How To Improve Foot And Ankle Pain

Foot and ankle pain can be a bit of a nightmare to deal with, especially when it comes to going about day-to-day life. There’s nothing quite as bad as feeling pain in the foot, ankle, or both in some cases, which can debilitate your ability to do everyday tasks and operate as normal.

What causes foot and ankle pain? How do you help with this type of bodily pain to reduce the intensity or at least prevent it from happening in the future?

In this guide, you’ll get answers to all those questions and hopefully, should you deal with any foot or ankle pain in the future, you’ll know exactly what to do about it.

What causes foot or ankle pain?

In most cases when it comes to ankle or foot pain, it’s usually a short-term pain caused by soft tissue injuries. It might also be the result of a sprain or strain, perhaps by overworking those areas or falling/impacting them in a way that causes damage.

Fortunately, with a lot of foot or ankle pain, these should be something that gradually heals over time and often only needs some self-care efforts.

However, it might be that it could take months to recover, depending on the severity of the injury or pain, at which point professional help might be needed.

Identifying what caused the foot or ankle pain in the first place is the best way to help resolve it as quickly as possible.

Tips to improve foot and ankle pain

When you’re faced with foot or ankle pain, it’s useful to know what self-care tips might help before you seek advice and guidance from professionals. As mentioned, most of the time, it might be something that’s easily resolved.

However, if you’re looking to get up and back on your feet without the uncomfortable pain that foot or ankle pain brings, then here are some tips to help improve it.

1. Ice it up

Think about icing up your foot or ankle when it comes to improving the pain you’re feeling. Ice is a great way to reduce inflammation and to almost numb any pain or uncomfortable feeling that might be felt.

It’s important not to put ice directly onto your skin, otherwise, you could cause yourself some unnecessary damage as a result. You may also find that you can’t really last long with it applied directly to the skin.

Therefore many people will use a bag of peas or veggies for example to place on the swelling or painful points. You might also want to wrap ice up in a towel and apply that to the area so that the ice isn’t sitting directly on the skin.

Do this at various points in the day until you notice the swelling or pain somewhat reduced.

2. Get rest and keep the pressure off it

Getting rest is important when it comes to ankle or foot pain, especially as we rely on these body parts to get us upright and on the move.

It, therefore, makes it harder for people to recover from this type of pain or injury if they’re still putting pressure on it. With that being said, if it’s quite a severe injury or pain being felt, you might want to book yourself off work for a day or two to help it recover.

For some, it might result in needing crutches in order to get around and to keep pressure off it. However, that’s somewhat challenging too, especially if you haven’t got the best upper body support.

Make sure you get rest and keep the pressure off it for the most part. That way, you’ll likely recover quicker.

3. Take painkillers

Consider taking painkillers for any pain that is becoming too much to deal with. Often enough, over-the-counter medication is enough to help reduce the feelings of pain felt and to help aid the healing process going on in your ankle or foot.

Of course, it’s important to be mindful of how much you’re taking and over the period of time you’re taking the painkillers. If the pain isn’t subsiding over time, then more professional guidance might be needed.

4. Try compression socks and support

Sometimes, the support of the ankle or foot needs to be managed in order to speed up the healing process. One way to do this would be through compression socks and ankle supports. These are easy to purchase online and at any pharmacies, you might have nearby.

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They’re not always a one-solution-fixes-all option but it might be worth investing in them, just to see if they make much of a difference to the pain or discomfort being felt.

5. Speak to a foot and ankle specialist

Lastly, but certainly not least, one of the most effective ways to tackle foot and ankle pain, is by speaking to a foot and ankle specialist. This is the best way of getting support for any pain or discomfort being felt in the ankle or foot and that’s not being solved by using the above tips and tricks.

Sometimes, the severity of the injury or reason for the pain might be something that will take more than a painkiller and rest to resolve.

How to prevent injuries to your foot or ankle in the future

If you’re looking to prevent injuries to your foot or ankle in the future, then it’s worth knowing what might help to relieve this pain or discomfort. A few examples include:

• Wear the right shoes
• Stretch before working out to improve flexibility
• Don’t overexert yourself
• Take time off your feet where you can
• Be cautious when playing sports

Of course, you can’t always guarantee that you’ll be able to prevent injuries to your foot or ankle. Sometimes, you might just been unlucky. However, it’s useful to follow these tips in order to ensure you minimize it as best as possible.

Improving foot and ankle pain is definitely something to be mindful of when it comes to looking after yourself. Be sure to take care of your body and its vulnerabilities before it’s too late!

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Josie Smith