We put a lot of stress on our feet every single day, and if you have lingering symptoms in your feet or ankles, every step you take can be uncomfortable. You may assume that your symptoms are just part of a minor issue that will eventually go away on its own, but many people find that these new minor symptoms still persist days, weeks or months down the road. When this happens, it’s time to address the elephant in the room and figure out what you’re dealing with in order to get set up with the right care plan. In today’s blog, we take a closer look at four conditions you may be dealing with if your foot and ankle symptoms just won’t go away.
Foot Problems That Won’t Go Away
Let’s take a look at four foot conditions you may be dealing with if you find that your symptoms just never seem to fully go away.
1. Ankle Instability – Ankle instability is something that Dr. Silverman has great familiarity with, and he sees it in many patients who have suffered moderate to severe ankle sprains. When you sprain your ankle, the supportive ligaments become stretched and torn, making them less able to fully support the ankle joint. This can lead to instability or a feeling like your ankle could give out if you step on it wrong. Don’t return to sports or a high level of physical activity without restoring confidence and stability in your ankle joint. The only way to get these ligaments back to a pre-injury level of fitness is with targeted exercise and physical therapy. Don’t just keep walking on it and assume it will eventually get back to full health. You need to target these ligaments with specific strengthening exercises.
2. Bunion – Pain in your midfoot or at the base of your big toe could be caused by the onset and progression of a bunion. Putting too much stress on your big toe, especially if you’re not wearing the right type of shoe, can cause the big toe joint to slowly shift out of a healthy alignment. This can lead to a small prominence on the outside of your big toe joint. It may not be painful at first, but as the alignment issue progresses, symptoms can develop and worsen. Ignore it too long, and they only way to fix it will be with a surgical procedure. If you have pain at the big toe joint or have noticed that a bony bump is forming on the side of the big toe joint, consult with a specialist about the best way to stop this progression.
3. Plantar Fasciitis – Patients with plantar fasciitis oftentimes feel like they are living through something similar to Bill Murray in Groundhog Day. They wake up and their first few steps are painful, but eventually the discomfort softens a bit throughout the day. They go to bed in less pain than they woke up with, only to find that symptoms return the next morning. This is what many patients with plantar fasciitis experience regularly. Plantar fasciitis involves the thickening of the connective tissue between your heel and your toes, and symptoms are usually most noticeable after your put pressure on the foot after an extended period of inactivity, like when you’re sleeping. This morning stress aggravates and sometimes leads to re-tearing of this soft tissue. Rest, avoiding high-impact activities, stretching routines and physical therapy can help strengthen the plantar fascia so that it can once again handle normal stress patterns.
4. Ankle Arthritis – Your ankle symptoms may not be the result of an acute injury, they may actually be the result of a slow developing condition like ankle arthritis. It occurs when cartilage breakdown in the ankle leads to bone on bone contact and additional ankle dysfunction. Many people end up shying away from activity when ankle arthritis develops, but controlled activity helps to strengthen structures and maintain flexibility in the joint. You may find that the conditions improves by pursuing more low- or no-impact activities like walking, cycling or swimming, but don’t just sit on the couch and hope arthritis improves, because it won’t, at least not in the long term.
If you’re dealing with any of these conditions or chronic symptoms you just can’t shake, connect with Dr. Silverman today!