Ankle Pain / Ankle Sprains / Ankle Stiffness / Weak Ankles
Do you wake up with ankle stiffness? Or aching pain in your ankles at the end of the day? Does your ankle feel weak and tends to roll out at times? Or maybe you’ve had an ankle injury and have been told it will just heal but it still doesn’t feel right?
We often sprain or roll our ankles outward for different reasons, such as landing awkwardly from playing netball, falling from a height, or tripping on an uneven footpath. We know that most of the times when we sprain the foot or ankle, the ligaments (fibrous connective tissues that hold the bones in place) would likely get damaged. Even when the tissues have already healed, the ligaments can become weak and compromised and not holding the joints in the right place. In addition, some foot and ankle joints can get shifted from their natural position when a sprain occurs, leading to more ankle instability. Unless we address the displacement, the ankle may become permanently weak or unstable, increase the likelihood of further injuries in the future, and even cause arthritis as a result of the joints not operating in their natural position. This could also cause other supporting structures (such as muscles and tendons) forced to compensate leading to lingering pain and other symptoms in the foot and leg.
Yes, wearing an ankle brace, supportive shoes and foot orthotics can help stabilize the ankle and reduce the compensations associated with the weak ankle. However, they only work when you are wearing them, and they do not correct or strengthen the ankle itself.
We want to help you to enjoy the freedom of your feet without relying on any external supports. We aim to correct the ankle dysfunction by improving the joint positioning and re-activating the muscles to stabilize the joints. In other words, our corrective care will improve the ankle structure itself rather than just prescribing shoes and foot orthotics (shoe inserts) to accommodate the problem.
