Foot and Ankle
Ankle injuries and foot pain are incredibly common and can be caused by a number of different conditions, including inflammation, nerve damage, fractures, muscle/ligament injuries or poor foot alignment.
Our professionals including physiotherapists, chiropractors, naturopaths. myotherapists and podiatrists have the knowledge diagnose and successfully treat all lower limb injuries. Prompt and accurate treatments are essential when dealing with lower limb and foot injuries, in order to not only to reduce and stabilize the pressure on the painful join tendons and/or muscles. However, considering all biomechanics around the injury are also essential in order to reduce unnecessary strain the surrounding joint’s (such as hip and back) through altered gait and thus avoid develop any further long term issues once to foot and legs pain subside.
Some of the most common foot and leg injuries are as follows:
ANKLE SPRAIN
▪ Often due to improper landing on foot (weight movement outside the foot during stance, uneven surfaces or impresser shoes and/or postural issues/weak muscles).
▪ Sever pain immediately after injury and often a limp
▪ Bruising seen within 24 – 72 hours that can result in black/brown bruising along the bottom of the foot
▪ May see swelling and tenderness at site with stiffness and muscle spasm further up the leg
▪ Slight laxity (joint instability) during movements.
COMPARTMANT SYNDROME
▪ Activity induces lower leg pain, which can be acute or chronic.
▪ “Crampy” sensation in lower leg due to blood or fluid accumulation within the compartments of the lower legs.
▪ Seen most commonly in runners, dancers, aerobics participants and jumping sports (aerobics participants, basketball/volleyball)
▪ Is also seen in people who for the first time many months – who are in the first few weeks of new/re-undertaking exercise once again
▪ During acute phase pain symptoms only subside once the activity is STOPPED for a short period of rest but can QUICKLY REOCCUR if attempts to begin acclivity are again
▪ Often see swelling, tenderness and muscle weakness.
SHIN SPLINTS
▪ A term used to describe pain brought on by fast walking (particularly up hill), running or jumping.
▪ Mild to severe lower leg pain at the “SHIN” due to repetitive impacts.
▪ Seen most commonly in runners, dancers, aerobics participants and jumping sports (basketball/volleyball)
▪ Pain is worst with activity and relieved by rest.
▪ Over pronator (inward foot roll) leading to overuse and stress to anterior/shin leg muscles.
CALF STRAIN
▪ Sudden, sharp intense pain felt in the upper back side of the calf muscle posterior leg region after a quick toe off movement (i.e. going for a dash in tennis)
▪ After injury, ability to walk is altered due to pain.
▪ Bruising in the calf and foot/ankle is often seen.
▪ Often see swelling, tenderness and muscle weakness.
▪ COMP Activity induces lower leg pain, which can be acute or chronic.
PLANTAR FACITIS
▪ Strain and/or inflammation of the plantar fascia (soul of foot ligament)..
▪ Most common overuse injury in athletes of both sexes, but frequently seen in non athletic women.
▪ The plantar fascia plays an important roll in arch support, and can quickly become chronic if not diagnosed speedily
▪ Often first get pain in the heel/mid foot of the inner foot which in increased with standing, walking and running.
▪ People describe foot as “tired” and “ache”.
▪ Pain can be worse fro several hours after short rest periods.
▪ Increased pain with movement, especially when lifting foot to shin.
STRESS FRACTURE
▪ Partial or complete hairline break in the bone
▪ 50% fractures seen in males
▪ This injure is rarely seen but most often occurs in highly level athletes during long duration impact sports such running, dancing, aerobics participants and jumping sports
▪ Pain is worst with activity and relieved by rest.
▪ Increased pain on palpation of fracture site.
These are a sample of the most often diagnosed and treated foot and leg conditions see by our physiotherapists, chiropractors and podiatrists at Bodyline Health. Each of our professionals have comprehensive knowledge and experience in dealing with the above, but also the less common issues such as – Sever’s disease, Excessive pronation, Metatarsalgia, Morton’s neuroma, Heel pain/bruising and Osgood Schlatter’s disease.
In addition to providing care to Lower Plenty residents Bodyline Health also caters for surrounding communities including Ivanhoe, Heidelberg, Watsonia, Greensborough, Mill Park, Rosanna, Viewbank, Yallambie, Montmorency, Eltham, Research, Diamond Creek, Warrandyte, Templestowe, and Doncaster.
If you think you may be suffering from any of the mentioned Foot and geg condition, please do not hesitate to contact our team on 90174784 for more information or book online of fast diagnosis and treatment.
Treatment
The treatment for all ankle and foot conditions involves a combination of hands on treatment, electrotherapies and finally exercises prescription to stabilize and prevent future reoccurrence. Normal joint motion and release of associated muscles tension/guarding around the ankle knee and hip are all part of the approach. Furthermore, your rehabilitation exercises are designed to quicken your our team will tailored your treatment plan according to your history, injury mechanism and eventual activity goals. Regardless the diagnosis or stage of recovery (from post-surgery to new injury) we will provide you with the treatment and long term solutions for recovery.
As a general approach, most foot and leg injuries initially benefits from quick action to reduce inflammation. Inflammation (the red, hot accumulation of fluid first seen around a new injury site) is a vital part of healing. The fluid (containing white blood cells) are immediately set to work repairing the area – but as a consequence the extra fluid in the area presses on a greater number of pain receptors in the area (equalling more pain perception). The introduction cold to the area we “shrink” the vessels around the injury and in turn reduce the amount of fluid accumulation (thus dampening pain perception). RICE is a fantastic acronym to help us first approach all injury sites whilst the area is still in the initial “inflammatory phase”.
Rest:
Avoid the aggravation where possible and reduce load bearing on the area by immobilizing/or using aids (i.e. bed rest, crutches & slings). Take a break from any sports activities and training sessions.
Compression:
Use tape or a bandage to compress the injure site. This helps disburse the fluid accumulation at the injury to a greater surface area of tissue – which in turn allows the body to filter the excess away more rapidly. However, be careful to not compress too tight, as this may restrict healthy blood flow.
Ice:
Use an ice pack or cold water emersions to the affected area for 10-20 minutes, cycles (or longer if cold burn is not an issue)
Elevation:
To again assist in more efficient reduction of excess fluid at the injury, elevation of the site (raised bed, raised arm or leg postures) better allows lymphatic and blood flow back to the heart and recirculation systems.
Appointments
OPERATING HOURS: Monday to Friday from 9am to 7pm. Saturday from 9am to 2pm.
Each individual Practitioner does work varied hours, however, in most instances we endevour to arrange an appointment for the same day of your enquiry.
As a courtesy, all cancellations require 24 hours notice.
You can view the practitioners timetable and schedule an appointment online at the following link.
What to bring
If you have private health insurance please bring your member card. If you have any relevant test results such as x-rays or a letter from your Medical Practitioner, also bring these with you.
Make sure you wear comfortable clothing. You may be required to remove items of clothing for our practitioners to examine or treat you, especially for xrays. If you have any concerns please talk to your Bodyline Health practitioner or one of the receptionists before your appointment.
Payment Options
Payment is required at the time of the consultation. The clinic accepts cash, eftpos and credit cards
including Visa, Mastercard and Bankcard.
Bodyline Health caters for specific payment options for HICAPS, Workcover, TAC, Veterans Affairs and Medicare – talk to Bodyline Health about these options when making an appointment.
