Many of these shoes are sold or bought with the assumption that most people will “pronate” abnormally and that almost all runners have a flat foot.  But an unknowledgeable person selling the shoe, is actually not aware of the wearer’s alignment, or the consequences of vigorously shifting that alignment.  And the problem stays not just in the foot and ankle… Often the problem presents as lateral knee pain or hip pain.

Thus, I began the practice of paying attention to a patient’s athletic shoes.  Many times, I advise them to get rid of certain shoes, and would then educate them on shoe posting.   This is even more important in those who then place corrective orthotics in their athletic shoes.

What This Means for You

There are legitimate reasons for strategically placing support in athletic shoes that are being used for certain activities such as tennis, basketball, and, yes, running.  But ubiquitously selling shoes adjusted in one plane for almost all persons engaging in running, walking or simply working out for exercise, is problematic.  And there is a difference between supporting the arch, and tilting one’s alignment.  Some shoes are sports specific, and well-placed support in certain locations is of benefit.  Specialty  stores, more often than not, will be more judicious about appropriately fitting shoes.

If you are experiencing foot or ankle pain with activity, inspect your shoes. It is possible that the shoe is inappropriately adjusting alignment, and may be at odds with your physiology.

If you are purchasing athletic shoes, I recommend walking in with the answers to these questions:

• What is your alignment? Do you have a flat foot? Do you have a high arch?  Or do you fall in-between?
• For what activity is the shoe being used?
• Will corrective orthotics be placed in the shoe?

Only invest when you are certain that your shoes will help you maintain your activity pain-free.

Ankle pain – General information, Causes. Tomsk

Ankle is a bone lump with a protrusion on the sides of the leg, articulation of the leg bones with the foot bones (the process of the tibia). Through this articulation of the bones, the weight of a person is transferred to the foot; The ankle plays an important role in human walking.

The ankles form the ankle joint. The lateral malleolus arises from the lower epiphysis of the fibula, and the medial malleolus arises from the lower epiphysis tibia. One of the most common ankle injuries is a torn or sprained ankle ligament.

The ankle is a bone tissue in the lower leg that is part of the ankle joint. The main function of the ankle is to transfer weight from foot to foot and shock absorption. Ankle is injured , mainly while playing sports. In everyday life, the ankle may also be subject to various pathological changes.

Main causes of ankle pain

The most common ankle injury occurs when the foot turns outward. With this rotation, excessive load puts pressure on the supporting ligaments, which leads to their stretching. A muscle tear or a bone fracture may also occur. With any of these injuries, there is significant swelling , changes in the color of the surrounding tissues, loss of mobility, and severe pain in the ankles.

Excruciating pain in the ankle can occur not only with sudden rotational movements. The cause of them may be excessive loads of a different kind. With too long walking, standing in one position, ascents and rapid descents, tendonitis . This is an inflammation of the tendons that connect the muscles of the legs to the ankles and bones of the foot. One such tendon is the Achilles tendon. It rises from the heel along the back of the ankle.

The Achilles tendon is often stretched or torn, especially if it loses elasticity. Bursitis can also develop from overuse. Bursitis is pain associated with inflammation of the ankle bursa (a fluid-filled pouch on the back of the heel that acts as a protective pad). Ankle pain can also cause the following problems:

• Ankle fractures. Intense sports, such as basketball or aerobics, can cause a fracture, a crack. Most often, fractures of this kind are visible on an x-ray no earlier than 6 weeks after the injury.

• Incorrectly fitting shoes, lack of arch supports can cause pain in the ankles when turning the foot or walking on a hard surface. Shoes that are not durable or not designed for specific activities also cause undue stress on the ligaments.

• A number of disorders can cause ankle pain, such as gout. They are of a twitchy nature. There is swelling of the joints due to the deposition of uric acid crystals in them.

• Other factors that aggravate ankle pain are bone spurs, avulsion of small pieces of bone or interarticular cartilage, rheumatoid arthritis, circulatory disorders, and nerve damage.

Ankle pain due to a fracture

One of the most common ankle injuries is a fracture. This injury occurs during overload, which violate the tensile strength of bone tissue and ligaments. Ankle pain may be due to:

• foot twists;

• intense flexion or extension of the joint;

• articular torsion;

• hits.

All of these conditions can occur during sports, slipping on ice, during high jumps, in a traffic accident, and other cases. Pain in the ankle with a fracture of the ankle is accompanied by:

In case of a fracture and pain in the ankle, it is important to immediately provide an ambulance medical assistance . Before the arrival of the medical team, it is necessary to ensure complete rest for the leg, its immobility. You need to do this by placing your foot on the dais. This will help relieve puffiness. In place of acute pain, it is necessary to put dry cold (a bottle of water, an ice pack) for no more than twenty minutes.

Ankle pain with sprain

Ankle sprain is more common than a fracture and may be accompanied by ankle pain. Stretching occurs in varying degrees:

• the first degree of sprain is accompanied by mild pain in the ankle, a small swelling, without limiting the mobility of the joint;

• the second degree is accompanied by more pronounced swelling, subcutaneous hemorrhage at the site of the lesion, pain during walking, and some pathological joint mobility;

• third degree sprain is characterized by edema, extensive hematoma, instability of the ankle joint, lack of resistance during stress tests, inability to move.

It is important to remember that in case of sprain of any degree of severity, it is strictly forbidden to massage and rub the sore spot, take hot baths. All this can provoke severe swelling and the development of the inflammatory process.

The second and third degree sprains require immediate medical attention. In any case, the leg needs complete rest and immobility, the use of a dry cold compress, an elevated state of the leg, the use of painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs.

Treatment and prevention

Ankle pain can occur with rheumatoid arthritis , as well as arthrosis, tendinitis (inflammation and degeneration of tendon tissue). In any case, if you experience ankle pain, you should consult a doctor. Self-treatment of the above diseases can lead to irreversible processes, and in the end by gangrene and limb amputation.

The doctor, first of all, will establish the cause of the pain, identify the inflammatory process, and prescribe an adequate treatment that will help get rid of all pain symptoms. The best prevention of ankle pain can be an active and mobile lifestyle, but without physical overload.

Pain in the ankle joints: causes and treatment

Symptoms of pain in the foot and ankle

Pain can be felt in the foot from the toes to the heels, as well as in the ankle joint.

An ankle sprain and injury to the toe joints cause swelling, pain and stiffness.

Injury to the foot may cause redness or bruising at the site of injury, and the affected area may be painful to the touch.

Swelling and pain limit ankle mobility; it hurts to step on the foot when walking.

How does foot and ankle pain affect us?

Most people have experienced foot or ankle pain at some point. At the same time, it becomes more difficult for us to lead a normal life – walking the dog, climbing stairs, playing sports.

Relieve pain

68% of people surveyed experienced ankle pain*

77% of people surveyed experienced foot pain*

Relieve pain

*According to data research “Global Pain Index 2018” 68% among 24,000 of respondents experienced pain in the ankle joint, 77% experienced pain in the foot

Why does foot and ankle pain occur?

Foot and ankle pain due to trauma, sprains and fractures. The heel can hurt with plantar fasciitis. With this disease, a strip of tissue along the sole of the foot is damaged. Your feet may hurt because you wear high heels, shoes that are too tight, or the wrong fit. Pain in the foot and ankle area also occurs due to sports injuries.

The heel can hurt with injuries to the Achilles (calcaneal) tendon

Limited mobility and pain in the back of the heel can be signs of an Achilles tendon injury. It connects the calf muscle to the calcaneus and is damaged by too much stress and repeated microtraumas. The Achilles tendon works when a person walks, runs, jumps and stands on tiptoe, so it is often injured during sports.

Ankle sprain pain

Ligament injury is the main cause of ankle pain. When this occurs, stretching, twisting or rupture of the ligaments. The ankle swells, and it becomes painful for the person to step on the injured leg.

Treatment

Because the feet and ankles are involved in many daily activities, the pain they cause can be a real hassle.