Medical expert of the article
New publications
Pain in the ankle
Last reviewed: 19.11.2021
All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
Causes of the pain in the ankle
Together with sprains and injuries, other causes of pain in the ankle when walking are:
Gagged
This is a painful inflammation of the big toe and foot caused by defects in uric acid production and metabolism, or too much production of uric acid in the body. Additional uric acid is deposited in the form of crystals or salts in the joints and blood, instead of being removed from the body with urine. Gout can cause pain in the ankle and foot.
[3]
Arthritis
It is characterized by sudden and severe painful tumors in one or more joints caused by the deposition of uric acid crystals. Like gout, arthritis mainly occurs in older people and often affects the large joints of our limbs.
Osteoarthritis
This is a disorder in which the cartilage wears out and prevents the joints from working normally. When osteoarthritis worsens its course, the cartilage disappears and the bones rub against the bone, causing weakening of the muscles and ligaments.
Psoriatic arthritis
This is a type of arthritis that is often associated with psoriasis of the skin. Psoriasis is a chronic skin disorder characterized by dry red spots on the body covered with scales. Arthritis can be moderate and only a few joints are involved in this disease, especially at the ends of the fingers on the hands or feet, causing swelling of the joints and skin, pain in the ankle.
[7], [8], [9], [10], [11], [12], [13]
Rheumatoid arthritis
It is a type of arthritis that causes long-term inflammation of the joints and surrounding tissues. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease, that is, the body's immune system malfunctions and this can cause pain in healthy tissues. In particular, around the ankle.
[14], [15], [16], [17], [18], [19]
Septic arthritis
This is inflammation of the joint due to bacterial invasion, which increases when bacteria are transmitted from the source of infection through the blood. Or, inflammation and pain in the ankle occurs during infection after traumatic penetration or surgical procedures. Septic arthritis involves symptoms such as swelling of the joints, intense pain in the ankle joints, and fever.
[20], [21], [22], [23], [24], [25], [26], [27], [28], [29], [30], [31]
Causes of pain in the ankle and foot
Do you often experience pain in the foot and ankle while working? Have you noticed swelling around your ankles? Pain and swelling in the legs can be caused by different reasons. Consider them. Pain in the foot and ankle can be caused by various causes. It may be a foot injury, or it may be a symptom of a serious illness, such as arthritis, ankle tendonitis, or plantar fasciitis.
Formation of calluses, corns and spurs on the legs can lead to ankle pain. Ankle injuries caused by a torn ligament are the most common foot injuries that cause pain in the ankle and foot.
[32]
Dislocation
The most common injury that can cause pain and swelling in the ankle and foot area is a bruised leg. Dislocation of the ankle is the cause of pain due to rupture of ligaments, strips of tissue that connect the bones to each other and provide support to the ankle joint.
They may be overwhelmed or torn due to sudden twisting movements during physical activities or even walking on uneven surfaces.
Symptoms of ankle dislocation include pain, pain in the ankle, hematomas, and edema. The severity of symptoms depends on the degree of stretching. Symptoms may be more serious in the third degree of stretching, which is associated with a complete rupture of the ankle ligaments, in contrast to the first and second degree of stretching, where the ligament becomes stretched or partially broken.
[33], [34], [35], [36], [37], [38], [39], [40], [41]
Plantar fasciitis
Plantar fasciitis is a disease associated with inflammation of the fascia, a thick band of connective tissue that covers the bones located in the lower legs. This strip of fabric runs from the bottom of the heel bone to the heel. Inflammation of the fascia due to excessive overstrain is most likely to result in pain in the heel.
People who are actively involved in physical activity put excessive pressure on the calcaneus and the foot tissues become inflamed and sore.
People suffering from obesity, foot structure abnormalities or gait defects also take an increased risk of suffering from plantar fasciitis. A poor choice of shoes can also lead to inflamed fascia, which can lead to ankle and foot pain.
Heel fractures
The calcaneus is located on the back of the foot. It is the largest of the foot bones and supports the entire weight of our body when walking. It consists of a hard outer part that covers the soft, spongy part of the bone. Fracture of the calcaneus is one of the most common causes of pain in the ankle and foot, it can be caused by a fall from a great height or excessive injuries that recur.
Since the heel bone supports the lateral part of the leg and our entire body weight, when we walk, the damage to the calcaneus causes pain when walking.
Joint pain in ankle and foot
Serious diseases of the joints, such as gout, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, septic arthritis, tendonitis, can cause pain in the ankle and foot. Diseases occur when large amounts of uric acid accumulate in the joints. If uric acid builds up in the ankle joint, it causes pain and swelling in the ankle area.
Those who suffer from inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and tendonitis, are also likely to suffer from pain and swelling in the ankle area. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease associated with the wear and tear of cartilage. Cartilage is a connective tissue that is located at the end of the bones in the joints. It acts like a pad and protects the bones from inflammation during friction against each other.
If the leg joints of osteoarthritis are overloaded, this causes pain, stiffness, swelling in the ankle joint or around the joint and limits the range of motion.
[49]
Causes of ankle pain and swelling
Pain and swelling in the ankle can be caused by various diseases, ranging from infection through an open wound to the early symptoms of diabetes. Let's understand the reasons.
Pain in the ankle is a common problem faced by many people of different age groups. In most cases, the cause of dislocation of the ankle is a fall on the knee, which causes rupture of the ligaments. Rupture of the ligament makes the ankle painful. Torn ligaments are also one of the main causes of pain in the ankle, swelling and edema, which makes it difficult for normal movements of a healthy person.
The pain and swelling in the ankle area usually lasts several days and can last more than 2-3 weeks to fully pass. It also happens that an ankle injury makes it weaker and more prone to a number of other injuries and fractures in the future. Do you think that rupture of the ligament is the only cause of pain and swelling in the ankle area? Well, of course not. There are many other reasons. There are several other parts of the ankle, such as tendons, cartilage and blood vessels, which can damage this part of the leg.
Ankle pains and swelling caused by these pains are nothing more than the accumulation of fluid in the surrounding tissues of the ankle or ankle. Here are the common causes of pain and swelling in the ankle area, which vary in severity.
[50]
Injury
Sudden impact and traumatic injuries to the ankle, sprains of the ankle, cracks around the ankle joint, falling on the knee, rupture of the blood vessels of the ankle can cause pain and swelling. These traumatic injuries can lead to excessive blood circulation in the ankle area to speed the healing process. This procedure causes pain in the ankle, along with swelling and redness.
[51], [52], [53], [54], [55], [56], [57]
Peripheral edema
Peripheral edema in the ankle area can also cause problems with blood circulation. This problem is present in both legs at the same time, it is not a problem of any one leg, poor blood flow can cause ankle pain and swelling on both legs. Peripheral edema of the lower extremities may be due to aging of the blood vessels, and conditions that can put pressure on the veins, such as obesity, pregnancy, varicose veins and others.
[58], [59], [60], [61], [62], [63], [64], [65], [66]
Arthritis of the ankle
Ankle arthritis is a rare disease that can cause pain and swelling in the ankle area. It is very painful and causes pain and swelling in the ankle and ankles. People already suffering from diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis are prone to pain and swelling in the ankles. Ankle arthritis is also a disease in people who have had experience with ankle injuries.
Vascular obstruction
There may be many problems that can create problems of proper blood circulation in the ankle area. The most common cause of vascular obstruction is a blood clot that can appear in the vessels of one of the legs, causing pain in the ankle and swelling, as well as swelling. If you neglect the initial symptoms, swelling in the ankle area can be aggravated all over the leg.
Soft Ankle Infections
Infections have become the most common causes of this problem. Infections of the soft tissue of the ankle, which are also known as cellulitis, or infections caused by viruses and bacteria, can cause pain and swelling in the ankle area. Ankle infections can be treated with medical therapy, but in difficult cases, appropriate surgery may be required to solve the problem.
[69], [70], [71], [72], [73], [74], [75], [76]
Other causes of pain and swelling in the ankle
Swollen ankles of women require special attention, as they face the problem of pain and swelling of the ankle more often than men. Menstruation and pregnancy are two things that can cause pain and swelling in women in the ankle. Edema is more pronounced during pregnancy. Other concomitant causes are congestive heart failure, chronic liver disease, called cirrhosis of the liver, scleroderma, insect bites, inappropriate shoes, poor diet during diets and long standing postures.
[77]
Causes of pain in the ankle at night
There are painful and unpleasant sensations that can prevent you from falling asleep all night. The causes of ankle pain at night can range from a small fracture to arthritis.
Our ankle is a community of strong ligaments, tendons and muscles. This helps our legs move in two main directions: from the human body (plantar flexion) and to the body (localization). Acute pain in the ankle at night or swelling of the ankle at night may be due to dislocation of the ankle as a result of injury or a small rupture of the ligaments connecting the bones to each other.
The most common symptoms of ankle damage are swelling, pain at night, bruising or deformity of the tissue around the joint. All of this can occur due to rupture or damage to tendons, cartilage (which are joint pads), and blood vessels. Quite often, pain in the ankle can also be given to surrounding areas, such as the feet, legs, knees, and even the hips.
Pathogenesis
The ankle joint (also called the ankle joint) is constructed from three bones. These are the fibula, tibia and ankle bone. They are interconnected by tendons. Ankle movements provide muscles - their whole group. They give the opportunity to bend and unbend the foot. If at least some part of the ankle is damaged — the muscles, tendons, or ligaments — pain can arise in it. Pain in the ankle can be closely related to other diseases.
The most common symptoms after injury are pain in the ankle, swelling and bruising in the ankles, due to which it is extremely difficult to transfer weight to the joint.
There is acute pain in the ankle, and particularly in the ankles, when walking may also be disturbed by rupture or damage to other structures, such as tendons (which include bone muscles), cartilage (which serve as joint pads), and blood vessels. Vessels In some cases, the pain can spread to the adjacent areas of the foot, lower leg, knees, and even the hips.
Who to contact?
Treatment of the pain in the ankle
Treatment of pain in the ankle, mainly include simple home care and protection against overload. Arrange a rest for a few days, do not disturb the affected area. If the ankle is unstable, arrange its support on crutches, or walking sticks, when you are standing or walking on foot in order to remove excess weight from the ankle.
If there is a swelling in the ankles, keep the leg raised above the level of the heart for about 15 minutes. Applying a bandage or a compress of ice on the affected areas for 10 to 15 minutes each day can also help reduce pain and swelling.
For the treatment of severe pain or swelling in the ankle area, you can also use certain medications, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen, to relieve discomfort in the leg. But if you still heavily load the ankle when walking, we recommend that you consult a doctor for diagnosis and necessary treatment.
Treatment of pain in the ankle and foot
Since pain in the ankle and foot can be caused by many reasons, treatment will depend on the underlying causes of the disease. The pain can be experienced more than once by people who perform a large number of exercises, such as running, jumping and other sports. Those who suffer from ankle pain from running should make sure that their shoes are of good quality. They must stop strenuous exercise or activities that put pressure on their legs and must pass a medical examination.
Ankle and foot pain can be caused by ankle dislocation or excessive injuries that recur. Doctors usually recommend x-rays to determine the type of injury. Those who suffer from sprained ankles will have to wear gypsum to compress the ligaments or to keep the ligaments in place while they are healed. You need to be able to relax enough and avoid pressure on the ankle area to speed recovery.
Painkillers or steroids can be prescribed to treat the dislocated part of the ankle. As soon as signs of ankle and foot recovery appear, the patient may benefit from physical therapy. If the pain in the foot and around the upper part of the foot is caused by other causes, not injuries, you must follow the treatment plan prescribed by the doctor.
Treatment of the ankle and foot may include the use of orthopedic devices, medications and physical therapy. Because poor-quality shoes are one of the most common causes of pain in the ankle, you must be sure that you wear shoes that fit you perfectly.
See also: Orthopedic shoes in the treatment of foot diseases
Swelling and pain in the ankles can be caused by serious illnesses, so people suffering from these symptoms should see a doctor immediately.
Treatment of pain and swelling in the ankle
There are several home remedies for treating pain and swelling of the ankle and eliminating this problem. Comfortable shoes will help provide the ankle with good support so as not to dislodge it. To get rid of pain and swelling of the ankle, you need every day for 15 minutes to put your foot on the hill at a level above the heart, you can do it during sleep. Try applying an ice compress to the tumor for 10-15 minutes every half hour. Continue this process 2 more days after the onset of tumors.
If the tumor is still not resolved, consult a doctor. The health care professional will be able to determine the condition of the ankle after X-rays and, if necessary, give appropriate medications to speed up the recovery process. Following the instructions of the doctor, you will need to perform soft exercises, follow a healthy diet and take prescribed medications. This will certainly be a great help in the process of restoring the ankle.
Ankle treatment options at night
The best way to treat pain in the ankle at night is to take the correct position of the leg, while the pain, swelling and inflammation will calm down and calm down. Performing light stretching exercises for muscles, tendons, and ligaments under medical supervision will help relieve pain and reduce the risks of swelling and tumors in the ankle.
[93]