Why Does My Ankle Hurt?

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At Texas Foot Specialists we often see patients in our Sugar Land (281-242-4448), Pasadena (281-991-0600) or Houston (713-664-6677) offices with ongoing symptoms of ankle discomfort not connected to an acute ankle injury. These symptoms may include:

  • Pain

  • Stiffness

  • Swelling

  • Feelings of weakness or instability

  • Limited range of motion

If you’re suffering from a chronic ankle problem, it’s essential to get your ankle examined by our podiatrists, Dr. Bruce Miller and Dr. Gregory Mangum. The same symptoms could be caused by several different issues and an accurate diagnosis is necessary to determine the correct treatment. The foot doctor will physically examine your ankle, get the history of previous ankle injuries and treatments and may also order x-rays or other imaging studies to get a complete overview of the condition of your ankle.

Below are three potential sources of chronic ankle discomfort.

  1. Undiagnosed Fracture—The sudden wrenching of an ankle twisting injury can result in an avulsion fracture where a small piece of bone has been pulled off or fractures may occur on the surface of the ankle joint. This may be missed in the original diagnosis of a sprain.

  2. Arthritis—Joint disease can cause inflammation of the ankle joint or the joint lining which would result in the symptoms above. Arthritis is an umbrella term that refers to over 100 different types of joint conditions. While some arthritis is the result of aging and wear and tear on the joint, other forms are part of a systemic condition or an associative condition with another disease, such as psoriasis.

  3. Chronic Ankle Instability—The most common cause of ankle pain and swelling is a previous injury that was not fully rehabilitated. Oftentimes once an ankle sprain stops hurting and a patient can bear weight on the injured ankle, they discontinue treatment. This is a mistake. In addition to giving overstretched ligaments a chance to heal, it’s necessary to strengthen surrounding muscles which help keep the ligaments in place. Failure to complete this process often leads to uncomfortable ongoing symptoms and additional sprains.

If you are having trouble with your ankle, contact us at your earliest convenience to get it checked out.