Foot & Ankle Physiotherapy Treatment Oakville
Are you having ankle and foot pain? We can help!
Sprained Ankle Physiotherapy Treatment:
Our Oakville physiotherapist provides ankle treatment at our Oakville physiotherapy clinic for a wide variety of injuries. This includes acute, chronic, traumatic, overuse and repetitive stress injuries. Whether it’s a traumatic injury such as an ankle sprain, or discomfort due to post-fracture immobilization, our Oakville physiotherapist has you covered!
Our physio team will help you safely regain your range of motion, improve your proprioception (ability to sense movement), improve ability to stand and walk, and muscle strengthening to help prevent secondary complications from these injuries. They will work hard to help get you back to your regular activities of daily living.
What causes ankle sprains and strains?
The most common injuries our Oakville physiotherapy teams treats are “shin splints”, lateral ankle sprains and sinus tarsi syndrome. Most of these injuries result from repetitive, abnormal forces placed on the ankle and lower leg. Overuse of the muscle leads to tension, micro-tears and inflammation in the tendon, plus weakness in the stabilizing muscles of the core and pelvis.
Shin Splints and Treatment in Oakville
Shin splints can be noted as a pain with walking or running in the front of the lower leg. Usually worse with higher impact activities like running but can get to the point where it is almost impossible to go down the stairs due to shin pain.
Lateral Ankle Sprains
Lateral ankle sprains are the most common ankle injury we treat at our clinic. They could be from a sports injury where the patient rolls their ankle or a small misstep gardening. Either way treatment for a lateral ankle sprain should occur as soon as possible so the injury does not progress. RICE is needed for an immediate at home remedy. The pain is usually on the outside of the ankle with some swelling around the ankle and the bottom of the lower leg bones. The pain could migrate to the top or the outside of the foot.
Sinus Tarsi Syndrome and Chronic Ankle Swelling
Finally, chronic ankle injuries that do not get the treatment they need usually turn into Sinus Tarsi Syndrome. Sinus Tarsi Syndrome shows as a bubbly fluid bump on the outside of the lower foot/ankle. Treatment for sinus tarsi takes much longer to heal than just a basic ankle sprain or shin splints.
These conditions may require ankle or foot treatment by our physiotherapist and often affect runners and those starting a new activity program. If workout intensity or distances are increased too quickly, or if improper, worn-out footwear is used these injuries can arise as well! These injuries are treated with a combination of hands-on mobilization, soft tissue release, shockwave therapy and strengthening exercises. Acupuncture can also be a very helpful tool in relieving pain from ankle strains and tendinitis.
Have you tried Shockwave Therapy for your foot and ankle pain?
Oakville Physiotherapy Treatment for Ankle Sprains:
Learn More About Ankle Sprains Here
Whether a sprain occurs from one wrong step off a curb, or landing on someone’s foot while jumping in basketball, the pain can be really debilitating. Ankle sprains are one of the most common injuries we see at our Oakville physiotherapy clinic, and our physiotherapist’s are experts at relieving the pain quickly and preventing it from returning.
Sprains can range from mild to severe, but almost always involve swelling and painful weight bearing. Our physiotherapy team will help reduce the swelling and strengthen the ankle to help get you back to the activities you love. Treatment can include hands-on mobilization, IFC, Shockwave for ankle injury, prescribed exercises, strengthening and Acupuncture.
Ankle Sprains and Foot Physiotherapy Treatment:
With foot pain treatment, initially you need to stop or limit the aggravating activity to give the tendon time to heal. The physiotherapy techniques employed at our Oakville physiotherapy clinic will manage the inflammation and promote an optimum environment for healing through manual techniques, modalities and icing instructions.
We will use ankle physiotherapy, manual techniques and a prescribed stretching program to decrease muscle tension and take stress off the healing tendon. We will look at your feet, gait mechanics, and the muscle activation/strength of your stability muscles in the core, pelvis and foot arch, and develop an appropriate exercise program to build strength and promote proper movement patterns. If needed, we can fit you for custom orthotics and give you advice on proper footwear to help prevent this condition from recurring!
Find Some Beginner Ankle Exercises Here
Grading An Ankle Sprain at our Oakville Clinic
When you twist or roll your ankle, there are three grades of injuries which may occur to the lateral ligaments. They are graded from 1 to 3 – with 1 being mild and 3 being severe.
Click Here To Learn More About The Grades of Ankle Sprains
Grade 1 Ankle Sprain
Grade 1 sprains that occur to the ATFL have suffered a mild stretch, no hemorrhage (bleeding) with minimal swelling and tenderness. These patients typically present with a minimal limp, difficulty hopping and recover in roughly 2-10 days.
Grade 2 Ankle Sprain
Grade 2 sprains are moderate in nature and cover a large range of injuries. For this reason, there are the most common grade we see in our physiotherapy clinic. Grade 2 sprains are associated with instability, complete tear of the ATFL with partial tear to the calcaneofibular ligament, some bleeding, localized swelling, limp, inability to toe raise/hop/run and recover in 10-30 days.
Grade 3 Ankle Sprain
Grade 3 sprains present with significant instability, complete tear of the ATFL, joint capsule and injury to associated lateral ligaments, diffuse swelling, very tender to touch, unable to fully weight bear through the foot and there will be significant pain. Recovery is expected within 30-90 days.
Remember, when you have a lateral ankle injury, these are not the only ligaments and structures, which may be injured. An individual may have a grade 2 ligament sprain but also a fracture of the fifth toe or a tendon strain with it. Therefore the active recovery time would not be 10-30 days but possibly months depended on the associated structures, which are injured along with the ligament. Visit with your physiotherapist at Glen Abbey Physiotherapy here in Oakville to have a thorough assessment of your ankle.
How To: Exercises for Ankle Sprains!
Ankle ABC Physiotherapy Exercises
Seated Calf Stretch for Ankle Pain!
Ankle Range of Motion Exercise
Ankle Eversion Exercise Physiotherapy
Standing Calf Stretch for Ankle Pain!
How to RICE an ankle injury!
If you think you may require ankle physio for an ankle sprain or other injuries mentioned above, contact our Oakville physiotherapy clinic today to book an appointment.