February 28, 2008

Ankle Tendonitis - If You Feel Pain, Beware

by Jack Beartoes

You need to make sure that you take care of your feet. They are going to be carrying you around for many years to come. Any pain or swelling that you are feeling in that ankle area could be a sign that you may be developing ankle tendonitis.

Let me keep you some background information and also talk a little bit about how we can help prevent tendinitis in the ankle.

Runners and joggers can get into a training mode that can be sometimes hard on their ankles. This also can happen to people who have jobs that required them being on their feet constantly. What can happen is that you may start to develop tendonitis in your ankles.

Tendonitis in general is the inflammation of the tendon. This is the fibrous tissue that connects the bone to the muscle. You can get tendonitis from the tendon being overworked or too much force on the tendon.

There are some very common symptoms for this illness. Most times you are going to find pain, swelling and the area will be very tender to the touch. When ankle tendinitis has developed you are going to find it difficult to move the ankle and you will feel a sharp pain going from the ankle up to the calf.

Another type of tendonitis that is very similar to being in close proximity to the ankle is Achilles tendonitis. What happens with this type is the Achilles tendon becomes inflamed. You see this occur in people who are constantly on there feet or in runners.

What can you do about Ankle Tendonitis

The home remedy for tendonitis is the care. If you are experiencing a mild case of ankle tendonitis, ice packs will work great. Use the ice in 15 minute intervals. If you need to be on your feet, you can wrap the ankle for support and this will prevent further injury.

Another method that doctor's sometimes prescribe is a cortisone injection. They are not to much in favor of this in the ankle because the tendon can rupture very easy. You can also put a cushion in your shoe and this is going to help support the foot and possibly keep you somewhat pain free during activity.

Your feet are going to carry you for a long time and keeping them injury free is important. This will include not getting ankle tendonitis. If you avoid taking care of the problem, you risk developing permanent injury and that is not something you want to do.

You need to talk to a physical therapist or an orthopedic doctor to learn how to maneuver your feet during physical activity to prevent injury. Whenever you feel ankle tendonitis pain or swelling in your ankle, try not to over do it. Try to get off of your feet and give them a rest.

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