Ankle joint pain

Ankle joint pain comes from a complex organ causing a lot of misery.

This page was last updated by Dr Barrie Lewis on 23rd March, 2019.

The lower limb troubles can be very simple, but usually there's a degree of difficulty because it's a highly complicated organ. There are 7 small bones. The

  • talus,
  • calcaneus,
  • navicular,

  • three cuneiforms
  • the cuboid

They articulate with each other and with two leg bones; the tibia and the fibula, and the forefoot.

In total there are 33 joints in each foot, and what's more the feet have to work in harmony with each other. It's complex.

Feet can hurt, believe you me.

It's no coincidence that the Japanese would choose the feet when they wanted to know all your secrets.

It really is complex. The cuboid alone, for example, articulates with six other ankle bones. So many joints to injure, and that's just on one side of the foot.

Graphic of the 26 bones of the foot and ankle all of which can cause joint pain.

Ankle Joint Pain

Ankle joint pain is usually the result of an old sprain or stubbing the toes against a cupboard.

The ankle mortise joint.

This is the joint that causes needle-sharp ankle pain when you try to walk on a sprained ankle. The subluxated talus is probably the easiest joint for your chiropractor to reduce after you have injured your ankle. It's basic Chiropractic ankle sprain treatment.

The Talo Calcaneus aka subtalar joint

This complex known generally as the subtalar joint too may be subluxated in the ordinary inversion ankle sprain. If it's not reduced after injury, it often causes foot pain in the future. Actually, it's really three joints, in itself.

I treat the consequences of an unreduced subtalar joint every day; people with miserable foot pain.

That subluxation changes their gait causing problems, not only in the ankle, but up the kinetic chain; in the knee, hip, the sacroiliac joint and, yes, probably all the way to the atlas in the neck.

Don't underestimate the damage a limp can do to the rest of your body; that could also be from a subluxated bone in the ankle, a botched knee replacement or an arthritic hip, for example; or even an attack of gout that doesn't resolve.

Both diabetes and a slipped disc affecting the femoral nerve can affect the quadriceps muscle causing a profound limp.

Or a recent ankle joint sprain that makes the lower leg swell and become stiff.

Worse, research reveals that anything that affects the speed at which you can walk has a direct influence on how long you will live. Deal with that ankle joint pain.

An x-ray of the lateral ankle showing the talo calcaneus joint


The Cuboid bone and ankle sprain treatment


An MRI of the foot showing a cuboid subluxation after an ankle sprain.


ANKLE JOINT PAIN

Notice how the cuboid on your reading left (actually the right foot) in this CT scan has been severely subluxated. This lady hasn't been able to put her heel on the ground for 11 years. And she's only 36 years old. Whilst any one of the tarsal bones can be injured, I find in practice that the cuboid bone is often the key to many ankle injuries. Perhaps because it articulates with the

  • calaneus
  • talus
  • navicular
  • Medial cuneiform
  • 4th metatarsal
  • 5th metatarsal

ie. with six other bones. It's often affected for example if you kick a chair or cupboard with the little or 4th toe. That drives the metatarsals forcibly up against the cuboid.

Just like any other joint, if a fixated joint is not reduced, it will lead inexorably to Immobilisation Arthritis. Within these so-called synovial joints there is fluid sloshing about carrying vital nutrients to the hyaline cartilage that lines the bones. You can see the arthritis very clearly in the CT above in the talo-navicular joint.

Immobilisation arthritis is what happens to fixated joints that are not reduced after injury.

This is not intended to be an exhaustive treatise on chiropractic help for ankle joint pain. Any one of the ankle joints can be injured in skiing, football, skating, just an ordinary slip and fall on the street. Each needs to be carefully examined and evaluated to prevent the onset of foot pain and chronic arthritis in the ankle.

Often the services of other health professionals will be needed. Severe fractures can occur on and off the sports-field.

A photo of an ankle fracture happening in football.

But, once the surgeon has finished his/her work, and the bones have healed, get your ankle to your chiropractor, otherwise severe immobilisation arthritis is likely. Ankle and foot PAIN with a capital P.


CHIROPRACTIC TREATMENT

Every chiropractor has his/her favourite techniques. The technique is not important - getting the subluxations in your foot reduced after injury is what is important.

ANKLE JOINT PAIN CaseFile

Every chiropractor could write screeds of casefiles, but this one is little short of miraculous. Chiropractic help. ANKLE JOINT PAIN CASEFILE ...

ANKLE FRACTURE

X-ray of an ankle fracture showing a plate used to stabilise the joint.

There are probably very few chiropractors qualified to treat an ankle fracture, but once that cast comes off reduction of any other concomitant subluxations (such as in the subtalar joint), and rehab of the soft tissues to prevent "functional instability".

How reliable are X-rays? A missed fracture can cause avascular necrosis and a lifetime of ankle joint pain.

Buying running shoes

Whether you love to shop, or simply hate it, take your time when buying running shoes. If you buy a shirt that ultimately doesn't suit you, it won't actually affect your health. But BUYING RUNNING SHOES can have a direct bearing on your health; ankle joint pain lurks. So, take your time, or... stay at home!

Quite apart from foot pain, you could well have a SPRAINED ANKLE to contend with, and ANKLE SPRAIN TREATMENT doesn't come cheap. Not if the subluxated cuboid, calcaneus or talus has to be reduced and the whole ankle rehabilitated. Lots of pain too, rather spend the time buying shoes that fit you properly.

Natural anti-inflammatory agents

Whilst not powerful like drugs, olive oil, omega-3 fatty acids, ginger and tumeric all are natural anti-inflammatory agents; they are important if you are battling with ankle joint pain.

Short term, you may decide to ignore the dangerous side effects of anti inflammatory drugs and take them, but if you are thinking of a longer effect, then it's not unrealistic to add olive oil benefits to your salad or purchase yourself a small coffee grinder and sprinkle a tablespoon of freshly ground flax seed nutrition information onto your cereal every morning. It's virtually tasteless and inexpensive.

Fish oil softgels (1000mg) are also an excellent natural anti inflammatory agent; better still enjoy salmon or mackerel regularly.

So too that family of foods known as chenopods, for example swiss chard nutrition.

Make sure you are eating these sorts of foods daily if you are suffering from chronic pain; do it anyway as prevention.

Ankle joint pain and obesity go foot in foot! Refined carbohydrates are the villain of the piece but putting certain foods into your diet is easier than removing favourites; consider vegetables high in protein.

Useful links

› Ankle joint pain

Chiropractic

Do you really want to know what happens at the Chiropractic coalface?

What do Chiropractors actually do? What conditions do they treat, and how? Then walk with me through my seven years working in the polders of Holland. Another view of a different and very lovely people. It's a fun read; in the process you'll also learn more about ankle joint pain.

I learned a lot about ankle joint pain in the Netherlands; their staircases are extremely dangerous with many folk taking a serious tumble. I still find it incomprehensible that their architects are so focused on saving space that they ignore safety.

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Interesting challenges of the day

1. Mr S is a 76 year old man with neck pain of some 9 months duration. Luckily, most of the discomfort is upper cervical which is only rarely arthritic; his lower cervical spine is a degenerative mess that I've left alone. After seven treatments his pain and stiffness is 50 percent better, and he's happy in the circumstances. He can sleep through the night now and that makes a huge difference.

2. Mr P is 32 year old man with very severe lower back pain radiating to the big toe which is 30 percent numb. He had an episode three weeks ago, took anti inflammatories and was soon better as is typical of the medial disc herniation. But before it healed, after a trivia it came roaring back, much worse. The characteristic crossed sign was evident; sitting in a chair, straightening the right leg provoked severe left back pain and tingling in the leg. He's doing well.

3. Severe lower back pain is scary; just ask Mrs P. Just watching her get out of the car I she was in trouble; she had a slipped disc at L4 making her lean towards the opposite side; luckily she had no pain in the leg. Despite family pressure that this was far too severe for a chiropractor, she persevered. Within five days she was standing upright, and after two weeks almost painfree. 

Despite a hectic job, she wisely took my advice and stayed home for what I call exercising bed rest.

4. Mr S has had lower back, groin and back of thigh and calf pain for fourth months.

He has a pincer deformity in the hip causing the stabs in the groin, and a degenerative facet causing the sciatica. Both are responding well to chiropractic and he's well pleased; sixty five percent better after three treatments.

5. Mr T is a wise man; he's taken a warning TIA seriously and has lost 15 pounds, and has at least as much again to lose. A change to a low starch diet and half hour daily walk has made the difference; but the walking is making his foot and back miserable. The expensive orthotic is hopeless; luckily his hips and back are fine, but he needs a simple heel lift.

6. I too have had serious lower back issues, luckily fixed by my own chiropractor; so I too have to do my exercises, take care when lifting supers full of honey, gardening and using the chainsaw. Regaining the function of your spine is just as important as the pain.

7. My own granddaughter, only 7 is hypermobile giving her pelvic, knee and ankle issues. Xrays show a mildly dysplastic hip. Years ago we would have called it growing pains. She too regularly needs chiropractic care and luckily responds well. Increased range of motion is more difficult than too stiff in my opinion. Our care is for kids too.

8. This 65 year old lady is a serious gardener; every day she is bending, lifting and digging for 2 to 3 hours a day. It regularly catches her in the sacroiliac joint, so she has a treatment once a month that sorts it out. She does her lower back exercises faithfully.

9. This 88 year old lady is an inspiration; every day she is busy in the community. With a nasty scoliosis she manages very well with a chiropractic adjustment every six weeks and exercises faithfully done.  

10. Mr X is a 71 year old retired man who wants to continue with maintenance care every six to eight weeks; he had suffered from two years of lower back pain when he first came a year ago. He has no discomfort now after 8 chiropractic treatments, but is aware that danger lurks.

11. Mrs C has been having severe headaches, and taking a lot of analgesics. It's a non complicated upper cervical facet syndrome, and she's doing well.

12. Mr D is a 38 old year man with chronic shoulder pain after a rotator cuff tear playing cricket. It responded well to treatment, but he knows he must do his exercises every day; for two years he couldn't sleep on that shoulder.

13. Mr D, a 71 year old man, has a severe ache in the shoulder and midback since working above his head. Trapped nerve tests are negative but he has advanced degenerative joints of Luschka; after just two treatments he is 50 percent better. Can we reach 90?

And so the day goes; chiropractors shouldn't be treating the elderly most medical sites state but that's so much bunkum.

Have a problem that's not getting better? Looking for a different slant on your pain? Want to pose a question?

Interesting questions from visitors

CLS writes:

Greetings, Dr B.
You helped me quite some time back with a soothing and professional response which turned out to be exactly correct. I now consult a local chiropractor. You write a superb newsletter, too.

Your own unresolved problem. Pose a question

Knowing that up to 70% of the time the correct diagnosis is made with no examination, no special tests, no xrays, but just from the history, there's a fair chance I can add some insight to your unresolved problem. But at least 30% of the time, I may be quite wrong! Give plenty of detail if you want a sensible reply.


You visited this chiropractic help site no doubt because you have a problem that is not resolving and want to know more about what chiropractors do.

The quickest and most interesting way is to read one of my ebooks of anecdotes. Described by a reader as gems, both funny and healthful, from the life and work of a chiropractor, you'll love them. Priced right at $2.99, though Kindle fiddles the price without telling me.

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