The foot is an incredible structure and is designed to be put under significant weight bearing stress on a daily basis. It's not surprising that occasionally things go wrong. Foot and ankle pain can take many forms, from acute soft tissue ligament injuries, to tendon pain, to normal age-related degenerative processes such as osteoarthritis. In addition to this shin pain and bone stress injuries are common in an active population. At North Shore physiotherapy we treat medial and lateral ankle sprains, tendon disorders including achilles, peroneal tendon, tibialis posterior tendon, shin pain, plantar fasciopathy and other ankle joint pain.
Ankle sprains are common in sport and daily life, and there is evidence to demonstrate the effectiveness of physiotherapy in their management. For chronic and recurrent lateral ligament sprains research supports at least 4-8 weeks of physiotherapy involving strength and balance exercises, which can lead to improvements in pain, function and risk of recurrence. For acute injuries further research demonstrates that at least 4-8 weeks of physiotherapy exercise was effective at reducing the risk of recurrence. Ankle bracing is also recommended at return to sport for some patients, and physiotherapists can prescribe and recommend appropriate braces and taping to the ankle.
Posterior tibial dysfunction affects the tendons on the medial arch of the foot which help to support the arch when we weight bear - A recent study demonstrated that strengthening exercises for 6-12 weeks are effective at reducing foot pain and disability compared to other forms of exercise and no treatment. Therefore this should be advocated in the early stages under the guide of a physiotherapist. In the acute phase a moon boot and orthotics can also be useful, both of which can be provided through physiotherapy.
