Whether your pain is from a sprain, strain, incorrectly fitting shoes, or a traumatic injury, foot pain can disrupt your life. All foot pain has some type of bony and/or soft tissue (muscle, tendon, ligament) component. If not treated properly, ankle and foot injuries can lead to long term problems not only in the foot, but eventually problems in the knee, hip, and lower back, as they are all interconnected.
When you twist or sprain your ankle, the two bones in the ankle (the talus and calcaneus) misalign damaging the ligaments that hold these bones together. If the misalignment is not corrected, the ligaments heal in a strained or weakened position. This in turn affects the stability of the joint causing you to have “weak ankles” that turn easily or just give out. In every day life this can be annoying, but for an athlete, this can dramatically affect their performance.
The bones in your foot can misalign as well. This can come from repetitive stresses like those seen in runners or factory workers who walk back and forth in the same direction day in and day out, or it can be the result of improperly fitting shoes that are too wide or too narrow or have bad or broken down arch supports. When this happens the ligaments and muscles that support these joints become strained resulting in inflammation and pain. If you do not treat the root cause of the problem (ie… the misaligned bones), the inflammation and pain is destined to return. You must also identify and correct the biomechanical causes (training issues, shoes, ergonomics, etc.) that are causing the bones to misalign.
For all of these reasons you need a Physician that has the training and expertise in all of these areas to be able to achieve the best outcome possible. As Blount county’s only Board Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician with over 30 years of experience treating ankle and foot pain, Dr. Williams is uniquely positioned to address the various causes that may be contributing to your ankle and foot pain. Call today for an evaluation.