Foot & Ankle
Are You Experiencing Discomfort In Your Ankle Or Foot That Is Hindering Your Ability To Walk, Run, Jump, Descend Stairs, Or Perform Your Daily Job Or Household Duties?
Do any of these scenarios sound familiar to you?
- You anticipated the discomfort to subside within a few days or weeks, but it persisted.
- You attempted various remedies, such as heating pads, ice, and home TENS machines, but none provided relief.
- You received massages to alleviate the discomfort, but they returned briefly.
- You visited a doctor who took some images and administered injections or suggested medications, but the relief was temporary.
- You have previously tried physical therapy, but it did not prove effective.
- You have come to the conclusion that avoiding painful activities might be the solution to your problem.
Our primary goal is to help you discover lasting solutions for your concerns!
Our expertise lies in treating a variety of common ankle/foot conditions, including:
- Arthritis
- Ankle Sprain
- Plantar Fasciitis
- Posterior Tibial Tendinopathy
- Achilles Tendinopathy
- Midfoot Pain
- Morton's Neuroma
The Most Common Causes:
- Impaired Mechanics: This involves joint stiffness or reduced muscle flexibility, leading to a limited range of motion and weakened joint stability due to muscle imbalances.
- Injuries: These are typically the result of sudden impacts or excessive stress on the tissues.
- Chronic Compensations: Previous injuries or fear of future harm may lead to avoiding exercise involving specific muscle groups, leading to overuse of other tissues.
Push Through Performance Approach:
- Our approach focuses on breaking the pain cycle through patient education, manual treatments, and improving tissue mobility.
- We also aim to enhance the mechanics of joints, muscles, and nerves during daily functional activities and exercise/sport-specific tasks.
- To achieve this, we incorporate tissue loading to increase strength, power, and endurance, ensuring the tissues are well-prepared to handle all necessary demands without risking reinjury.
- Furthermore, we adopt a comprehensive perspective by looking "upstream" to identify if the foot pain is merely a symptom of an issue originating from another body region.
Treatment Options for Ankles and Feet:
- Reduce Tissue Inflammation: Utilize bracing, taping, and massage techniques to alleviate inflammation in the affected areas.
- Increase Tissue Mobility: Employ instrument-assisted mobilization, cupping, dry needling, and stretching exercises to enhance tissue flexibility.
- Improve Core, Hip, and Knee Control: Focus on exercises that enhance control in the core, hip, and knee regions to minimize irregular ankle forces.
- Strengthen Calf and Intrinsic Foot Muscles: Implement exercises specifically targeting the calf and intrinsic foot muscles to improve their strength.
- Restore Range of Motion and Joint Health: Work on restoring the complete range of motion in the ankles and feet while promoting joint nourishment.
- Enhance Balance and Single-Limb Control: Engage in activities and exercises to improve balance and control on a single limb.
- Progress Plyometric and Functional Activities: Gradually advance activities like jumping, running, cutting, squatting, and climbing to enhance functional capabilities.
- Improve Aerobic/Endurance Conditioning: Incorporate exercises to enhance aerobic fitness and endurance.
- Discuss Appropriate Footwear: Seek advice and recommendations regarding suitable footwear for your specific condition and activities.
Key Concepts to Understand:
- Tissues Heal: The body can repair itself naturally, but sometimes it may get stuck in the inflammatory phase of tissue healing. In such cases, external assistance may be required to transition to the recovery phase.
- Discomfort and Imaging Results: The actual source of pain often may not correlate with X-ray or MRI imaging results. Tissue injuries that appear on imaging may not always cause pain or functional limitations, while pain can sometimes arise without evident findings on imaging due to nerve tissue oversensitivity.
- Soreness after Exercise: Feeling soreness after exercise is not necessarily a cause for concern. Strengthening and improving the body’s capabilities often involve micro-damage from system overloading. As the tissue heals, it becomes thicker and stronger than before. Assessing soreness helps determine whether the tissue is ready for additional load, requires maintenance at the current level, or needs a reduction in training intensity until it’s better prepared.
- Return to Activities: With proper education, appropriate mechanics, and gradual tissue loading, it is usually feasible to return to previous or desired activities successfully. These factors play a crucial role in the rehabilitation process.
Get Started Today!
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