When you feel ankle pain, your mind probably leaps to the conclusion that you’ve suddenly sustained an injury without even realizing it. You might think that you landed wrong after a jump or that you rolled it due to unsupportive footwear. But there are many other potential explanations.

It’s normal to feel pain in your ankle every now and then, but persistent or worsening ankle pain might be the sign of an issue that requires treatment. If you don’t have an injury, then you likely have a medical condition that has ankle pain as a symptom. That’s what we’re here to talk about.

We’ll talk about the signs that you have ankle pain without an injury, the possible conditions that could be causing it and how physical therapy can help. 

How to tell that your ankle pain isn’t due to injury

Painful ankle injuries are relatively common, especially ankle sprains. More than 20,000 people sprain their ankle every day. Ankle sprains are especially prevalent among athletes, making up approximately 16% to 40% of sport-related injuries.

But even though ankle injuries are common, there are plenty of other reasons why you could be experiencing ankle pain without an injury. The best way to tell the difference is by taking note of the other symptoms.

Ankle injuries tend to have physical symptoms, such as swelling and bruising. If there isn’t an injury, ankle pain tends to occur alongside symptoms that aren’t visible, such as:

• Instability.
• Stiffness.
• Reduced range of motion.
• Inability to put weight on the ankle or foot.

Potential reasons that you could be feeling ankle pain without an injury

If you haven’t sustained an injury, it’s time to look at the other possibilities. There are a variety of medical conditions or disorders that can cause ankle pain. Since a medical condition doesn’t have a regular recovery time like injuries do, it’s important to discuss the issue with your health care provider so that you can discuss long-term effects and treatments.

Here are three reasons that you may be feeling ankle pain without an injury:

• Arthritis — Nearly every joint in the body can be affected by arthritis, which is characterized mainly by joint inflammation. Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis to develop in the ankle. It occurs when the cartilage in the ankle joint breaks down, often due to previous trauma, causing pain as well as stiffness.

• Flat feet — When the sole of your foot touches the floor because you have little to no arch, it’s called having flat feet, or pes planus. While people with flat feet are often born with it, the condition can also occur from trauma or aging as the tendons loosen. It can cause ankle pain due to misalignment and additional stress on the joint.

• Bursitis — There are several bursae located in the ankle region, which are fluid-filled sacs that prevent the tendons and bones from rubbing together. They can become inflamed, due trauma or overuse, causing bursitis. This condition can result in ankle pain as well as a reduced range of motion.

How physical therapy can help ankle pain that’s not the result of an injury

When you’re experiencing ankle pain that wasn’t caused by a sprain or fracture, it can be tempting to just grin and bear the ache in hopes that it goes away on its own. But when it starts to interfere with your ability to carry out your daily tasks, such as running errands or walking your dog, it’s time to explore your treatment options. That’s where physical therapy comes in.

A physical therapist can run an evaluation to determine the cause of your ankle pain. Then they can create a treatment plan that will reduce the pain as well as increase the overall quality of the ankle. Two of the most common physical therapy techniques used for ankle pain are manual therapy and guided exercises.

Manual therapy means that the physical therapist uses their hands to manipulate the affected tissue. For ankle pain, they will likely use the method of joint mobilization, which means alleviating the tension in the surrounding soft tissue that’s restricting the joint movement. They can gently stretch the muscle to loosen up the tissue and improve the ankle’s range of motion.

Guided exercises can also play a large role in decreasing non-injury-related ankle pain. Your physical therapist can show you safe and effective stretches that will increase the joint’s mobility and flexibility. They will also show you exercises that can strengthen the surrounding muscles. Strong muscles can increase stability to decrease the risks of falling in the future.

Franklin Rehabilitation can help ankle pain that occurs without injury

Many assume that a rehabilitation facility can only help people who are trying to recover from an injury. But at Franklin Rehabilitation, our physical therapy treatments can help your ankle pain, even when it’s not the result of an injury. With techniques like manual therapy and targeted exercises, we can work with you to reduce your ankle pain and restore its mobility. 

Call us or request an appointment today to treat ankle pain without injury.