The joints in your ankles comprise several ligaments, muscles, tendons, and bones that act together to provide motion and support your body. When these are injured, taking care of daily responsibilities or even standing or walking can be challenging. Because this month is National Physical Therapy Month, today, Dr. Eric Ricefield, Dr. Mark Yagodich, Dr. Aliza V. Eisen, and Cassandra Stache, DPM of greater Philadelphia’s Your Next Step Foot and Ankle Care Center share how physical therapy can help ease ankle pain.

An assortment of conditions can result in ankle pain, including arthritis, sprains, bursitis, fractures, and tendonitis. While all these conditions affect your ankles in different ways, they have one thing in common – they can all be treated with physical therapy.

Physical therapy treats chronic conditions and sudden pain that affects the musculoskeletal system, including your joints, muscles, tendons, ligaments, and bones.

Here are five ways physical therapy can help ease your ankle pain.

1. Diminished pain: One of the main goals of physical therapy is to lessen your pain through exercises and stretches, which can improve the condition of the soft tissue in your ankle and reduce pressure on the painful area.
2. Less drug dependency: Physical therapy does not involve invasive methods like surgery or the use of medications. You won’t need these methods to ease your ankle pain.
3. Better range of motion: Physical therapy can wear down scar tissue and reduce swelling and stiffness in the ankle, limiting the patient’s range of motion.
4. Improved balance and gait: Physical therapists can assess your gait to determine if any enhancements can be made to prevent and reduce ankle pain. They can also illustrate how to move to avoid falls while your ankle recovers safely.
5. Enhanced strength: Stretching and exercising the ankle makes it stronger, which helps avert similar future injuries.

Whether you have a sudden injury or long-lasting ankle pain, physical therapists can help. If you have questions regarding how it can alleviate your ankle pain, contact Greater Philadelphia’s Your Next Step Foot and Ankle Care Center. You can click here to locate contact information for the nearest office to book your appointment.