Walking On A Sprained Ankle
If you have a sprained ankle, you may be puzzled when your doctor or physical therapist recommends walking on it. Although resting an injured ankle is wise immediately after an injury, the latest data suggest that you will benefit equally from walking on a properly supported ankle as soon as possible. Successful recovery begins with…
Choose the safer way to manage pain
October is finally here, bringing with it the first signs of Fall, pumpkin flavored treats, and most importantly; National Physical Therapy Month. Since its inauguration by the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) in 1992, PT Month has been a great opportunity to celebrate all PT professionals as well as recognize the transformative power of physical…
Pain Myth #2: Just Stretch It
This is Part 2 of our 5 Part series “Myths You Were Told You About Your Pain” Pain Myth #1: “Rest Will Fix Your Problem” Pain Myth #3: “A Cortisone Injection is the Answer To Your Problem” Pain Myth #4: “It’s Because of Your Age” Pain Myth…
Treating Chronic Ankle Instability
Chronic ankle instability (CAI) is an uncomfortable condition in which the outer (lateral) side of your ankle feels like it might “give way” when you walk, move or even stand. If, in fact, it does “give way” with a turn or sprain, the result is lingering tenderness, discomfort and swelling. Overall, about 10% of people…
Treating a High Ankle Sprain
A high ankle sprain involves a stretching or tearing of the ligaments that bind the two lower leg bones (the tibia and fibula) together at the place where they meet the anklebone (the talus). This complex joint is called the ankle syndesmosis, and these sprains sometimes are called ankle syndesmotic sprains. Unlike most ankle sprains that…
Night Splints and Foot Pain
Night splints are removable foot and ankle braces designed to treat plantar fasciitis by passively stretching the Achilles tendon and plantar fascia, a dense band of fibrous tissue that runs under the foot and supports the arch. The Achilles tendon attaches the calf muscle to the heel bone and puts tension on the plantar fascia.…
Plantar Fasciitis—A Pain in the Foot
Most heel pain is due to a condition called plantar fasciitis, inflammation and/or degeneration of the plantar fascia, a thick connective tissue running from the heel bone to the ball of the foot that helps maintain the arch of the foot and transmits your weight across the foot as you walk or run. Typically, symptoms…
Individual Solution Key to Repairing a Torn Achilles Tendon
The Achilles tendon, the longest and strongest tendon in the body, connects calf muscles to the heel bone. When it is injured, the treatment is often individualized. For example, a patient recently began physical therapy after surgery to repair an Achilles tendon he had torn playing basketball. When another patient tore his Achilles tendon, he had…
Ankle Sprains: Not All Are Created Equal
A sprained ankle is a very common injury, with approximately 25,000 people—athletes and non-athletes, children and adults—experiencing it each day. An ankle sprain affects the ligaments, tough elastic bands of tissue on the outside of the ankle that connect the ankle bones to each other and protect the ankle joint from abnormal movements, such as…
Foot Pain in Dress Shoes
Have you ever had a long-anticipated night on the town spoiled by sore feet? The source of your discomfort just might be those pretty shoes you have chosen to wear. Women’s dress shoes are often narrower and less cushioned than shoes worn day-to-day, which may make them uncomfortably confining. And women, young and old, have four…
