Your foot and ankle are integral to your ability to move around and perform basic daily activities, such as walking and sitting. Even if you don’t notice a problem with your feet or ankles, it is essential to take care of them to prevent future injuries and problems.
A physical therapist can help you treat pain in your foot and ankle. The main goal of physical therapy will be to alleviate pain, help improve mobility, and prevent future problems with your foot or ankle. A physical therapist can consult with you to develop a personalized treatment plan designed for your specific needs.
4 PT methods that can help your foot and ankle pain
Many physical therapy treatments can help you recover from pain on the top of your foot or in your ankle. Some of the treatment methods that can help with pain in these areas include:
- Manual therapy techniques — Manual therapy is a category of PT that includes many options that can help your pain. Some of these include joint mobilization (gentle movements of the joints) and soft tissue mobilization. Such techniques can help reduce tension in the muscles surrounding a problem joint and improve their elasticity.
- Exercises — Your physical therapist may prescribe exercises to strengthen weak muscles around your feet and ankles. Increasing the strength of these muscles can have several benefits. For instance, it can increase ankle stability, which may help ease pain.
- Footwear advice — Your physical therapist might suggest switching to shoes that provide more support for your feet/ankles.
- Orthotics — These are special shoe inserts that can control how your foot moves as you walk/run. They can also be customized to fit your feet, which can make them even more beneficial.
A physical therapist can make sure you find the best way to get back to feeling good. The recommendations above are intended to provide general guidelines for anyone looking into physical therapy treatments for pain on the top of their foot and ankle. It is crucial to keep in mind the context of your injury and the type of treatment you seek when seeking care.
Back in Motion offers treatment for pain on the top of your foot and in your ankle
Are you struggling from foot and ankle pain? You can find help for your pain at a Back in Motion Physical Therapy clinic. Here, you can receive a free screening designed to pinpoint the source of your pain. Then, our physical therapists can build you a personalized treatment plan to fit your specific condition and recovery needs.
Contact us today about our foot and ankle pain treatment services or to schedule your initial appointment.