Ankle Pain
The human ankle is an extremely complicated joint. Ankle pain can be the result of a problem with the bones or soft tissue structures within the ankle.
Pain can result from injury, either athletic or traumatic; use or overuse as in the case of most tendinitis; disease as in gout or arthritis or bursitis; or even referred pain from other injuries or issues. Inherited traits and malformations of the joint can also cause pain in the ankle. The Achilles tendon- found on the back of the ankle and lower leg- is the largest tendon in the body and is often a cause of severe pain or limitation in athletes and so-called “weekend warriors.”
Pain in the ankle can arise from the following issues:
- Ankle instability – often due to recurrent ankle sprains
- Arthritis – degeneration within the ankle joint
- Synovitis – painful inflammation in the lining of the ankle joint
- Impingement syndromes – due to soft tissue or bone
- Stress fractures – due to repeated stress, injury or exercise
- Talar dome lesions – damage to the cartilage that lines the ankle joint
