Mid-foot pain is a common complaint in long-distance runners. One less common cause is the Knot of Henry pain — inflammation where two foot tendons cross at the mid-foot. It's easily missed because it mimics more familiar causes of mid-foot pain. So what is Knot of Henry pain, and how do we diagnose it? [...]
Ankle arthrofibrosis or scar tissue in the ankle is common after injury, surgery, or prolonged immobilisation. Often, patients experience general ankle pain and stiffness. What is ankle arthrofibrosis, and how can you manage it? What is ankle arthrofibrosis? We think of ankle arthrofibrosis as pain and reduced ankle motion due to scar tissue. Common [...]
An ankle sprain or twist leads to torn ligaments and pain and swelling in the ankle. Generally, most ankle sprains settle with physiotherapy. However, an ankle sprain sometimes fails to resolve with rehab and needs more invasive treatments. One of these treatments is a steroid injection in the ankle. So, when do you need [...]
Posterior ankle impingement causes pain at the back of the ankle when pointing the foot downwards, into plantarflexion. It's easily confused with Achilles tendon pain. So what causes posterior ankle impingement, and how do we diagnose and manage it? This is the umbrella condition. Its single commonest bony cause is an os trigonum — [...]
When you sprain your ankle, you usually damage the ligaments on the outside. In some cases, though, the injury is on the inside of the ankle, to the large deltoid ligament. So, how does a sprain of the deltoid ligament happen, and how do we manage it? What is the deltoid ligament? The [...]
Plantar fasciitis is the most common cause of heel pain — inflammation of the fibrous band (the plantar fascia) connecting the heel to the toes, leading to heel pain and difficulty running. Sometimes the plantar fascia ruptures. So what is a plantar fascia tear, and how do we treat it? What is the plantar [...]
We use walking boots to treat ankle and foot injuries, such as stress fractures — the boot allows the injury to heal. But the transition from a walking boot back to a shoe is just as important. You can't expect to return to regular shoes overnight. This guide outlines how to transition from a [...]
Effective foot pain management involves getting the proper diagnosis and starting the correct treatment early. One of the simplest ways to reach the right diagnosis is to think about the precise location of the pain. So a foot pain diagnosis chart can help you work out the cause of your pain. Why location matters [...]
The tibialis anterior tendon is a large tendon that starts at the front of the shin, crosses the ankle, and attaches to the inner mid-foot. It lifts the foot up and inwards, and during walking, it's a pivotal tendon that helps prevent us from tripping over. Overuse of this tendon is known as anterior [...]
Ankle popping or clicking is exceedingly common and often happens while walking or standing up. Sometimes it comes with other symptoms, such as pain or swelling. Most of the time, popping or clicking is harmless — but occasionally it's a sign of a significant tendon or joint problem, and popping in the ankle after [...]
