How Chiropractic Treatment Helps Ankle Pain

More and more people are choosing chiropractic care for ankle pain treatment. Here, we’ll detail how a chiropractor can help with this issue.

Chiropractic care is quickly becoming a popular solution to ankle pain and other nerve injuries. It's non-intrusive and can help strengthen the ankle as well as enhance its flexibility and mobility without surgeries and prescription medicines.

But how does it work? Here's a guide on common ankle pain issues and why chiropractic treatment may be the best solution.

What Can Cause Ankle Pain?

If you are wondering what can cause ankle pain, here is a list of the most common causes.

Ankle Sprains - The Grades and What They Mean

These injuries can occur when you twist, roll, or awkwardly turn your ankle. There are three categories of ankle sprains:

Grade 1 Ankle Sprain – First-degree sprains result from ligaments that aren’t torn but stretched further than normal. Symptoms include mild pain when jogging, jumping, or walking. Swelling tends to be minimal, and joints may be less stable than usual and also a bit stiff.

• Grade 2 Ankle Sprain – This is the most common degree of ankle sprains, which often result from the partial tearing of ligaments. Moderate pain makes walking challenging as it is difficult to properly use the ankle. There is often swelling and bruising.
• Grade 3 Ankle Sprain – A third-degree ankle sprain is severe resulting from a full ligament tear, often causing significant pain and swelling. Joints may be unstable rendering them difficult to use and painful. 

Chronic inflammation

Your body may sometimes release inflammatory cells, even without an external danger, triggering ankle pains.

Bursitis

It's a condition in which your bursa (the fluid-filled sac around your joints) swells.

Achilles tendinitis

This injury is common among runners and people who play sports occasionally. It results from bruising or tearing of the Achilles tendon.

Ankle arthritis

This clinical condition arises from the wearing out of the cartilages that support the ankle joint.

Muscle strains

A strained muscle can be due to overstretching or tearing of the tendons.

Bunions

A bunion is a bony bump, often occurring at the joint of the big toe.

Biochemical issues

Sometimes, the white blood cells may initiate biochemical changes that trigger inflammations.

Broken ankles

These injuries are not common but can result from rolling or twisting ankle joints.

Pain That Can Be Addressed By Chiropractic Care

Chiropractic treatment is ideal for several types of pain. The most common ones are ankle sprains and knee injuries. Whatever the musculoskeletal condition, chiropractic care can initiate and encourage natural healing.

Ankle Injuries

Despite there not being an actual break, ankle sprains can be debilitating. You may need to rest and stay off the foot to support proper healing. Chiropractors can reduce this pain along with heel spurs, shin splints, and other podiatric issues. 

Knee Injuries

Your knees often don’t receive the proper attention necessary for proper mobility. Not only does it contain muscles, ligaments, tendons, and cartilage that extend through the legs to the feet, but it carries your entire weight. Chiropractors can accelerate your healing to prevent further degeneration.

Treatment for Ankle Injury and Pain

The most common treatment for ankle injuries and pain is R.I.C.E. (rest, ice, compression, and elevation). Some experts replace the R with M, taking the ankle through corrective movements instead of letting it rest.

Chiropractic for Ankle Pain

The chiropractor can begin by using X-rays, CT scans, MRI, and other diagnostic tools to determine the source of the pain. If the ankle injury is new, they may introduce you to R.I.C.E. to initiate healing. Later, the chiropractor will perform chiropractic adjustments because the tendons will be more stable.

Strengthening Exercises

Continuous chiropractic adjustments can strengthen your ankles as well as increase their stability and flexibility. They can restore normal blood flow, speeding your recovery and promoting wholesome healing. Some of the common exercises for ankle and foot pain include:

• Ankle rotations
• Ankle stretches
• Heel slides
• Ankle flexion
• Heel raises

Can a Chiropractor Help Ankle Pain?

Chiropractors can reduce pain by initiating and encouraging the bruised or torn tendons or muscles to heal naturally. 

Looking for a Drug and Surgery-Free Approach to Ankle, Knee, or Hip Pain?

Intrusive surgeries and medications can be good solutions for ankle pain, but they often come with many side effects. That's why chiropractic care is increasingly becoming a popular ankle, knee, and hip pain solution. It encourages the body to heal naturally, with no side effects.

Find Relief for Foot or Ankle Pain Today

Chiropractic care is gradually becoming the most popular solution to ankle pains. They are able to not only move ligaments into place, but they often provide helpful stretching exercises and suggestions on pain management. 

What Is Knee, Foot, and Ankle Pain? 

These are injuries that arise from the overstretching or tearing of muscles or tendons around the leg area.

Conclusion

There's no denying that several people are turning to chiropractic care for ankle pain. With more research in this field, chiropractic care is likely to replace traditional intrusive remedies like surgery.

Dr. Darren Faherty D.C.

In 2004, Dr. Darren Faherty graduated with a Bachelors of Science degree in Biology from UWEC - University of Wisconsin Eau Claire. Dr. Darren continued education at the highly esteemed University of Western States (formerly Western States Chiropractic College) where he obtained his chiropractic degree in 2007. He has been helping people recover from injuries and return to their normal lifestyles ever since.